Pine Festival in Centelles

On December 30th, we trekked an hour north by train to a little town named Centelles. We met our friends there who told us about the annual Festa del Pi (pine tree festival). Held in honor of the martyred St. Coloma, who was burnt at the stake with pinewood, this somewhat pagan ritual closes out the old year and rings in the new. Although we were not there for the full day activities, we learned that the celebrations commenced early in the morning when the townsfolk of Centelles, dressed in traditional Catalan peasant costume, go out to the woods, single out a pine tree, chop it down, and bring it back to the town plaza by cart Fand, according to various sources, either horse, mule or oxen (we saw the oxen). Their arrival is preceded and accompanied by els trabucaires (musketeers), who shoot their muskets from tops of buildings, all over town, and in the plaza.

We got to the town at noon as they were about to return en masse. I knew that there would be shooting going on, but I did not expect how loud and deep it would be. Since we had Isabel with us, we tried to stay a bit away. At one point, we ended up in an arched throughway onto a street at the moment all the trabucaires were marching into the plaza, and the space served as a reverberating chamber. We felt each shot blast throughout our whole body and deafen our ears (we forgot to bring the earplugs) -- we got out of there right away. The trabucaires ended up in the main plaza, and began a barrage of shots for about 20 minutes. The smoke was thick for blocks away. Then they marched to the church plaza down the block. The townspeople and trabucaires filed on the church steps. We stood at the corner watching them, not realizing that in a few minutes, the tree would appear in a side street, hauled by two oxen. As this is Spain, first the cables had to be moved, and then we were pushed back as the oxen ran through the crowd! It was exciting. All of a sudden, a giant tree was in the middle of the plaza.

After a long time of waiting for it to be removed from the cart, the tree was hoisted on the shoulders of the trabucaires, who brought it up the stairs in a matter of minutes. Then one of them climbed up to the top, and the rest at the bottom whirled the tree around in circles in a dance. This was my favorite part. Then the tree was brought into the church and hung upside down at the altar, where it will stay until January 6th. At that point, everyone in the village will receive a branch. Since I won’t be back, I took a piece that had fallen on the church steps.

Here are a few more pix I managed to capture. Unfortunately, the batteries on both my cameras died at the same time! So I was not able to get the tree dance. See the video here.

A sardana in the plaza while waiting for the musketeers to come back. Some shooting is already going on from afar and atop of buildings to announce the imminent arrival.



Shooting in the main plaza.



Francesc and Cristina during the climactic barrage in the main plaza:

I won?

I stopped into our local supermarket today to pick up a few items. There was a pretty long line. I saw the woman in front of me scratch off a card, as this store is always giving out some sort of chances. She bemoaned that she didn't win. Next thing I know, the cashier hands me a card to scratch off right there, and I see the word "Felicitaciones" (congratulations) emerge. I thought I was going get 5 euros or something like that, and I stared at disbelief at the word "Televisor." I said, this isn't a tv, is it? Meanwhile, the cashier stops the register, exclaims in excitement, and begins announcing on her intercom that there is a winner! I won a TV! Apparently, there was a new promotion out, and they were giving away 600 TVs. I was number 530. Stupidly, I exclaimed that I had just bought a new TV a month ago, so the cashier said anyone else in line would be happy to take it! Mauricio quickly jumped in and said, no, that's okay, we'll take it. So we walked out with our groceries and a 17" TV!

Isabel gets sick while Mauricio is in New York, and Antonella learns the health care system

One Tuesday, while Mauricio was still in New York, Isabel wakes up with a fever and a cough. I wait a few days to see how it goes, but it doesn't get better. She had several nights of coughing fits and constant fevers, even though I gave her Dalsy, which is like children's Tylenol. Unfortunately by this time, it is a Friday holiday, so our local health center is closed. I called the number given to us on a card to see if I couuld take her elsewhere for a checkup. However, the information is only given in Catalan, so I couldn't quite get all the numbers. I figured it wasn't that bad and would see how it went one more day.

By Saturday morning, I vowed to figure it out. Isabel wasn't in horrible condition, but I was concerned. So I walked up the hill towards Parc Guell where the local hospital was listed on the card. Once I got there, I discovered that the hospital doesn't have pediatricians and I had to go to a large hospital center. I asked where, could I have concrete directions, but all I could get was a vague San Pau, blue line on the metro. I tried desperately to explain that I was new and didn't know where anything was, could I have specific information, but was just given a shrug.

I decided to stop for a coffee and regroup. Not much was open yet, but I finally found a coffee shop, where I stopped for coffee and a belgian waffle for Isabel. She was happy to play in the booths. Looking at my maps, I figured out how to get to the hospital, but decided to try the alternative number again. I called back several times and finally figured out that adults go to the hospital I just tried, but for children, call the Cap Olimpica center (that's where my landlord works!). I called and they said yes, just come down.

