Girona, a city in Catalonia, Spain. A wee bit of history so bear with me. Originally, Gerunda, a city of Iberians, it has been home to the Romans, Visigoths and the Moors. Charlemagne conquered Girona in 785 and built the great city wall. In fact, today, the longest remaining section of Carolingian Wall in all of Europe is the eastern city wall in Girona. The rest of the wall was removed in the late 1800’s so the city could expand. Tourists can walk this wall for a great city view and a feel of the Middle Ages! It is known as the Passeig de la Muralla.
Either a Royal Pooper, or a Sneaky Way to Pour Burning Oil on your Enemies as they Attack the Wall!! What do you think??
Incredible view of Girona from the Wall…
One of the Old City Gates entering Girona.
In the 12th century, Girona became an important city for the Jews and had one of the best Jewish schools in Europe. The Rabbi of Girona was known as the Great Rabbi of Catalonia. However, like many other cities throughout Europe, the Jews were expelled in 1492 by the Catholic Kings. Today, the Jewish Quarter (ghetto) is one of the best preserved in Spain.
Girona endured 25 sieges and was captured 7 times. It took 35,000 Napoleonic troops over 7 months to capture the city ~ only after famine and disease forced them to surrender.
Today, Girona is a vibrant city with great art, food, culture and shopping. So, nice to walk down the ancient cobblestoned streets and visit the local merchants… oh, wait!
But seriously, there are many quaint local vendors!
Yum, yes please!
I want one of those corkscrews! Oh, and beautiful music…
Closing with a few random pics of interest… Below is scaffolding to hold up the two buildings on either side of the one removed, as they build a new one! Cool!
And, love the graffiti all over Spain. Some is obnoxious, some is interesting. Is it art or vandalism? Two images below.
I believe this translates into Dare to Change the World but don’t hold me to it. My Spanish is as good as my Korean.
And, a few more images of Girona on the River…
Goodnight.
