Last November, My family and I took a trip to Barcelona Spain. I’ve been to Barcelona several times before, so it’s definitely not my first time to the city. We have relatives there, in fact, a lot of them, so we usually visit them at least once a year. They don’t exactly live in the center of Barcelona, so from BCN airport, it would take around 45 minutes to an hour to get to where my folks are. From there, we usually visit different cities and villages outside Barcelona, like Besalu, Pals, and Girona. Take note that these are some of the places where several scenes of the HBO series Games Of Thrones were filmed. These places are known for their medieval sceneries. It’s as if you stepped back in time.
From our latest Spanish sojourn, I’d like to take you to a village in Girona, called Ulla (Uol-lya). Now, the Catalans have a tricky way of pronouncing that place, but as a foreigner, I suggest you pronounce it with the best of how you can. Not a big deal. Ulla is a very small village which is 1 hour and 41 minutes from Barcelona Airport. It’s so tiny that most probably it won’t take you 30 minutes to roam around by foot. It’s like a one or two block neighborhood if I’m not mistaken. Getting there is tricky because there’s a couple of roundabouts, tiny streets, fields, turns, etc. You might need a local to get there, or have a map or GPS and rent a car. I’m not even sure if there’s any hotel there, but you can definitely find some around Girona. There are also no restaurants if I’m not mistaken again, and there’s very low cellphone coverage, especially when you’re in roaming mode for sure. Basically, it’s a place to unwind and disappear a la Gone Girl. Or let’s just say, to go off the grid or lay low for a while. But there are people living in this quaint village and they seem to live a stress-free life. My kind of life, our kind of life.
From where I stayed, which is a family vacation house, there’s an old but charming Catholic Church nearby and from what my relatives said, it still conducts mass from time to time. I did hear the Church Bells ringing one early morning. But I didn’t see any churchgoers nor the priest inside.
The Church’s ground is very pretty with simple plants and trees. It is in itself very medieval-looking, stoney, and ancient. I particularly love the picturesque sundial located at the top side of the Church’s building.
Apart from the one and only Church that this village has, the tiny streets of Ulla are simply exotic and beautiful. You could sense the authentic and rich Catalan history while glancing at their ancient but tough-looking doors and terraces. The place is always sunny and simply breathtaking.
Depending on where you’re looking, you might be able to see some of the neighboring hills from Ulla. The houses and streets are of course also made of stones, cements, gravels, and bricks. As with any places everywhere in Spain, soccer is a big passion. So you might find kids playing it from time to time. As with the Catalans, it’s always Força Barça!
Since I mentioned that there’s no restaurant within Ulla, our relatives took us to the nearby Sant Feliu de Boada, another province of Girona but within 13 minutes drive from Ulla. We went to Restaurant Can Bach which serves Spanish, Mediterranean and European food. The restaurant itself has a very nice ambiance, the food is affordable and delish. I recommend their Botifarras and Pan Tomaquet with Jamon Iberico de Bellota. I also suggest that you walk around the grounds of the restaurant because it’s so traditionally unique and romantic. There’s also a place for kids to play. P.S. I love the photo of the grandpa sitting near the restaurant on a late afternoon siesta above. Such is the Spanish Life!
Ulla is a small and laid-back village with an old-world feel. It’s simple yet interesting and the houses and streets are well-kept and well-preserved. The weather is always exciting to behold, full of blue skies and lots of sunshine even throughout the winter. The people are low-key, kind and friendly. Not to mention the food which is always superb. You may feel like there’s not much to do in there because there’s not a lot of stuff around, but the village is already a sight to see, and you can always visit some other neighboring villages nearby, but if you visit Ulla at least once, it’ll be a visit worth remembering for a lifetime.
To visit Barcelona, click here
To visit Girona, click here
Too book a hotel in Girona, click here
For restaurants near Ulla, click here and here.
