A group of cypresses, the tree that symbolizes welcome and hospitality, surround the kiosk that functions as a bar in the Parc dels Jardins de les Pedreres in Girona. Josep Maria Esteban, who has worked there for ten years in a totally altruistic manner, mentions this symbolism of the cypresses because he believes that welcome is one of the essential characteristics of this urban park, which in past years the residents of the Pedreres-Fora Muralla neighborhood avoided due to its state of abandonment and which today they have made their own as a meeting place, for birthday celebrations, for snacks, for an outdoor classroom to practice Zumba or yoga, to walk pets there, and to celebrate spoken-word performances, among many other activities.  

Just as tourists climbing the shady Carrer de la Força in Girona for the first time are dazzled when the imposing cathedral appears before them with the scenic power of its baroque staircase, the audience and musicians entering the Las Vegas concert hall in Sant Feliu de Guíxols for the first time can hardly imagine that behind a modest facade will emerge a venue of retro majesty that will transport them to the 80s, with three well-stocked bars, tables and chairs with gold finishes arranged in an amphitheater, two indoor stages, and a pleasant terrace, all with a capacity for almost 900 people. Perhaps Luz de Gas (slightly smaller) is one of the few comparable venues, although due to its long history, some compare Las Vegas to Sala Apolo or La Paloma. The venue was built in 1962, but its origins date back to an open-air terrace dedicated to shows for the first tourists, which began operating in 1958 under the same name. The current director, Marc Recolons, goes even further back, explaining that his great-great-grandfather was a true pioneer of cinema in the Girona region, who in the early 20th century began showing silent films in a circus tent in Llagostera, with a projector bought from the Lumière brothers at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. The grandfather and two brothers later managed cinemas in various towns, including Calonge, Palamós, Palafrugell, and Figueres (here also named Las Vegas).

The brief curriculum he has written, of little more than four lines, does not do justice to his professional career in the performing arts world, which is immense, not only for the large number of roles he has played, but also for the quality of the plays in which he has acted and for the excellence with which he has interpreted each of the characters. "Pep Cruz is theatre made man," critics have said of him. "An actor who does everything well," has also been written about him. "The most popular and beloved of the actors in the Catalan theatrical Olympus," others have added. Born in Girona in 1948 and forged as an actor in this city, Pep Cruz has worked, as a performer, as a director, or as a screenwriter in almost a hundred plays, including Cyrano de Bergerac, King Lear, Forido Pensil or Infantillajes; he has acted in 8 musicals, including the successful Mar i Cel; in 8 television series, such as Ventdelplà and Oh! Europa, and in more than thirty films.

Pere Garcia (Girona, 1946) knows the secret to enduring 42 years in a job as a payroll specialist, a job he absolutely hated and which he readily describes as odious. He handled payroll and employment contracts. His was a particularly unpleasant department because "I always had to side with the company owner," and if an employee ever came to me, "I also had to agree with them and navigate any conflicts." He acknowledges that his loyalty to the company, which began at age 16 after finishing secondary school, was also largely due to the fact that the company, the prestigious Cànovas consultancy in Girona, "was excellent, as were the owners, department heads, and colleagues." However, the determining factor in his long tenure was his great passion for his leisure time: musicals.

Older people know it because it was a Marist Brothers seminary. Those born in the 80s and 90s know it because they went there for their first summer camps, sharpening tools and building huts like prehistoric people. And for the Catalan cultural scene, it has become, in the last eight years, an interdisciplinary meeting point. An intimate space where you can enjoy everything from performances by emerging groups, companies, and artists to shows by renowned musicians like Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Adrià Puntí, and the Vallès Symphony Orchestra.

He arrived in Girona during the height of the Spanish Transition, when the houses that are now picturesque along the Onyar River were gray and the city's "dump." Now, the city that welcomed him has just presented him with the most extensive exhibition ever held in the municipality: eight cultural venues are displaying more than 600 of his works, divided by theme. Vicente Huedo (Socuéllamos, Ciudad Real, 1955) is more than a painter: he is also a teacher of painters. Self-taught, and with a natural talent for drawing since childhood, he has taught at the La Mercè Cultural Center for 35 years. "Girona has given me back much more than I have given it," he explains enthusiastically about the exhibition. "It's a luxury in life to feel recognized and loved. After that, I don't think anything will change: it's food for thought, and I will continue creating my own work with the peace of mind of seeing my efforts rewarded."

