Princess Leonor de Borbón, accompanied by her sister, Infanta Sofía, paid a brief visit to the headquarters of the Princess of Girona Foundation in the city center this Tuesday, July 4, without the press and outside the program. This was his first visit in the Capital Girona. There they met young people who told them about their experiences in the various programs supported by the foundation. According to the royal household, the appointment, which lasted about 20 minutes, was carried out in the company of the highest officials of the institution and at the initiative of the princess herself.
The two daughters of the king and queen passed through Girona on their way to elBulli1846, the museum recently opened in Roses, on the site of the restaurant that revolutionized world gastronomy until it closed its doors in 2011. Princess Leonor in an orange long-sleeved dress and the Infanta Sofía in a red sleeveless jumpsuit have toured the premises, led by the alma mater of the mythical restaurant, Chef Ferran Adrià.
More information
The visit to elBuli1846, which takes its name from the multitude of recipes created in this temple of gastronomy and from the birth year of the creator of modern French cuisine Auguste Escoffier, takes place on the eve of the presentation by the entire royal family of the awards of the Princess of Girona at the Hotel Camiral in Caldes de Malavella.
This is the first time since 2018 that the awards will be held in the province of Girona. Until 2017, the ceremony took place in the Municipal Palace of Congresses, but due to the speech of Felipe VI. opened on October 3rd of the same year. As it opened the door to the intervention of the Catalan autonomy, the Girona City Council declared it persona non grata. Since then, the act has made a pilgrimage to various Catalan cities (last year it was Cornellà in Barcelona) to return in 2023 to the province of Girona, but not yet to the capital, where Lluc Salellas of the CUP has been.
The chef Ferran Adrià, the Infanta Sofía and the Princess of Asturias and Girona will take part in the meeting workshop together with a group of young participants in programs of the “elBullifoundation” Foundation on July 4th, 2023 in Roses. Gloria Sanchez (Europe). Press)
With the exception of PSC officials, the Catalan institutions continue to turn their backs on the royal family. Besides the government delegate Carlos Prieto and the Secretary of State for Tourism Ana Morillo, the mayor of Roses, the socialist Josep Maria Martínez, was the only local authority present at the visit of elBulli1846. The fleeting and almost clandestine visit by the heir to the throne and her younger sister to the city of Girona is part of La Zarzuela’s aim to regain a foothold in the province of Catalonia, which is most reluctant to normalize relations with the crown. Last year the daughters of Felipe VI. and Doña Letizia to Figueres to visit the Dalí Museum, which became her first solo performance in the Autonomous Community.
Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, together with chef Ferrán Adrià and a group of young participants in the programs of the Princess of Girona Foundation, during their visit to the elBulli1846 museum this Tuesday in Roses (Girona). David Borrat (EFE)
At the end of the visit to the old elBulli and while the family photo was being taken, Leonor de Borbón said that she found it “amazing” and that she liked it “very, very much”, while Sofía described it as “precious”. the natural one Surroundings, Cala Montjoi and Cap de Creus.
In statements to journalists, Adrià was visibly pleased with the visit, stating that he had to push the Princess and Infanta because they were having fun in the museum rooms and La Zarzuela staff was rushing them. The greatest “fun,” he added, was when he showed them the table where his parents ate, who, a week before the meal that Juan Mari Arzak and himself offered to the 300 guests at the wedding of the future kings, came to elBulli. When asked if they hadn’t accused him of closing the restaurant before they could taste their delights, he replied, “So many people have accused me of two more…”. Leonor de Borbón and her sister left without having eaten a bite and hungry because elBulli, to use the words of its creator, now “eats knowledge” and knowledge, unlike food, always gives an appetite for more.
“My sister and I are delighted to see the headquarters of the foundation that I preside in the city of Girona and we thank the entire team for their dedication and efforts. “Amb el nostre profound affecta”, wrote the Princess of Girona in her book of honor about the private visit, which took place in the early afternoon.
Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía during a meeting with young people organized by the Princess of Girona Foundation, on 4 July 2023. FRANCISCO GOMEZ (EFE/His Majesty the King’s House)
This is the heir to the throne’s first public appearance since the Infanta Sofía’s confirmation at the end of May, just five days after she graduated from boarding school in Wales, where she earned her A-levels. In just over a month, the Princess of Asturias will join the General Academy of Zaragoza to begin her three-year military training. Before that, this Friday, July 7, Leonor will attend with her parents the delivery of the cables to the new army officers, also in Zaragoza.
Ferran Adrià, associated with the Kings since 2004, was responsible for preparing the menu served on the eve of his wedding at El Pardo Palace, where a reception was held for guests from other monarchies from around the world. Days before the wedding, they also enjoyed the elBulli menu. In 2014 the whole family visited the free exhibition Ferran Adrià. Audit of the creative process at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica. It was a non-official visit where they were part of a guided group.