Girona (Cataluña)

Girona, (Gerona in Castillian Spanish), is a delightful city in the far northeast of Spain. After a few days in the hustle of the capitol of Cataluña you can get on the Autovia, and in a matter of a few minutes you will be immersed in a fascinating culture with deep roots. The town is known as the city of 1,000 sieges, with its ramparts built and rebuilt by the Iberians, Romans, and throughout the Middle Ages. Girona resisted the attacks of everyone from Charlemagne to Napoleon.

The earliest Jews of Girona were survivors of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. They came to Cataluña, even prior to the conquest of Spain by the Moors beginning in 711 AD.

The Jewish community became famous in the Middle Ages for its celebrated Cabalistic School. The past can be felt in the atmosphere of the narrow alleyways of the Jewish Quarter. There is a very interesting new museum that is informative and enjoyable.

In the treasury of Girona's 13th Century cathedral is the city's greatest treasure -- the Tapestry of Creation, a unique work dating from about 1100. It is delicate embroidery with well preserved colors, which shows Christ in Majesty in a circular area at the center, surrounded by different stages of creation.

Close by, along the Mediterranean coast is the picturesque fishing village of L'Escala from which Tienda.com receives its splendid boquerones and white anchovies. Many think they are the best in Spain - or even Europe!

This ages-old town is a delight to visit. It has a clean and welcoming harbor for the small fishing boats that have been going to sea for more than two millennia! The memorial sculpture to those fishermen who have lost their lives is reminiscent of the one in Gloucester, Massachusetts -- another great fishing port.