I took the subway down to the Olympic Center and after walking around for a while, find the center. The doctor looks her over and prefers that we get and X-ray to be sure it's nothing serious. But since it's Saturday, they don't have the radiographer in, so I have to go to a hospital! There is one a few blocks away. Even so, I walked around in circles and finally find the Hospital del Mar (yes, we're right by the seashore!). Once admitted, we wait awhile. At this point, Isabel is not feeling well, and just wants to sleep, but we keep undressing her, dressing her for the checkup and the X-rays. We get the prognosis -- she has a little bit of bronchitis!

Now I had to find a pharmacy that was open. I remember there was one a few blocks away in which you ring the bell and the pharmacist comes to the window. You do the transaction from the street! Meanwhile, the line grows longer. I was worried that I was keeping Isabel outside. It was a beautiful day, but a little chilly for her to be out in her condition. It took the whole day for me to accomplish this. Fortunately it was not an emergency situation, and I was able to learn the system without being too frantic.

The Shipment Finally Arrives

Our boxes finally arrived today. It took a bit longer to get here than expected because the company we contracted didn't end up having enough to go direct to Barcelona, so rather than wait, they shipped it to Holland and hired a company to truck it down. I didn't even know any of this. I get an e-mail from a Dutch company. I thought it was spam and almost didn't look at it. But I did look at the e-mail from Bob, and was informed they would be shipping my stuff and would I please fill out the forms. I called Bob up and he said it would take about two weeks. I sent him detailed maps in which I photoshopped the route to the place. He asked me whether a two-piece truck would be able to pass through the streets. I told him I really didn't know. He said he would check into it.

Later on, he emails back with a definite date of December 1, in the morning. The night before, I get a call from Steve, who is on the road with my stuff. Not only does he not have the maps I sent, but he has no clue whether his truck will fit. He says he will see me tomorrow in any case.

The next morning, I get a call from Dennis in Holland, who asks me whether the truck could park and unload. I tell him I honestly don't know the requirements as I just moved here. He says he will call me back. An hour later, he does and tells me that he spoke to a colleague company in Barcelona and they say there is no way the truck will fit! What do I know. So they will leave the stuff with them who will ship on Tuesday. Ugh.

Finally, on Tuesday, today, the movers do arrive! One guy, Brendan, with long red hair and freckled face, definitely doesn't look Spanish, but he speaks to me in Spanish. "Porque English," he asks me, pointing to the Fresh Direct, Staples, Corporate Express boxes. I tell him because I'm from New York. "Oh," he says, and then asks to use my bathroom. Later on I realized it still wasn't clear why they were coming from Holland.

Well, I mostly have everything unpacked and put away, if not organized, even with Isabel sick today. It's nice to see some of the familiar stuff, but I'm not sure I like how much the apartment is getting filled up!

Menú del dia

Time to talk about food! Not that I have been taking advantage of them much since moving into my apartment, but for lunch time, restaurants, bars and cafés offer a menu of the day. You can choose from usually 3-5 first courses, 3-5 second courses, bread, a drink (yes, including wine or beer) and dessert -- and all for 8-11 Euros complete!

Typical first course choices are salads, soups, macarrones, escalivadas (grilled eggplants, red pepper and onions), cannelones, fideos (thin and short spaghettis), rice and more.

Typical second course dishes are meat, meat and more meat - pork, veal, beef. Occasionally you'll find a roast chicken or fish.

We've found some incredible menus. One of our favorite places to go while we were living in the Eixemple was at Faisan's. We enjoyed gourmet food -- all for 10 euros. For example, a pumpkin soup followed by a sesame-encrusted tuna steak (huge piece) and a hunk of chocolate cake. It was incredible. Of course, the menus are never the same, so some days you go back and nothing looks appetizing.

At Volubilis, a Moroccan restaurant near El Mercat de Sant Antoni, here are the three-course menus for 9.95 euros we usually repeat:

me -- Besara (split pea soup), mousakka (roasted eggplant and chickpea dish), chicken souvlaki (so tender and tasty!), homemade yogurt

Mauro -- Hariri, falafel salad, chicken tagine, baklava

We've also tried some wonderful meals at fancier places. In Vilanova i la Geltru, we went to a Catalan restaurant our first week of arriving. We both had a mesclun salad with a huge round of warm goat cheese on top. Delicious. I then had a baked bacalla (cod fish) and Mauricio had some other type of bacalla. I like bacalla, but who knew cod fish could be so gourmet!

We also tried a restaurant in a hotel in Banyeres del Penedes. You would never know from the outside that this elegant hotel and restaurant existed within, complete with a pool. For only 30 euros we enjoyed fine wine, an assortment of the freshest jamon serrano and cheeses, more goat cheese/mesclun salad, and incredible fish, pork and meat dishes. For dessert I had ice cream in a tulip pastry. The presentation was beautiful throughout.

One thing everyone says about Catalan cooking is that in general everything is homemade and fresh. I guess that is why we enjoy it so much. Simple meals, but so good.

Picking Olives

Since I won't be in California harvesting olives on my own farm this year, I asked my friend Jordi if I could go join his team as they worked the olive trees around his vineyard. Jordi was gracious enough to arrange for me to come Friday afternoon so that I can simulate the experience.

