The awakening of spring, an experience for the senses

A view of the Croscat volcano, in La Garrotxa. In the foreground, a field of rapeseed in flower. Image by Maria Geli and Pilar Panagumà.

In spring, we enjoy more daylight hours and better weather. And during this time of year, nature offers us an infinity of smells, textures, shapes and colours, an experience for the senses. Some examples of this are the bright yellow of the rapeseed fields in La Garrotxa, the pale pink of the cherry blossom in Terrades or the wealth of colours of the eagerly awaited Girona, Temps de Flors, which arrives at the beginning of May. In the Costa Brava and in the Girona Pyrenees, there are several places to marvel at the awakening of spring. Will you join us?

Parc de les Olors (Park of Smells) in Celrà

Spring is in the air at the Parc de les Olors in Celrà. In this natural, cultural and educational space, you can find up to 87 species of aromatic, medicinal and culinary plants from our environment. Around the garden, there is a therapeutic path made of different natural materials and with different textures. If you walk barefoot along it, you will enjoy a foot massage with benefits such as stimulating the immune system or reducing stress.

This park is a socio-occupational integration project of TIRGI, a private non-profit organisation that works for the integration of people with intellectual, physical or mental disability. Through traditional ecological agriculture and the cultivation and conservation of medicinal, aromatic and culinary plants, they cover social integration and occupational therapy needs.

On a sunny day, a view of the park's crops. In the centre, a group of people, some in wheelchairs, visiting the garden. Image of the Parc de les Olors in Celrà - TIRGI. — *On a sunny day, a view of the park’s crops. In the centre, a group of people, some in wheelchairs, visiting the garden. Image of the Parc de les Olors in Celrà – TIRGI.*

The Parc de les Olors in Celrà organises activities for schools and adult groups. They teach how to make anti-inflammatory ointments or natural toothpaste, how to connect and relate to trees, or how to make natural watercolours from dye flowers, among other practices. The visit is accessible for people with reduced mobility or wheelchair users.

Marimurtra Botanical Garden

Located in Blanes and with more than 4,000 plant species, Marimurtra is considered one of the most interesting botanical gardens in Europe. Here you can find plant varieties from all over the planet. In a single space, you can enjoy sensations and experiences from all around the world: the Asian pagoda, the tropical jungle, an arid landscape of cactus in the purest American western style or a Mediterranean garden. Other highlights include palm trees, cypresses and a collection of ferns from the Pyrenean mountains. And all of this with splendid views of the Costa Brava sea.

*A view of the Linné Temple, a small, classically inspired temple facing the sea. In the foreground is a plant with bright fuchsia-coloured flowers. Picture by the Carl Faust Foundation.*

The Marimurtra Botanical Garden has a programme of activities related to sustainable conservation, biodiversity, history and architecture. It also markets its own honey from a thousand flowers with the Girona Excel·lent agri-food quality seal. The garden has an adapted route for people with reduced mobility and prams with an alternative route without stairs.

La Devesa Park in Girona

La Devesa Park is one of Girona’s green areas and one of the city’s most emblematic spaces. It covers an area of 40 hectares between the rivers Ter, Onyar and Güell, with shady walkways and more than 2,500-hundred-year-old plane trees. The route is practically flat, made of compacted earth, and it is adapted for wheelchair users.

At one end of the park are the Devesa gardens, which still retain the French character of their origin. They contain different autochthonous and exotic plant species distributed in flowerbeds. It is also the habitat of the mallard duck. Several specimens can be seen swimming in the canal that surrounds the gardens. Undoubtedly, a good place to stroll around, enjoy the good weather and lose yourself in history.

Santa Clotilde Gardens

In Lloret de Mar, on top of a cliff overlooking the sea, are the Santa Clotilde Gardens, with a romantic, Noucentista appearance. In this case, the vegetation is Mediterranean. The pines, lime trees and cypresses stand out.

Several staircases, fountains and lakes frame the complex, which also features various marble sculptures. The most emblematic of these are two bronze mermaids, created by the sculptor Maria Llimona, which have become a symbol of Lloret. The visit is accessible to people with reduced mobility, and wheelchairs are available for hire.