Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.

-Dale Turner-

lunes, 23 de diciembre de 2013

GWC Program (Updated)

Hey Everybody!

As requested by some of the attendees, here you have the program for the GWC, this way you can find all the info in need here on our blog:

PROGRAM:

28/12/2013 – Welcome to Girona Winter Camp!!

To the people that will come at morning or will be here from the day before, meeting on the city and the first views.

17:00 first bus transfers to the main house 60 places (include in the price).

 21:00second bus transfer to the main house 60 places (include in the price).

If you come on your own, we will give you the meeting point in the city center and you can just follow the bus.
At the main house, go to the reception where we will give you a little present. There you should to pay for the other transfers, and buy your t-shirt if you have booked one.

1rts NIGHT PARTY!!! 
Link

 Concerts with:

GOTTENBERG
EL SISTEMA SUEC

And more with DJ GOSTO, DJ DELAFOU and DJ FISH.

29/12/2013

11h-12:30h - Time to meditation in the forest close to the main house (if is not too cold) more details soon.

10:45h – 18h - “Surrealist day” – Dalí Museum/Figueres – Cadaqués – click here and join the event if you are interested. 


12h – 13h – Girona Winter Games – 1rt TOURNAMENT - click here and join the event If you are interested. 

14h – 17h – Girona Winter Games – 2nd TOURNAMENT

17h – 18h – Ceramic workshop and torn demonstration with CERAMICAS MARISCAL – Link


18h – 19:30h – Traditional Salsa Workshop with CARLOS MORRA. link

18h – 19:30h – Kick boxing and personal defense Workshop with CEDRIC VILELLA.

18h 19:30h - Photography workshop with GUIDO TODARELLO. Info here.

20:30h – TRADITIONAL INTERNATIONAL DINNER – Bring some food of drinks from your country and share it with everybody!! Include traditional “PA AMB TOMATA WORKSHOP” traditional in Catalunya.

2nd NIGHT PARTY!!

With DJ DELAFOU, DJ FISH and DJ GOSTO.

30/12/2013

13h – 14h – Girona Winter Games – 3th Tournament.

14h – 2h (more or less) - GIRONA DAY – Departure bus to the city where we will spend all afternoon and part of the night. Girona legends competition, catch the fly . This time the bus is not free (you will should to pay the transfer), more info in the event here 

Price for the bus: 7€(with return)

After party in the main house with DJ FISH, DJ GOSTO and DJ DELAFOU.

31/12/2013

11 – 12:30 – GIRONA WINTER GAMES – FINAL!!!

12:30 – 13h CLOSE CEREMONY GIRONA WINTER GAMES – Podium and medals, gold, plate and bronze to all participants to the team.

13h – 18h – BANYOLES WALK – We will take a bus to the town where we will walk around the lake, stop in many places and take pictures, check the event here. 

22h – “TIO, TIO, Caga turró” – Invisible friend in catalán way!!! (For that you should to bring a little present from your country), hits the “TIO” with the typical sound and he will gives you a present.

23h –Time to share traditions, and follow them.
Be ready to eat the grapes with any ding-dong, 12th grapes, 12th dong bells, not looks your neighbour with his mouth full of them and finish them with the last bell, you will have a good lucky the NEW YEAR!!

Be ready with your “cotillion” bags, put your had, glasses, make ready your balloons and streamers and welcome the NY!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Last night party in the main house with DJ GOSTO, DJ DELAFOU and DJ FISH.

01/01/2013

YOGA SESSION to purify your spirit.

15h Departure time, transfers to GIRONA…snif, snif,…hope see you again soon.

16h Departure time, transfers to GIRONA…2nd part…more snif, snif…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Last night party in the main house with DJ GOSTO, DJ DELAFOU and DJ FISH.

01/01/2013

YOGA SESSION to purify your spirit.

15h Departure time, transfers to GIRONA…snif, snif,…hope see you again soon.

16h Departure time, transfers to GIRONA…2nd part…more snif, snif…

domingo, 22 de diciembre de 2013

IMPORTANT REMINDERS!


Hello Winter Campers!

It’s only 5 days until the GWC! We are very excited about it, and counting down the days to finally meet you all and have a lot of fun together!

We’d like to remind you of three things:

1.       Don’t forget bringing a little present for the “Invisible  Friend”(Caga Tió - New year´s tradition in Cataluña)(31/12)

 
2.       For the International dinner (29/12), everybody should prepare something typical from their country. If you believe that some ingredients are hard to find in Spain, bring them with you J Of course, nobody will be able to cook for 170 people, just be sure to bring/cook at least enough for you and a small group of people.

