And again a holiday came to Girona – from 11 to 19 May 2019, the city hosts the annual festival of flowers and design Temps de Flors 2019, this year already for the 64th time. What does this mean? It means that all car parks in the immediate vicinity of the old city are packed to capacity, dozens of tourist buses are crowded in remote parking lots, and in the heart of the old city there is no free space – people are drawn to the best examples of floral design, and certainly this craving cannot be stopped… An innumerable stream of tourists; dozens, and most likely even hundreds of thousands of people visit Girona these days just to see with their own eyes what was prepared by flower growers and designers this time to please us…
Despite the cloudy weather and unusually gloomy sky threatening the useless rain at the height of the Easter weekend, the brave and merry Catalans are arranging a medieval festival in the streets and squares surrounding the ancient castle in the town of Calonge.
Everything is as usual, like at the usual Catalan fair of some 300-400 years ago – the knights arrange tournaments, waving their weapons and conquering the hearts of pretty ladies; street vendors set up shops with different foods; cheese and sausage trays threaten to cause increased salivation; the baker prepares hot bread in a coal oven (special mention are buns with chocolate!); if you suddenly have a stomach ache or you need to spoil the business of a competitor – on the next tray you will find the right potions and aromatic substances; your children will decrease the contents of your wallet, passing by numerous tents of sweets or armours and ammunition for young knights (it’s not like playing computer games!).
Here are the ancient wooden attractions for children, and while they are having fun, arranging a massacre on a rocking ship, you can join the group of dancing medieval townspeople to music played by wandering musicians, you can watch a puppet show or a procession of giant dolls… And don’t forget to visit an exhibition of knightly armor and weapons located in the castle, as well as writing a wish on a piece of paper and hanging it on a special olive tree – the holiday organizers guarantee that 99.9% of all wishes come true!
You still have the opportunity to visit this holiday on Sunday, the schedule of holiday events can be viewed following the link – Medieval Fair in Calonge 2019. On Sunday evening, at 21:30, they promise a pyrotechnic performance!
In our age of Internet technologies, the process of delivering information about selling your house to potential buyers has seriously changed and sped up – numerous web portals and social networks have pushed out of our lives the once-familiar paper ads with tear-off tags where a phone number was written, as well as ads in newspapers specialized on second hand sales.
The visual perception of the ads themselves also changed – now it’s not enough to indicate a minimum of information and lure a purchaser to visit your office, where the triumphant realtor will bring down the full power of its database to the victim of the laconic advertisement.
And the buyers themselves are not at all eager to immediately buy a ticket and fly to Spain to spend time and to look at what a real estate agent is “ready” to offer them. Nowadays, buyers find a free time, get comfortable and start to “consume content” – to look at photos in ads for property sale in search of their dream home.
We continue to get acquainted with the ancient cities of Catalonia, as well as the best beaches of the Costa Brava. Today – two in one – a medieval one, not even a city, but a small settlement – San Marti d’Empúries (approximately 120 meters in length, and as many in width!), as well as beautiful beaches surrounded by picturesque dunes and rocks, located between Sant Martí and L’Escala.
The town of Sant Martí d’Empúries, located on the wonderful coast of the Costa Brava in the southern part of the Gulf of Roses, has more than one thousand years, for many centuries the ancient Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans have visited here. Once upon a time there was the ancient city of Empúries, on the site of which is now the archaeological museum; Well, right in front of the ruins of the city are magnificent sandy beaches – a favorite vacation spot of local residents.
On a high cliff, offering breathtaking views of the Costa Brava and the surrounding valley, in the heart of Begur is an ancient medieval castle-fortress, unfortunately, not very well preserved to this day. Built on a strategically convenient place, the castle dates back to 1019 (!) and has seen in its lifetime many glorious military battles and brave men, including famous Mediterranean pirates. Today, at the top of the cliff, among the ruins of the once formidable military structure, an observation deck has been set up; here you can safely climb and admire the magnificent landscapes.
A short story about the history of the castle, accompanied by photographs can be viewed at the link – Begur Castle.
We are often reproached (and quite deservedly)for being a little biased and hardly paying attention to the beaches and the beautiful coast of Lloret de Mar. The city is not in vain very popular among tourists due to its many beaches, restaurants, discos and nightlife, here are the famous Gardens of St. Clotilde, Waterworld and many other attractions.
We fill the annoying gap and invite you to a virtual photowalk with us along the seashore following the traditional “camino de ronda” footpath. Such walking trails are laid almost along the entire Costa Brava coast. Our walk will start on the left side of the city beach, where the Castell d’en Plaja castle tower stands on top of the cliff, the city’s visiting card, and will end a little before reaching Sa Tortuga.
The friendly team of our real estate agency M2 Lux heartily congratulates their friends and dear clients with the upcoming holidays and wishes everyone happiness and prosperity!
We are often asked, but what about you, how the life is on the Costa Brava in the winter? We answer – yes, as bad as in summer, only worse 😀.
Boring rocky landscapes, scanty and pale colors; mediterranean pines, eternally green in its European conservatism; cold sea of the steel color and penetrating cold … No comparison with the cozy warmth of a comfortable car standing in a traffic jam somewhere in New York (well, in Los Angeles or in a good old London), under the lulling purr of the radio, accompanied by a sparkling snow and merry winking of the lights of holiday garlands on Christmas trees…
If for some strange reason, you still persist and want proof – you are welcome at your own risk, please see real photos in our blog following the link – Winter on the Costa Brava.
Next to the ever populous and raging Rambla, almost at its very beginning, close to the monument to Christopher Columbus, the Maritime Museum of Barcelona is located in a quiet corner in the building of the former Royal Shipyards. The Royal Shipyards have been located here since 1243, and over the past centuries many Spanish war galleys were built here. And since 1936 the Maritime Museum has been located here, among the many exhibits of which one can highlight a replica of the famous flagship royal galley of the XVI century, as well as the first Catalan submarine, constructed in 1859.
A detailed story about the history of the museum and its exhibits, as well as their photos, you can read and see in our blog following the link.
The General Notary Council of Spain reported that foreign citizens bought 5.6% more real estate in the first half of 2018 comparing to the same period last year.
To be more precise, 53.359 contracts for sale and purchase of Spanish real estate to foreigners were registered, this represents 18.7% of all transactions during this period.
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