Those of you that follow my travels fairly closely know that the Costa Brava region in Spain is a place for which I hold a special affinity. I feel very comfortable there, even though I don’t speak any Catalan and my Spanish isn’t much better.
It is a place I have been back to over and over again in the last two years, I think perhaps a dozen times or so. I’ve hung out solo there. I’ve wandered the coast, though I haven’t had a chance to get off the coast to Mallorca yet — though I will.
I was able to share it with someone who was quite dear to me. I’ve attended a couple conferences there. I’ve made a great travel friend there who mixes a fantastic gin and tonic and who you’ll hear more about in an upcoming post.
And last Autumn, I went back to help run a food and wine bloggers trip with my good friend Ayngelina, of Bacon is Magic, for her first experience in the region. It was great to be able to hang out with her in a place that is almost home to me.
Sun going down over the river that runs through the middle of Girona
While I was there, I engaged my now-fully-blown obsession of shooting video and time lapse. I am pretty sure the bloggers that were on the trip we organized up thought I was half-crazy…or fully crazy.
I rarely sat down and enjoyed the amazing food they were eating (though I was better about sampling the wines), because I was running around shooting them eating and drinking. But they were good sports about it all and I think, or at least hope, they might put up with me again in the future.
My Wonderful Apartment
While I staying in Girona, Ayngelina and I were lucky enough to secure a discounted room via the biggest and best apartment rental companies in the area, Girorooms.
Apartment rentals have become some of my go-to lodging choices in the last year or so. Having the extra room to spread out, work, recharge batteries (literally and personally), and relax is something I am beginning to cherish more and more in my permanently traveling lifestyle.
Girorooms was fabulous to work with. Ayngelina and I stayed in two different apartments while we were there. Both of them were in the heart of the old town area of town, making it simple to wander around for food.
Well, let’s be honest, it made it simple to wander around for excellent wine and jamon, because I’m not sure I consumed much else while I was there.
The one hitch I have run into with some apartment rental companies is that the customer service might occasionally be spotty. I’ve tried to stay at a place in London, for instance, where they didn’t come meet me to give me the key as promised. No problems anything like that with Girorooms. Their office is in the heart of town. They were immediately responsive on any issues we had (at one point, we couldn’t sort out the internet and they sorted it out in under an hour).
I’ll certainly be staying with them again, as soon as I make it back to one of my homes around the world.
oh my! look at all that wine! what a great video! the city looks beautiful. I love all of those buildings over the bridge. I wish I had of known about this conference – Im a sucker for food and wine!
The city looks gorgeous and the apartment looks pretty good too. Love the photo at the top of the post.
I live in Spain and the Costa Brava is one place I haven’t been. Luckily that will change this year – friends of mine are flying into Barcelona so I suggested we go to the Costa Brava as I want to see somewhere different.
I think I am going to love it! I was not sure about going to Girona but in the end decided to add it to the itinerary. Now I’m glad I did, it looks really nice. Carrot gelato and wine by the glassful? Amazing!
Such a lovely video! Totally worth all of the crazy stares you might’ve encountered 😉
Happy travels!
Thanks for featuring a great off-the-beaten-path place that’s not on every travel blogger’s website. I don’t know much about Girona so it was great to learn and watch your time lapse videos! Apartments can definitely be a more cost-effective (and comfortable) choice for long-term travelers.