A weekend in medieval Girona

Girona and the River Onyar
Girona and the River Onyar
The city walls and the River Onyar with Girona Catherdral (centre) and the Church de Saint Feliu (left)

Girona is an historic city in Catalonia in north eastern Spain, close to the Costa Brava and Barcelona.   It has a warm climate, a fascinating history and fine restaurants.   And the city is served by an international airport with frequent, quick and inexpensive flights from London.   All these factors make it ideal for a short break.

Girona Cathedral
Girona Catherdral

Girona has a beautiful medieval ‘Ciutat Antiga’ (Old Town); founded by the Romans, then occupied by the Moors, Christians and Jews.   Its ancient architecture, cobbled streets and independent shops and restaurants make for some great exploring.

Calle de la Forca in the old quarter
Calle de la Forca in the old quarter
Calle de la Forca in the old quarter
Calle de la Forca
Placa de la Independencia
Placa de la Independencia

The city’s hilltop position at the confluence of two rivers (the Ter and the Onyar) made it ideal as a regional fortress – and why it is known as ‘the city of a thousand sieges’.

Girona old quarter
Girona Calle in the old quarter

Throughout the town you will not fail to see the red and yellow flags of Catalonia and banners calling for ‘Liberty’ (from Spain).  This recalls the dramatic events of 1 October 2017 when the Catalan parliament held a public referendum on whether Catalonia should become an independent republic or not.  The vote was strongly in favour of independence, but the turn out was low (due to the referendum being declared illegal) and international observers also reported voting irregularities.  The parliamentary leaders were imprisoned on serious charges – but judging by the flags it’s probably a brief respite in this age old movement.

Girona Calle in the old quarter
Girona Calle in the old quarter
Placa de la Constitucio renamed Placa de 1 d'Octubre de 2017
Placa de la Constitucio renamed Placa de 1 d’Octubre de 2017

If you enjoy Catalan food and culture and exploring medieval cities then Girona makes an excellent choice for a short break.  And it’s also where some episodes of Game of Thrones were filmed.

For further information click on the link below:

http://www.girona.cat/turisme/eng/

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