 
3.       In order to give everybody the best time during the GWC days, we’ve prepared some House Rules, we’ll also have a printed version in the house. You can see them below:


HOUSE RULES


1. Please bring your own towel and bed sheets. Blankets are not needed; the house already has blankets available.
 
2. Do not throw garbage outside the designated spaces.
 
3 . Do not use the private spaces reserved for the other guests.

4 . Please leave the toilets in good condition for the next people who are going to use them.

5 . You are responsible for cleaning and organizing your room.

6 . The kitchen is for the use of all Winter Camp participants, so after using it , you must leave it clean and ready  to be used by others.

7. The food stored in the kitchen must be identified with your name and room number.

8. We must maintain the common areas of the house clean during and after the event. Therefore it applies to all residents that necessary cleanup activities should be performed.

9. In case property is damaged the responsible person will be held accountable.

10. It is your responsibility to monitor and take care of your belongings; GWC organizers are not responsible for loss or damages to the belongings of the participants.

11. The schedule for the activities/excursions must be respected.

12. It is forbidden to smoke anywhere else but on the balconies, we are staying in a green area, so risk of a fire is very big. Please do respect this rule; we have to care about the nature.

So, that's it!! We wish you a beautiful Christmas and see you all on the 28th!!


 

jueves, 19 de diciembre de 2013

Legends of Girona - Pt 8 "El cul de la Lleona"

Well, here I am again!

Now, I'm going to present to you the "Lleona de Girona" (the lioness), to be exact, the legend is about her ass!

El Cul de la Lleona

In front of the Sant Felix church, close to Onyar river, there's a little column with a lioness climbing on it. She might be the most famous Girona's animal, after the Sant Narcis's flies.
It's not sure about her origin, but some people say that she (and the column) is the  remaining ruins of a very, very old hotel called "Hostal de la Leona", obviously not existent anymore. The original version of the lioness is in the Art Museum of Girona, the one on the street is a copy.This corner is not her former location, she was placed there after the hotel was destroyed.

But you might be wondering, "what's so special about this little lioness?"
 


 
 

 It's because every visitor, who wants to show their respect and will to coming back to Girona, or live here, should KISS HER ASS as a sign of respect to the city!


Many tourists do that every day, depending on the season, even queue up for that, and do the famous touristic photo!

This is the last legend of our series of posts. I really hope they could bring you a good feeling about our city, that will be waiting for you with open arms! :*

Legends of Girona - Pt 7 "La Mayordoma"

Now, a legend! ;)

La Mayordoma

Many, many years ago, when the bishop came to Girona, he brought with him his housekeeper, who was an ancient 100 years old lady, immensely fat, and she used to wear very flashy coloured clothes and accessories, she was a very gossip and unpleasant woman, but she was a great cook and invented many delicious dishes. The things was that she happened to master the mystic and magical arts, but she used that for the evil!

Every time this woman walked on the street, everybody looked, due to her not very modest clothing and behaviour. One of those days, she got so angry that she  put a spell on all the churches in Girona with huge spider webs with even bigger spiders on it, really huge spiders  in every colour you can imagine!
 
After that, Sant Narcís took all her power from her and turned her into the Jester of the city. Until one day, she had a vision of the tragic death of Saint Narcís and Saint Felix, and it really happened, since this happening, she became into a humble woman and devoted her life to help the poor and weak people. Before she died, she wanted to make another love gesture to show that she had really changed and made a huge fire in front of the cathedral and prepared mint soup to all the poor and sick people around.
After her death, during her funeral, people were very surprised when they went to carry her body and realised that she was lighter than a little bird!

So, what do you think of this legend?
 

 

Legends of Girona Pt 6 - The Eiffel Bridge and Movie "Perfume"

Hey everybody!

Today I'm not posting legends, but two interesting facts about Girona:

Puente Eiffel

The “Eiffel Bridge”,officially called  “Pont de les Peixateries Velles” or “Pont de Ferro”,is one of the most special points of Girona due to its intense red colour and modern design, and since is made out of iron, it looks like a lying mini Eiffel Tower.
 
 

It was built by Gustave Eiffel, in 1876, two years before the Eiffel Tower was made, and it represents a great progress on the union betwen the old town and the new center of the capital of the Girona province.
 
This bridge is one of the four bridges that cross the Onyar river, being the most emblematic of all.It’s an obligatory stop when you visit our city! For the bridge, that’s beautiful and for the view to the cathedral that you have from there!
 
