girona

In the northern town of Girona, the Sarraïnes home can welcome 17 who would otherwise sleep on the street

Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart were sent to prison on October 16, and various towns throughout Catalonia have held demonstrations to demand their release

In some Catalan towns a white actor in black facepaint interprets Balthasar, one of the Three Kings bringing presents to children

30% of all municipal waste generated in tourist destinations and major events, according to European study

In Girona, a Red Cross psychiatric aid program for the homeless is implemented in time for the cold snap

Last month, Barcelona, Girona and Reus airports registered rise in travelers of 3.9%, 21.8% and 28.2% respectively

The 300-film collection is for all ages and showcases behind-the-scenes “treasures”

The high speed railway line that connects Girona to Barcelona registered 1.01 million travelers throughout 2016. That is the same volume of passengers that went from Catalonia’s capital city to Tarragona over the last nine years according to statistics provided by Renfe, the Spanish train operator. Barcelona is not only connected to Girona and Tarragona; Avant trains also travel to Lleida. This route has also been a great success in 2016, used by 4.03 million passengers. Altogether 10.7 million people have traveled from the four Catalan provincial capitals since 2008. 2016 was the most successful year with 2.05 million travelers.

From May 13th to May 21st Girona will host the 62º edition of Temps de Flors, an annual flower festival in which the streets and monuments are decorated with floral displays. This year, the event has grown and now adds 22 new areas. One of the novelties will be some floral arrangements and mirrors placed in the bomb shelter of the Jardins de la Infància (Childhood Gardens). In addition, a green itinerary of 3 km will allow to discover unusual views of the Cathedral of Sant Pere.

The British airline Jet2 launched a new connection this Friday between Reus Airport, located about 100 kilometers from Barcelona, and London-Stansted. In addition, starting Saturday, Birmingham will be added to their routes from Reus. The new connection with London-Stansted will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays whereas the flights between Reus and Birmingham will be available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. They will offer 228,000 seats and expect to grow by 65% in comparison with last summer. Jet2 already offers seven routes from Reus to Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, East Midlands, and Newcastle and will offer 30 weekly flights, 10 more than last year.

The number of passengers whom passed through Barcelona El Prat Airport this January grew by 11.4% in comparison to the same month last year. According to the Spanish Airport Authority (AENA) 2,804,092 passengers used Barcelona El Prat Airport's facilities in the first month of 2017 and there were 20,848 operations registered. The number of flights to and from Latin America and the Caribbean grew the most, by 35.8%, followed by those to and from the Middle East (16.9%), Africa, which grew by 10.4% in comparison to January 2016, and North America (9.3%). Cargo transportation also grew in January, increasing by 11.4% in comparison to the first month of 2016 and totalled 10,330 tonnes. In terms of cargo, routes from within the Spanish state saw the biggest growth, 40.5%, while international cargo registered a 10.2% increase in comparison to January 2016.

Temporada Alta, the renowned performing arts festival that takes place in Girona, reached this year its 25th birthday. After a quarter of century, the director of the event, Salvador Sunyer, took stock of its history in an interview with the CNA. Girona’s festival is noted for acting as the gateway to Spain, and often to Europe, for many international productions. Polish theatre director Krystian Lupa and British director Peter Brook were some of the big international names that could be seen at the festival this time out. In this vein, Sunyer stated thatencouraging work between companies and directors from Catalonia and international teams is one of the festival’s aims and long-term ambitions. A clear example of this wish is ‘Davant la Jubilació’ (‘Eve of Retirement’), in which Polish theatre director Lupa directs Catalan actors. This spectacle, and ten more, will tour internationally and 2016 is, indeed, the year in which many shows are having a longer trajectory after being released at the event.

Temporada Alta, the renowned performing arts festival which takes place in Girona, reaches this year its 25th birthday. The benchmark festival at national and European level is offering a multidisciplinary programme designed for all audiences. Between this Friday and the 4^th of December, well-known international artists such as Polish theatre director Krystian Lupa, British director Peter Brook and the Belgian-born choreographer Alain Platel will present their creations at the festival. In its 25^th edition, it has programmed 26 international shows, from 17 different countries. However, there will also be room for Catalan productions and, indeed, Catalan director Lluís Pasqual has been given the responsibility of raising the curtain on the festival with ‘In memoriam - La quinta del biberón’, a work that has grown out of testaments from witnesses to the Battle of the Ebro. 

Catalonia continues to be the most attractive destination for international tourists travelling to Spain. Up to 25.3% of all foreign visitors stay in Catalonia, according to figures published on Tuesday, which also show a 4.7% increase in the number of tourists between January and July 2016. The majority of international tourists staying in Catalonia are French (23.5%) and British (10.6%). In August, most regions within Catalonia have been fully booked, with figures suggesting better results than in summer 2015.

Thousands of people are expected to visit the 61^st edition of Girona’s ‘Temps de Flors’, which sees the exhibition of a wide range of flower artwork featuring different spots of this medieval city located 80 kilometres from Barcelona. As happens every year, the stairway of Santa Maria’s Cathedral is one of the highlights, but in this edition it has raised even more attention due to the filming of HBO’s series ‘Game of Thrones’. Hundreds of flowers fill other historic sights, patios and ancient neighbourhoods, as well as the fountains in the historical centre, which have also been included in the exhibition in a harmonious mixing of water and flowers. Many cultural activities are also expected over the weekend, from the 14^th and 15^th of May, such as ‘Castellers’, traditional Catalan human towers.