Recently, some friends and myself decided to visit the city of Girona ("Gerona" in Castilian) for the day, again after another recommendation.
Girona is northern Catalonia's largest city with a population of around 500,000 and is the capital of the provence with the same name. It is in a fantastic location as it situation between the sea and the mountains, one hour from Barcelona, and only a half an hour from the Costa Brava.
The city itself boasts many attractions such as the Catedral, the church Sant Pere de Galligants, the Arab baths as well as many shops, bars and restaurants.
However, none are more famous than El Cellar de Can Roca.
For more than twenty years since the restaurant opened in the late 1980's, El Cellar de Can Roca has been run by the three Roca brothers; Joan, the chef, Josep, the sommelier, and Jordi, the pâtissier.
Their concept of "emotional cuisine" blends authentic Catalàn ingredients and dishes from their childhood, being cooked in new, modern and exciting ways.
As a result, the restaurant has recently been awarded a three Michelin Star rating and is regarded as one of the best new restaurants in the world.
For more information and table reservations at El Cellar de Can Roca, visit:
The day started early (the train left at 6am) from Tarragona and we arrived just after 9am. We were in desperate need of some breakfast, and a coffee to wake ourselves up. So we went to a place called Xocolateria Antiga where we had the most amazing hot chocolate.
It was so rich and clearly literal hot chocolate, however, we all agreed that although it was nice, it was too sickly to possibly drink it all.
Xocolateria Antiga
Plaça del Vi, 8
Girona
17004
After breakfast, we had a walk up to the Catedral de Girona and the adjoining museum.
I'm not normally a fan of such buildings, but the architecture and attention to detail in this cathedral was unbelievable.
We then had a wander around the old Jewish part of Girona which is referred to as the Call.
This area of the city was Catalonia's second-most important medieval Jewish community (after Barcelona), and is a lovely part of town lined with narrow cobbled streets and old stone buildings.
After walking through the Call we ended up on the outskirts of the city, where the city wall lay.
As the weather was nice, we decided to walk a section of the wall, and we were rewarded with some breath-taking views of Girona and the surrounding countryside.
In the afternoon, and after all the walking we had done, we decided to cross the river on to the opposite, more commercial side of the city to do some shopping and to relax.
A mix of high street and designer shops line the streets with the occasional bar and restaurant, thrown in for good measure.
We went for some tapas and a few cañas on Carrer Francesc Eiximenis, which was a nice way to just spend the afternoon and let time pass us by.
Girona is a very nice city which is definitely worth a visit, and with low cost airlines regularly flying to Girona Barcelona airport, why not make a weekend trip out of it?
For more information about Girona:
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