Sitges-year round fun

Sitges, now famous as the gay capital of Europe, has always been a place the good folk of Barcelona escaped to for fun and frolics. The 40 km distance is an easy drive or train ride and when you arrive you feel this is a place where most things go set in a beautiful setting with beaches and a crystal blue sea in touching distance.

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Jackson Browne kicks off summer music from Girona

Summer has started early this year and we have been launched into the festive spirit by one of the the longest careers in  professional music, the singer/songwriter Jackson Browne.
The Auditori concert hall was brought to its feet by some of the old classics (Rosie, Running on Empty) mixed with his newer themes and all accompanied by some great musicians and singers.
He even went so far as to say that parts of Girona reminded him of Southern California and that he looked forward to coming back again soon, both to visit and perform.
So, the season has got off to a great start and tickets go on sale today for the Religious Music Festival of Girona with some notable international performers from Africa ( Khaled, Rokia Traoré) India, Turkey ( Burhan Oçal & Istambul Oriental Ensemble ) and a free Salsa and Rumba concert on the 11th July so get moving!

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Exciting summer ahead in Girona!

Girona province hosts some of the best music festivals during the summer months with a wide variety of international groups and stars. In addition this year we have amajor sporting event to add to the excitement, the Tour de France which will be holding a stage here on the 9th of July finishing in Barcelona that same day.
The venues are also worth a mention because these are much more varied than your normal auditorium or concert hall. From the steps of Girona Cathedral (Religious music festival of Girona) to Cap Roig botanical gardens (Cap Roig music festival) in a setting which is a natural wonder and intimate enough to seem like a private party.
There are some smaller events such as those taking place in the Empuries Greco-Roman ruins which are worth keeping a look out for and also settings like the X th century monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes which are well worth the effort to get to.
Personally, I am looking forward to an eclectic range of music from Fauré’s Requiem to Khaled with UB40, James Taylor and Jamie Cullum along the way. Leonard Cohen is already sold out but Lou Reed, the Pretenders and Dee Dee Bridgewater will more than compensate!
See the events page on http://discovergirona.net for more details.

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Girona Flower Festival continued

This week Girona is the centre of the Flower Festival universe with concerts (mainly outdoors) and art exhibitions as well as most shops having some flowers in their displays which makes it a fun place to walk around for a few hours.
The Cathedral steps are pretty good this year as are the gardens around the Arab Baths and through the patios of the old Jewish quarter (the Call).
The Rambla and even the Onyar river get flower displays but Placa de Independencia is a safe spot to have a cold drink and a "menu" (fixed price lunch) while relaxing before joining the quest for more floral attractions later.

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Girona Flower Festival

Well, another flower festival is here, or better said another "Temps de Flors." Girona looks splendid at this time of year and, excepting the crowds, is a truly delightful place to wander around taking in the small patios, chapels, street installation art and public buildings.
It is the best way to see some of the nicest private gardens and courtyards which are normally out of bounds to the average visitor.
The first weekend is always very busy but after that things calm down and it is easier to get in to the main sights like the Cathedral cloisters and Arab Baths.
For those that want less crowded spots the Cathedral Gardens, Old City walls and the Devesa Park are all good and shady alternatives.
To compensate for all the hard sightseeing there are plenty of open air cafes, restaurants and ice cream parlours to tempt the needy.

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Falset wine fair Priorato/Montsant

For the first weekend in may Falset becomes the wine capital of Catalonia when it celebrated their 14th wine fair. Priorato and Montasant are the remote and arid areas which became one of the poorest parts of Spain after the lead mining industry closed down in the 1970's and agriculture was always marginal at best.
Until a few brave and visionary souls decided to recover the old vines and plant new ones in the 1980's and 90's there was very little reason to come here other than for the mountain scenery and general tranquility of the villages.
Now it is recognised as producing some of the most exciting wines in Spain, with prices, in some cases, to match. Like most luxury goods, the last ten years has seen some real booms and these fashionable wines were leading the pack. Now comes the reality that from a dozen wineries to 82 registered with the regulatory body there is bound to be a pretty brutal shakeout process.
None of this seemed to worry the crowds who poured into this sleepy farming town for the festival to try the wonderful olive oils, varied local foods and of course the wines.The weather was truly summery and added to the festive spirit. Salud as they say here!

