Located
along Catalonia's Costa Brava, Girona is charming.
The footbridges over the Onyar provide some of Girona's
most unforgettable views, including reflections of
the colourful buildings on the banks of the river.
The footbridges over the Onyar provide some of Girona's
most unforgettable views, including reflections of
the colourful buildings on the banks of the river.
The
River Onyar separates the Old City
from the modern section, which
lies west of the river.
The photos above were photos taken
while wandering around the new part of town.
Built
on a hill, the Old City is also known for its lovely stairways,
such
as those up to the Esglesia de Sant Marti,
or the Baroque escalinata of 96 steps
or the Baroque escalinata of 96 steps
leading up to the cathedral.
We enjoyed lunch in a cafe with
a view of the steps and enjoyed the antics of tourists posing on the
steps for photos.
Some
photos taken while we were
wandering around the Old City today...
wandering around the Old City today...
With
apologies to those who are not Game of Thrones aficionados...
Until
this morning we were unaware that Girona was used as a filming
location for season six of Game of Thrones. This
historic walled city of cathedrals, churches, winding alleyways, and
towering arches has changed little over the centuries, and proved the
perfect backdrop for Braavos.
Here
are two of the many scenes shot here...
In
episode one, Arya Stark, now blind, is seen begging in the streets of
Braavos and being attacked by the Waif. She's in the Medieval
Quarter, behind Girona Cathedral. Do you think I could be an Arya double!
Girona
Cathedral steals the show in episode six when Jaime Lannister has a
showdown with the High Sparrow. This time Girona stands in for King’s
Landing, having earlier been the setting for the outdoor theatre in
Braavos. A
crowd of commoners waits eagerly for Queen Margaery to do the walk of
atonement, when Jaime, backed by Tyrell soldiers, thunders up the
cathedral steps on horseback.
That's
right where I was sitting on the steps in the photo yesterday!
We
did a tour of Girona Cathedral today, photography is not permitted in most areas...a
shame because there were many stunning items on display... the
14th-century silver altarpiece, studded with gem stones, beautiful
paintings, icons,
and a Mozarabic illuminated Beatus manuscript, dating from 975!
A few of Andrew's photos from areas where
permission was given for photography.
permission was given for photography.
The
ticket gave us free entry to the Basilica de Sant Feliu where we
discovered some interesting stories about Saint Narcissus
and a fantastic painting depicting a legend from the 13th
Century when the army of the French king besieging Girona violated the
tomb of Saint Narcissus and from his body came gigantic flies that
furiously bit the soldiers and their horses causing them to die. We
hadn't been bothered with REAL flies but had seen many references to
flies...
now we know why...
I
even bought a fly themed fridge magnet to add to my collection.
The last few photos were taken very close to our apartment...I don't know what kind of trees these are but there are a lot of them, they provide a leafy canopy in the streetscapes.
Andrew took the final two from our living room window!
We walked 12.6 k's today
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