From cross-border routes of the Republican exile, which follow the same paths that thousands of people took clandestinely on foot during the Civil War, from Portbou to Maçanet de CabrenysThere are a lot of them. Over the last few years, the Democratic Memorial of the Generalitat of Catalonia, in collaboration with the municipalities of Alt Empordà, has worked to study and properly mark them. However, a new one has now been added to the list, which, for the first time, has also been marked in collaboration with the Occitan administrations. The first democratic memory route carried out jointly with Northern Catalonia.

The internal squabble in ERC in Girona city This week adds a new chapter after months of power struggles and a few The primaries to choose the mayoral candidate are very close.which ended with Marc Puigtió, former mayor of Sant Julià de Ramis and an ally of Oriol Junqueras, winning by a single vote. The local executive committee of the Republicans just submitted its resignation this Monday to prevent the motion of no confidence presented in January by the only member of the leadership aligned with Puigtió from succeeding. In a joint statement, the now-former executive committee asserts that it is resigning "due to the lack of democratic guarantees" and because it refuses to legitimize practices that it "believes are contrary to the party's values."

They are not served drinksbut drinks. It does not have kitchenbut of food. Customers will be able to enjoy good music, not of musicand they'll find good vibes instead of vibesWith this declaration of intent, the new Soul is being announced on social media. This establishment, which opened its doors last Saturday near Girona's Barri Vell (Old Quarter), aims to differentiate itself from the numerous Anglophile establishments catering to the city's cycling community that have recently sprung up, despite its name and the fact that it's run by an Irishman, Steve Rigney. And it's precisely these local customers that Soul hopes to attract. The establishment is full of nods to these customers: a large lithograph of Saint George slaying the dragon on the wall, figurines of caganers (traditional Catalan defecators) hanging above the restroom door, locally sourced craft beers, sandwiches made with products bought from the butcher shop across the street, and a sign in Catalan inviting customers in: "Come on in."

In a global context marked by the erosion of rights, a means of transport like the bicycle has become, more than ever, an ideological symbol. Consequently, political polarization directly impacts decisions regarding sustainable mobility. The 2023 municipal elections marked a turning point in many cities: the arrival of new governments has influenced the management of bike lanes, often citing arguments of safety or freedom to move around by car. We have seen this in Castelldefels, Palma, Elche, Valladolid, and Logroño, and Lisbon has drawn attention for impounding bicycles parked in public spaces. At the same time, in Barcelona, ​​the socialist government of Jaume Collboni has maintained the infrastructure but reduced the push for new traffic-calming measures. In Girona, however, the dynamic is different. It has become established in the last decade as the cycling capital of southern Europe, and businesses linked to the sector have multiplied almost fivefold. If at the beginning of 2014 there were only eight cycling shops In the city, there are currently 41. The bicycle has also become an economic and tourist engine: if in Barcelonaexpanded He lives in a rented apartment costing over 2,000 euros and drinks specialty coffees costing 5 euros; in Girona he is accompanied by a high-end road or gravel bike and equipment worth over 4,000 euros.

The Girona City Council wants to limit the granting of licenses for new businesses related to cycling. Cycle tourism is thriving. an extraordinary boom in the city, especially in the Barri Vell, where in recent years, every time an iconic business closes, a new one opens a new store linked to high-end cyclingDesigned to attract primarily foreign customers.

Taking responsibility for a specific section of the coastal path, inspecting it regularly, and reporting any illegal closures or deterioration that impedes access. This is the mission that SOS Costa Brava wants to entrust to the future "godparents" of the coastal paths, a new role with which the environmental organization intends to strengthen the monitoring of these historic routes along the sea and guarantee the public's right to walk freely and without obstacles.

The other day Llibori died, an essential presence who gave character and pride to Sant Feliu. I didn't know him personally, but I stumbled across his tall, paradoxically unassuming figure in the street, with his long, straight hair and mustache. It was more than just seeing the great singer of Quercus, the rock band that played "rock music," founder of the fondly remembered Colla Jacomet, and capable of composing so much. Old fisherman as The Last Habanerawhich it truly was. He sang in Velvet's dark, ironic, and radical style.Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance", was introduced by Jordi Riera, another great singer from Colla Jacomet.

The vast warehouse of Airearte, in Sant Jordi Desvalls, is like an expanding continent, capable of absorbing everything that boils in Lluís Mohedano's mind. A space that grows like one of the giant inflatables that have allowed its creator to literally live off the air for forty years. The building, a former onion and potato drying facility, has become over time an artifact difficult to classify: an art gallery, a concert hall, a stage for theater, dance, and poetry. coworking It's an improvised space for workshops and, at the same time, a bar where cocktails and small plates mingle with relaxed conversations. Initially, it only opened occasionally, coinciding with exhibitions, but since last summer, now with a bar license, it's open every day and hopes that a growing clientele will validate its original and constantly evolving concept.

