Girona comes under siege

Girona's old quarter is used to wandering groups of visitors. Yet last month, there was another explanation for the crowds of tourists tramping around the narrow streets of the city's Barri Vell, as the filming of HBO's Game of Thrones got underway. While crowd barriers and security guards prevented bystanders seeing too much of the filming for season six of the TV series, most visitors were happy to get a few photos of the Sant Martí steps converted into a medieval-style market.

The filming began by turning the city centre into a stand-in for Braavos, the bustling city that has become the home of Arya Stark, played by Maisie Williams. In fact, the two weeks of filming began with photos of Williams circulating on Twitter, with the actor herself posting her thanks on the social network with the hashtag, #Girona.

The cameras began rolling on September 3, with scenes featuring Williams' double. In fact, it was not only Williams' presence that raised expectations in the first few days, as Tom Wlaschiha, who plays Arya's mentor Jaqen H'ghar, was also spotted. However, filming began in earnest on September 6, with a fight scene on the Braavos set. Over the next few days, Girona's Arab Baths and the Archaeological Museum were out of bounds, and excitement rose with rumours that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) and Lena Headey (Cersei) were soon due in the city.

During this time, fans continued to make the journey to Girona in the hope of seeing something of the filming. Maria and Laia made the journey from Canet de Mar: “We are fans of the series,” said Laia, whose birthday it was: “The best birthday gift would be a photo with a Lannister,” she added. Three friends from Ripoll – Rubèn, Salvador and Núria– had come from Ripoll. Fans of the books and the TV series, they had to be content with hearing the sounds of a fight being filmed: “We are happy with that,” they declared, while Albert from Sabadell had stopped off in Girona on his way back from a weekend in Paris.

Yet, it was the following week that the filming reached its culmination with a spectacular scene planned for the cathedral steps. September 13 began with access to the cathedral shut off, followed by rehearsals all morning. A scene was being prepared involving Jaime Lannister riding a horse up the cathedral steps, with the building standing in for Baelor's Sept in King's Landing. By midday, the cathedral was back in the hands of the tourists, who took photos of the green sheeting left hanging on set, needed for the Chroma Key technique used in special effects. The sheeting covered the buildings at the foot of the steps, even Casa Pastors, which was being used as an impromptu HQ for the Thrones team.

On the same day, programme creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were seen with producer Bernie Caulfield talking on the cathedral steps. At the same time, there were reports that John Bradley (Sam), was in the city, suggesting Girona will also stand in for Oldtown.

September 14 was the big day and from early access to the cathedral was again shut off, as some 150 extras, most dressed as Tyrell troops, filed on to the set. Although the scene will only run to four minutes when it eventually makes it to the screen, it took all day to film, with Coster-Waldau, Jonathan Price (the High Sparrow), Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell) and Dean Charles Chapman (Tommen Baratheon) all present.

Two days later the filming was over and everything was being put away. Girona now had a chance to return to normality, although some would say it will never be the same again.