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Three Kings day-Spanish holiday

Some countries have kept family reunions separate from the present-giving commercial part of Christmas. Here in Catalonia the 25th and 26th of December are family days with nice meals and maybe a visit to church, but presents come on Three Kings day, or to be more precise on the night of the 5th and morning of the 6th of January.
Throughout Spain the Three Kings arrive from the Orient on horses, camels and boats and parade through the streets of towns and cities distributing the presents which all good children have asked them for in letters posted in the days before. The procession takes different forms but always involves music, dancing, singing, candles or firecrackers and lots of sweets distributed by the various Kings and their helpers, usually seated on grand carriages.
Here in Girona the Kings set up camp outside town on the 5th where children can go to post their letters and see their exotic entourage before the procession starts in late afternoon, once it is dark. The streets are lined with excited children all singing and shouting and parents vying for the best spots to film and catch sweets.
No public celebration is complete without a traditional food, in this case a “Coca de Reis” which is a round sweet doughnut shaped cake with different fillings of cream or marzipan. The person that bites on the small ceramic figure hidden in their slice has good luck for the year ahead and usually encourages multiple slices until it has been discovered.
Children have a few days to play with their new toys before school begins on the 8th and parents have to face the sad reality of extra kilos and empty bank accounts!

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Christmas shopping Girona

Shopping is always fun but in Girona it is both easy and convenient since everywhere is accessible on foot and the choice is pretty good for a town of 100,000 people. The main shopping streets are the Rambla and Ballesterias on the Old Town side of the river, and Carrer Nou and Santa Clara on the other side of the Pont de Pedra bridge. In the new town the main streets are Juan Maragall and Pau Claret where larger shops like Zara and Massimo Dutti are based. The trendy designer boutiques are on Santa Clara, the youth are attracted to the variety along Ballesteries and behind the Rambla you can find plenty of interesting places for every wallet and taste. Merry Christmas!

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Summer Festivals in Girona

Image by FactoriaVoodoo.com via Flickr

During the summer months the province of Girona becomes a cultural paradise with a wide variety of music, dance and performing arts. The selection of music on offer goes from classic through jazz to opera and flamenco. The most famous and best funded festivals are without doubt the Festival Castell de Peralada and the Caixa de Girona sponsored events at Cap Roig botanical gardens.Coming up behind these but with possibly more interesting up and coming performers are the Porta Ferrada festival in Sant Feliu de Guixols and the  Festival de Musiques of Torroella de Montgrí. The other events which are always fabulous because of their unique settings are the Musiques Religioses i del Mon in Girona set on the steps of the Cathedral and the open air setting next to the Greek and Roman ruins of Empuries. These are truly nights to remember where you can sit outside in the balmy evening listening to some amazing performances live thinking how extremely civilized this is.
To name all the performances would be to cite literally hundreds but please do ask in the local tourist information or look in a newspaper since most nights from now on there is sure to be something happening near you.I will be going to several concerts in Girona  including the Tallis Scholars, Noa and Khalid Izri which is free, then a visit to Torroella to listen to Mah Damba from Mali and to pay homage to James Brown at Sant Feliu and Kool and the Gang at Cap Roig. So get yourself motivated  and book some tickets for a special night out this summer, you will definitely not regret it!
 

“Death Dance” Easter Procession-Verges

The “Dansa de la Mort” in Verges (about 20km from Girona) is celebrated every year on the Thursday before Easter. In keeping with many of these traditional parades it involves Jesus‘ betrayal by Judas and subsequent condemnation by Pilates and sentenced to death on the cross. All this is acted out in costume on a stage in the main square but where things get more interesting is when Jesus carries his cross around the village complete with people his disciples, people haranguing him, his mother Mary crying out to him, the Roman soldiers marching alongside him, the thieves carrying their crosses and then a whole series of caped and hooded followers all holding candles and chanting or playing instruments. This spectacle is more impressive when you consider it starts at midnight and takes place along narrow streets in this medieval old part of Verges. The town is packed and the best spots are reserved hours ahead of time but the atmosphere is electric and in complete silence except for the participants in the procession. The highlight of the event are the 5 members of the “Dansa de la Mort” a legacy from the Middle Ages comprising of one skeleton wielding a scythe, another a clock without hands, a third with a banner proclaiming that death can choose you anytime and finally 2 child skeletons holding boxes with ashes inside. These frightening characters proceed to dance to the rhythm of a deep drum beat and circle and stop in unison for the whole procession. By the time they end up in the church for their final swirls and Jesus has been crucified outside some 3 hours have passed and it’s time to head home along the streets lit by oil filled snail shells and marvel at how this tradition has managed to survive for so many years almost completely unaltered.

Labels: Easter, Girona, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Mary, Middle Ages, Pilates

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