April 2009 Archives

La Sagrada Familia is one of Barcelonas iconic buildings and well worth a visit, in fact I have probably visited dozens of times and the nice thing is that because of the on-going building works it always looks different!
This Gaudi masterpiece has been a work in progress for the last 100 years with frequent and heated debates as to whether the "new" part is really in keeping with the Gaudi original.
This post was inspired by a news item recently which assured us that it would finally be finished in 2010 and so I decided to have another look and see what a Sagrada Familia without cranes would be like.
I decided to look at details rather than the undoubtedly impressive overall impression with its soaring towers, zooming in on the fruit and bird life hidden on the facades and the amazing use of stone, ironwork, glass and ceramic tiles.
My unequivocal conclusion is that there are so many interesting and fun things to admire in/on this church that it will always be a pleasure to visit, and just for the record I love the "new" part and hope that cleaning the pollution stained exterior of the "old" part can begin when the cranes do eventually come down, but I think 2010 is optimistic, personally!

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Posted via email from gironaJ

The 23rd of April is not an official holiday here in Catalonia but it sure seems like it! Many balconies and buildings are draped in Catalan flags and many shop windows try to incorporate one of the two main symbols of the day.
The tradition is for men to give women a rose (or two!) and in return they are given a book. The centre of Girona around the Rambla is full of stalls selling books and flowers and I have never seen the streets so busy, possibly because it has been a splendid, warm (hot even) day, with a clear blue sky after what seems like weeks of rain.
This is one of the few times that people seem to raise money for "good" causes; children raise money for their school play or boy scouts for a summer camp.
So beware as you walk the streets, either buy a rose or use a book to defend yourself !
 

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Montserrat is only some 50kms from Barcelona and yet feels like a different world. Forget the Ramblas and Mediterranean casual seaside lethargy, this is a combination of the Grand Canyon crossed with Saint Marks Square and it is amazing!
There is a choice of three ways to ascend this strange landscape from below; by a modern funicular, by cable car or by road but the religious types may even consider walking depending on how penitent they feel.
For non-believers there are some great hikes around some incredible basalt rock formations with views of deep ravines and small villages below.
The real action is back at the Monastery where there are plenty of chances to save your soul in the Chapel, visit the Black Madonna, light a candle for a loved one, visit one of the best art collections of mainly Catalan artists or sit and watch the hordes of people from all over the world milling around.
A great day out will be had by all, nature overwhelms religion, but what a combination!

 

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Empuries is only some 30 minutes drive from Girona and is right next to l'Escala on the coast in a beautiful setting of sand dunes and pine trees. This area was first settled by Iberian tribes but it is really with the arrival of the civilizing Greeks in approx 300BC that both building and commerce began. Empurion, as it was known, was connected to many other trading ports around the Mediterranean, all eventually supplying the main markets of Greece and Italy with wine, olive oil, nuts ( almonds and hazelnuts), hides and wheat.
This trade became so important that the Romans decided to take over the whole Iberian peninsula to guarantee their supplies for an expanding empire. The remains we see today show a very sophisticated and prosperous community which enjoyed saunas, cultural entertainment, gymnastics and music which even today we can feel envious of.

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Posted via email from gironaJ

Empuries is only some 30 minutes drive from Girona and is right next to l'Escala on the coast in a beautiful setting of sand dunes and pine trees. This area was first settled by Iberian tribes but it is really with the arrival of the civilizing Greeks in approx 300BC that both building and commerce began. Empurion, as it was known, was connected to many other trading ports around the Mediterranean, all eventually supplying the main markets of Greece and Italy with wine, olive oil, nuts ( almonds and hazelnuts), hides and wheat.
This trade became so important that the Romans decided to take over the whole Iberian peninsula to guarantee their supplies for an expanding empire. The remains we see today show a very sophisticated and prosperous community which enjoyed saunas, cultural entertainment, gymnastics and music which even today we can feel envious of.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

In the area between Santa Pau and Olot is the Garrotxa Volcanic Natural Park and well worth a visit it is too, especially if you are looking for a contrast from the beach or city. How many places do you know where you can you walk into a volcano and see what the resulting geology looks like? There are plenty of easy, well marked paths through the park but one of my favourites is to the Croscat volcano (extinct I hasten to add) where mining activity over many years has basically revealed the interior in cross-section.
There is a visitor centre and the areas flora and fauna as well as the history of the mining operation is explained but seeing the colours and scale of this carved out mountain are deeply impressive.
This area is perfect to visit in the hot summer months because it is quite high with cool breezes and the mountains are densely covered with mature trees so walking on cool sheltered paths is a joy.The recent storms have caused a lot of damage but all the main routes have been cleared of fallen trees.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ

In the area between Santa Pau and Olot is the Garrotxa Volcanic Natural Park and well worth a visit it is too, especially if you are looking for a contrast from the beach or city. How many places do you know where you can you walk into a volcano and see what the resulting geology looks like? There are plenty of easy, well marked paths through the park but one of my favourites is to the Croscat volcano (extinct I hasten to add) where mining activity over many years has basically revealed the interior in cross-section.
There is a visitor centre and the areas flora and fauna as well as the history of the mining operation is explained but seeing the colours and scale of this carved out mountain are deeply impressive.
This area is perfect to visit in the hot summer months because it is quite high with cool breezes and the mountains are densely covered with mature trees so walking on cool sheltered paths is a joy.The recent storms have caused a lot of damage but all the main routes have been cleared of fallen trees.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from gironaJ