Blog

December 2021 was a nice settled, relaxing month for us. The whole month consisted of just one house-sit – in Girona, Spain.

As the year drew to a close it got us reminiscing and we have to admit that it has definitely been a year to remember for us!

Back in January 2021 we were still very new to our ‘living full-time as Airbnb guests’ adventure. We were excited to be in Rome and had fully expected the year ahead to go according to our plan and be filled exclusively with Airbnb stays.

Things however, did not quite go that way when in May we discovered Trusted house sitters and since then, it has been house-sitting that has been our main accommodation provider. We are still using Airbnb very regularly, but now with more short-stays to fill any gaps that we may have.

House-sitting has been a great discovery for us, The thing we particularly like about it is that it is taking us to places that would never be on our chosen route map. We literally never know where we are going to be living from one month to the next. We know to some this would be their worst nightmare but, to us, it’s still all very exciting!

In September 2020, When we started this nomadic lifestyle the process we used was to first decide the location that we next wanted to visit and then book Airbnb accommodation accordingly.

However, since we started House-sitting the process has changed. Now, we first choose the house-sit accommodation that we are interested to do and then make arrangements to travel to it – wherever it may be.

This new process is much more random and, on this occasion it took us to Girona, Spain to spend the whole month of December.

The House sit

On the whole, we have been really lucky with our house sits so far. We have stayed in a wide variety of accommodation types in all shapes and sizes from boats to houses to apartments. Some large, some small. Countryside, town, city ..

The constant ‘difference’ each month really is the best thing about this lifestyle and is what keeps the flame of novelty burning brightly.

Choosing a favourite stay so far really would be impossible to do as we have loved each one for different reasons.

This one in Girona though, has definitely been special and our month spent here will be hovering high on our favourites list for a very long time to come.

We arrived on November 27th and stayed right through the Christmas period, leaving on December 29th. It has been the perfect end to an amazing year for us.

The accommodation this time was a lovely apartment on the fourth floor of a beautiful one hundred year old building.

We had definitely struck gold with the location. It was situated in the heart of ‘Barri Vell’ which translates from Catalan to English as ‘The old town’

Looking down from the window in the apartment onto the cobbled square below was mesmerising. Especially beautiful during the period of our stay as the whole area was bedecked with Christmas lights. As an added bonus we had a great view of the cathedral and ancient city wall in the distance.

The Pet

For this sit we were looking after a house cat – ‘Blue’ . No prizes for guessing where she got her name.

She was a bit mischievous, extremely playful and also a really curious cat that wanted to be involved in just about anything and everything that you were doing.

Grooming was her favourite time of the day. She loved to be brushed and throwing herself on the floor at your feet on her back was her way to tell you it was time to get the cat brush out!

The Area

Getting to Girona is very easy. It has its own airport with regular flights from the UK, or you can do as we did, fly into Barcelona airport, and then catch the high speed train which gets you into Girona in a little over half an hour.

There is mo mistaking that this is part of the Catalonia region of Spain. Catalan is the first language in Girona, Spanish second. English is not as widely spoken as we had expected and many shops and restaurants only offer signage, menus, etc in Catalan and Spanish.

The flag of Catalonia and yellow ribbons, that represent the support of politicians and former members of the regional government of Catalonia that have become political prisoners and exiles can be seen everywhere in the streets.

Things to see and do

Neither of us had been to this area of Spain before so were really in tourist mode for the whole month. We were in our element, The weather was lovely and there was so much to see and do in Girona.

The Old Town

The old town is a labyrinth of cobbled narrow roads. We spent many hours wandering these streets. The area is over 2,000 years old and amazingly well preserved. There are buildings here dating back to both Roman and medieval times.

This is a thriving, lively, living city. Most of the buildings are in use, containing homes, shops cafes and museums.

Girona is a small city and is split into the old and new towns by the Onyar river. The river is flanked on one side by rows of colourful apartment blocks.

Eleven bridges cross the river, joining the old and new towns. The most famous of the bridges is the Eiffel bridge,  constructed here by Gustave Eiffel in 1877. Ten years later Monsieur Eiffel went to Paris to build his most famous structure, The Eiffel tower.

The old town is partly surrounded by the remains of an ancient city wall. A walk along the wall is very popular with locals and tourists alike.

The far-reaching panoramic views over Girona from the city wall are amazing.

The cathedral

The cathedral is the main focal point of the city, built between the 11th and 18th centuries. The main entrance to the cathedral is accessed by climbing up an impressive 90-step stairway.

*Fun fact* – The stairway to the cathedral, along with many other locations within Girona, was used during the filming of The Game of Thrones.

The Cathedral has a single nave, which is the second largest in the world. (The largest is St Peter’s Basilica in Rome which we had been lucky enough to have already visited in December 2020)

Green Space

There are many historic gardens to be found in and around Girona.

The Jardins dels Alemanys. (The German gardens) are in the heart of the Old Town,

Here you can still see the remains of the old barracks that were the residence for German soldiers of fortune who had been sent to Girona during the 19th-century Peninsular War. This is a great place to sit in the shade of the trees for a while before climbing the stairs within the garden that take you to the city wall. 

Just a fifteen minute walk from the old town is Devesa Park. This the largest urban park in Catalonia. This is a huge, beautiful, wooded area away from the bustle of the city. We often went running here, making the most of the shade of the high trees.

Eating out

For food lovers Girona really does have something for everyone and all budgets

From the simple street vendors offering great value snacks to cafes selling crepes from a van parked inside the building!

A good way to experience Catalan food is to try a three-course menu of the day. These are very popular served in most cafes Monday to Friday as a lunch. Expect to be eating with the locals and it is a great value meal with prices for the set menu ranging from €10-€15 per person.

For a special treat, Girona is home to the resturaunt ‘El Celler de Can Roca‘ – regularly voted the best restauraunt in the world!

This restaurant is run by The Roca brothers. If you fancy treating yourselves don’t forget to book early though. The waiting time to get a table here is usually four to six months!

Myths & Ledgends

Every city has it’s myths, fables and legends and Girona is no exception.

We were told that before we left Girona, to be sure of a return visit, we had to kiss the ass of the Girona Lioness. Not wanting to tempt fate, the day before we left we set out to find the ass that needed kissing.

Thankfully for us. Due to Covid restrictions, all kissing was temporarily suspended and the steps to the ass were roped off. I really hope we are not now jinxed as our time here has been great and we leave with some fantastic memories.

We would love to return ourselves one day and highly recommend Girona to everyone as somewhere well worth a visit.

Next stop – Barcelona!