"Perfume - The story of a murderer"

 
Not everybody know, but the movie "Perfume - The story of a Murderer" , from 2006, with the awesome actors Dustin Hoffman and Alan Hickman, was made here! The most important point of Girona showed in the movie is the "Pujada de Sant Domenic", it's a really beautiful spot of the city, where we are going to visit in our Girona day!

Have a look on the trailer!
 

jueves, 12 de diciembre de 2013

FAQ'S


Hello campers! Here you have our Frequently Asked Questions:
 
1. Do I have to bring bed linen?
Just a towel and  bed sheets, the blankets will be provided.

2. How does the kitchen work?
The house has a very big industrial type of kitchen; it’s equipped with pans, cutlery and glasses. Everybody is free to use it and prepare any dish they want, as long as the kitchen is left clean and ready to use for the next person.

3. Is it possible to store our food /leftovers in the house?
Yes, you can store your food in your room, and the things that need to be in the fridge should be identified (name; room nr).

4.What’s the best connection from Barcelona airport to Girona?
You have two options: It’s possible to go by train  or bus .(Just click on the words "train" and "bus" for more details)

5. Where are the winter campers meeting in Girona? Is there a meeting point?
The organisers will be waiting for the winter campers  here and our buses will depart from there.

6.What are the times of the buses from Girona to the main house?
We will have two buses on the 28th: The first one departs at 17:00(this one will make a stop at the groceries shop so wc’rs will be able to do some shopping until leaving the house again)  and the second one will depart from 21:00. ( For the ones from the bus from 21:00 and  weren’t able to buy the groceries, there will be some sandwiches available for low prices)

7.Is there any supermarket, bakery, shop available in the area?
The nearest ones are 5km away from the main house; we will provide bread every morning (for the ones who've ordered the day before). The other things should be bought when the buses go to the supermarket, on the excursions day.

8.Do we also have to buy drinking water to bring to the house?
No, there’s a fountain very nearby and you can drink water from any tap in the house!

9. Is it expensive eating in a Restaurant in Girona?
We are going to provide a list with some restaurants/bars that will offer special rates for the participants of the GWC.

10.Will it be possible to get some drinks during the GWC?
We will provide bar service during all the evenings of the GWC, drinks with special prices!

11. Is there wi-fi signal on the main house's surroundings?
Yes, but with limited signal .(Provided by the camp where the house is located)

12. Is it allowed to smoke in the house?
Since we are staying in a natural area, surrounded by many trees and vegetation, smoking will only be permitted at the “verandas”. Please follow this rule, we need to preserve the environment!

13.How can I get the contact info of all the participants of the event?
After the GWC we are going to provide a complete list of the facebook and couchsurfing  contacts to all the participants, including organisers, and post it on the group/blog.

14. Is there a “bed time”?
Of course not! But, we all have to respect the resting zones, and the other people’s sleep if they want to go to bed a bit earlier than us. If you want to stay awake until late, please head to the main house's common spaces .There you’ll find more people to enjoy a good time together!

15.What ‘s the average temperature in Girona during  the Holidays?
During the  night it can be lower than 0ºC, since the air here is very humid, but during the day it can reach 10ºC.

16. When can I apply for the excursions activities ?
This is the first thing you should do as soon as you arrive in the house, during the check in. That’s when you choose the activities/excursions  and pay for the ones that are needed.

17.   In case of emergency, how to proceed?
There is a emergency number that will be informed during the check in.

If you have any other question, please contact us!

martes, 10 de diciembre de 2013

Legends of Girona - Pt 5 - Torlana

Hi everybody!!

So, we are very close now to the Camp!! I hope you are as excited about it as we are!! We are a little bit more than 2 weeks to go!

The legend for this week is a little bit scary, but I hope you like it...
 


The Torlana

Around the 14th century, Girona received many Jews people and they started a community here, called "Call". It was located  in the neighbourhood that now we call "Barri Vell" (Catalan name for "Old neighbourhood".


Among all the Jews living here, there was this woman, very devoted to her faith and respected by her people, they used to call her Torlana. It's still not clear the origin of her name, but it's believed to be related to Torana or follower of Torah.

One night, her body was found beheaded at the Gironella Tower, and until now, nobody knows the responsible for this terrible crime. It's not sure whether the crime was done by a Jew or a Christian. The reasons are also unknown.



In the Jewish museum, in the courtyard ,there used to be a female head made out of bronze , in honour to this beloved woman, but it's not there anymore.

 
 

It's said and believed by many people, that if you walk in the Old Center at night, you might hear a woman's voice singing. You can't identify where is the sound coming from, because it seems to be coming from everywhere...as if she was still wandering through the quarter...

 
This was the Torlana story, see you next week with more legends!