Twenty years ago, the then Minister of Health, Marina Geli, presented a model of the expansion of the major referral hospital for the Girona region: the Doctor Josep Trueta Hospital. The plan was for it to open in 2008, just as the economic crisis hit, but only three years later, the date was already being pushed back to 2015-2016. A decade has passed since then, along with a relocation of the facilities next to the Martí i Julià Hospital Park – better known as Santa Caterina – and a new timeline that places the opening of the new Girona Health Campus in 2031. Despite the agreement between institutions and the commitment that there is "nothing right now that will delay the schedule," doctors in Girona are questioning this timeline due to ongoing technical difficulties and "accumulated delays."

Chije Kang is an architect and cinematographer from Figueres with a distinguished international career. Born in Figueres in the 1990s to a Korean family, when Asian immigration was virtually nonexistent in the Empordà region, she has forged a talented and passionate creative path, working in both photography and filmmaking. After training in Barcelona, ​​she now lives in New York, where she combines prestigious architectural commissions, primarily focused on interior design, with audiovisual projects in independent film, advertising, and contemporary art. Two years ago, she participated in the film The room next door by Pedro AlmodóvarAs assistant to Barcelona-based cinematographer Edu Grau, with whom she won the Goya Award in 2025, Kang, perfectly integrated into the artistic and social bustle of New York City, maintains strong ties to Figueres and its surroundings, where her family and the Empordà landscape continue to inspire her in every project.

Garrochina chef Martina Puigvert is one of the great figures of the Catalan culinary sceneAt just 30 years old, he is already head chef of the highly renowned Les Cols de Olot restaurant, with two Michelin stars, founded by his parents, Manel Puigvert and Fina Puigdevall, in 1990. He has just published his first book, Living nature (NOW Books), in which, besides sharing some of her most treasured recipes, she skillfully conveys a genuine way of understanding life and cooking as two inseparable pillars linked to the land and nature. The book is essentially a guide to ten dishes and preparations, based on tradition but with a modern perspective, which, with an exquisite visual presentation, evokes and paints an authentic sensory journey through the volcanic landscape of La Garrotxa.

The persistent rains of the past few weeks have revived magnificent waterfalls that hadn't flowed for years and have also filled reservoirs to capacity, such as Sau and Susqueda, and especially Darnius in the Alt Empordà region, until recently the driest of them all. The abundant rainfall has once again transformed rivers and streams, bringing them back to life with a vitality that still lingers. Let's take a look at some of these waterfalls, most of them ephemeral, which can still be visited for a few more days. These natural phenomena occur when rivers or streams encounter a drop in elevation, an ancient scar in the terrain where the hard rock resists and the adobe gives way. When the flow increases, as it has in recent days, the waterfall reveals itself in all its power and beauty.

In 2026, Girona will begin a significant change in its waste collection system. After months of neighborhood complaints, antisocial behavior, and dirty streetsThe Girona city council has decided to put an end to the revolution of the multi-fraction container model, implemented just a year agoThis system, a pioneering one in Catalonia, required residents to dispose of each type of waste—plastic, organic, paper, or general waste—in a specific container, which could only be opened with a smart card, according to a schedule set for each day of the week. However, the model failed to gain traction with the public, and litter scattered around the containers has been a constant problem. Therefore, starting this January, the classic colored containers, one for each type of waste, are returning, allowing residents to dispose of the corresponding waste any day and at any time of the week. The smart card is still required to open the containers. The external company responsible for the city's waste collection service is Girona +Neta, and to implement these substantial changes, the city council had to modify the contract inherited from the previous administration of former mayor Marta Madrenes. During the first months of implementation, the new tripartite governing team has already made specific modifications and applied sanctions to the company for service malfunctions, but this latest measure is the most drastic. As the months have passed, it has become clear that the original contract terms failed to anticipate the enormous complexity of changing the entire waste collection system in a city of over 100,000 inhabitants, so the City Council has had to react as events unfolded. This is especially true in response to complaints and apathy from some residents, who, the dirtier the city became, the less they cooperated, leaving furniture, appliances, and all kinds of trash in the streets as a form of protest and boycott. "We haven't obtained the cooperation we expected," the municipal government acknowledges. In fact, during 2025, the Municipal Police issued more than 1,000 fines for violations of the waste ordinance.