Yesterday I went to Girona. I visited most of the old town. The town has an old tradition consisting in making a great number of design sets of flowers and plants. The designs consist in sets of hundreds of flowers, plant leaves and some artificial materials. This is something very difficult to describe. Photographs can give some idea. But I would dare to say that these days the ‘Girona’s Flowers Week’ is something unique. This week is a ‘must’ for people who like flowers –thousands of flowers- arts and beauty.
Every year during this week many privet yards (‘patis’) of the very old houses are opened for visitors and inside you can see incredibly beautiful floral sets. The floral designs are different in every site and they are made by garden centers, plant shops, design schools, associations and groups of students. Some of the monumental sites within the historical center show some of the bests floral sets. If you plan to visit this unique sort of flower exhibition you should not miss the Arab Baths and a couple of the towers of the old walls. Other public buildings like churches, City Hall, are equally fitted with those beautiful and original flower sets.
The visit interest is strongly enhanced by the fact that a part of the old town it used to be the Hebrew ‘district’, now called ‘call’ in Catalan. The Hebrews living there –and those living everywhere else in Spain- were driven out from the country by the sadly well known Spanish Catholic Kings in 1,492. The same year that Cristóbal Colón reached the New World. The current ‘call’ is much the same as it was at that time. But during these days you may visit the inside of some of those houses and see the incredible stone walls, arches, cistern reservoirs, etc. To me it is always striking to realize how few and small windows those stone houses had. Those people lived in almost dark rooms and consequently their main source of light was just oil lamps.
I’m inserting a few photos to better illustrate that event. I hope you’ll like them. If you haven’t been there yet think of going some year. You won’t regret your decision.
See you next Thursday!
Every year during this week many privet yards (‘patis’) of the very old houses are opened for visitors and inside you can see incredibly beautiful floral sets. The floral designs are different in every site and they are made by garden centers, plant shops, design schools, associations and groups of students. Some of the monumental sites within the historical center show some of the bests floral sets. If you plan to visit this unique sort of flower exhibition you should not miss the Arab Baths and a couple of the towers of the old walls. Other public buildings like churches, City Hall, are equally fitted with those beautiful and original flower sets.
The visit interest is strongly enhanced by the fact that a part of the old town it used to be the Hebrew ‘district’, now called ‘call’ in Catalan. The Hebrews living there –and those living everywhere else in Spain- were driven out from the country by the sadly well known Spanish Catholic Kings in 1,492. The same year that Cristóbal Colón reached the New World. The current ‘call’ is much the same as it was at that time. But during these days you may visit the inside of some of those houses and see the incredible stone walls, arches, cistern reservoirs, etc. To me it is always striking to realize how few and small windows those stone houses had. Those people lived in almost dark rooms and consequently their main source of light was just oil lamps.
I’m inserting a few photos to better illustrate that event. I hope you’ll like them. If you haven’t been there yet think of going some year. You won’t regret your decision.
See you next Thursday!
It is prety beatifull!!!! And the fothos are great !!!! I think that it is something very difficult to make such kind of floral sets !!!!
ReplyDeleteThose at the stairs of the church are incredible!!!!mmmm, or is it a house ????
Yes, Carla, the building in the background is a church. The 'Flowers' event lasts for one week. It is advisable to go there at its beginning since every day going on many flowers tend to whiter (to get less and less fresh/beautiful). Miquel
ReplyDeleteFlowers tend to wither (not to WHITER!). I apologize for the mistake. Miquel
ReplyDeleteHello Miquel….
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful your description and pictures about “GIRONA Y EL TEMPS DE LES FLORS”.
When I was a child Girona was a dirty and humid town, its buildings, I suppose because the stones people used to built them, is grey ;(the numulitic stone of Girona) looked me black and very old, but when I started to work as a guide and I had to show the town and knew better the history and legends of Girona, I liked the town more and more.
In spite that there are not spectacular buildings there, after a guided tour, people love Girona….
It has a special taste and colour that reminds me Florence., if you kook the Onyar houses from the Princess bridge….
In may, when this special show took place, a guided tour there is wonderful….
Every year there are more flower decorated spaces. This year has been the fist time that the Devesa Park and Sant Felix Church stairs were decorated with flowers….but I had no time to go there. A pity….
I loved your photo on the Arabic Baths. Wonderful The best of the collection..
Montserrat.