He warned that I should come in old clothes as they get oily easily. Since I didn't bring any grungy stuff with me to a new country, I had to go out and buy cheap stuff, took the train to Banyeres more than an hour away, and I was on my way. Jordi picked all of us up, but Mauricio stayed at Jordi's place with Isabel as he had to work on his paper. Then Jordi and I drove to the orchard in his fulgoneta.

His father and neighbor were already up in the trees. I admit I wondered what they thought about an American woman coming to pick olives! Jordi gave me a tool to comb through the branches, like brushing one's hair. The olives easily came off, sometimes with the whole branch. From the first moment I raked through the branch, I felt like I was at home. I imagined my mother and her family back in Sicily doing the same thing. A whole history coursed through me and I understood what the tales were about -- the black hands, the olive collections. It was relaxing and satisfying to comb through the trees while the neighbor told tales about his army experience, and the men told jokes in general. I understood some as they spoke in Catalan, and occasionally translated in Spanish.

Jordi told me that originally, the olives wouldn't be picked until they were ripe. He asked his father when they would start, and he chimed in the thirteenth of December through mid-March! Nowadays, the mills wanted a more complex flavor that is achieved by picking them around November. Harvest time is condensed into three weeks or so.

Once we were finished with a tree, we would transfer the olives onto one net, move the rest to the next tree. The one left behind, we would pile up the olives, and then cart them to the truck to sort through a wire grate, as I'm doing in the picture. As I was sorting through a batch, I came across a silver watch that fell off of the neighbor while he worked! Later, Jordi and his father would drive the whole batch to the local mill the next town away. Jordi said that after some time, if you stick your hand in the middle of the batch, it gets really hot as the olives start to ferment. I tried to take some branches home in my backpack, but I should have packed them better as by the time I got home, they already started to dissolve, and my pocket was all oily!

We picked about 7-8 trees that afternoon. We were in the middle of doing a rather large tree as the sun set. I wondered how long they kept it up without light. It was tough to see and I imagined I missed many. All at once, Jordi announced we were done. It was peaceful and beautiful. I felt so at home and thrilled to have the opportunity to do this.

Els Castells

Today we saw our first Castells in Gracia. We have seen many over the years in other towns, but this was the first one in Barcelona and our own neighborhood. Several community groups come together and do different versions of the towers. Some are a triangle of three people built up, some are just one column, others three or four columns with a column in the inside.




The matinadas leading the neighborhood to the main plaza. Traditionally, they serve to wake the neighborhood up and announce the festivals.


The base of the castells. Many people cram together to create a strong foundation and hold the tower steady. Music is played to let those on the bottom know how much of the tower is built as they can't see anything. With all the pressure, one woman actually fainted after one of the towers was released.


Climbing up.


Mauro and Isabel watching.


The finished piece, with the smallest kids on top.

A Walk in Parc Güell

The famous Parc Güell is only a few blocks north of us (although a few quite steep blocks!). Our first and only visit to he park was in 2000 -- the first time we were in Barcelona. Gaudí's signature mosaic and curvy installations dominate the park. Although it's filled with tourists, it was fun to visit again and see the impressive views of the city and the sea.

Catching Up

Just wanted to post some photos of some of the stuff we did before we moved into our apartment.

In Banyeres

Isabel on Jordi's tractor.


Checking out the barn.


A stroll in the plaza.


There's no lack of political movements. Here we are joining a protest against an impending urbanization.




In Barcelona

In the Eixemple, we came upon a big blown-up amusement castle for kids. This was right before the elections, and the parties set up these areas to attract families, give out balloons, and hand out literature. On another day, we ran into a huge slide from a different party.


Having breakfast on the Gran Via.

Settling In

As some of you have asked, here are pictures of our apartment sublet.

Entrance to the apartment. Every room is laid out off of a circle.


Dining Area (with shared living room)


Living Room. Can you tell who's been hard at work decorating? Really, Mauricio has so many drums, they have to become decorative items as a space-saving device.


Kitchen, with exit to the patio.


Patio. We're working on getting plants and flowers. Our friend who has a vineyard is going to give us a vine sapling.


Isabel's room. Still waiting for the furniture!


Our Studio.


Bedroom.

Getting to Know the Neighborhood

(Plaça Rovira by our apartment)

Today we took a casual walk around the neighborhood again, as we have been doing for the past few days. This particular area, Gracia, was a small town in the 19th century that was encircled by the city as Barcelona grew, but it retained its small-town feel. So we have the best of both worlds: small, winding streets and neighborhood shops with lots of character and the city center about only 4 stops away on the metro.

We have everything close to us, more or less. It just depends on what day you walk by and whether the shop is open or not. This could be the carniceria (butcher), pollastreria (poultry/eggs), supermarkets, alimentació (delis), flower shops, etc. Today, we discovered a poultry shop where we can buy roasted chicken on the spit right around the corner from where we live. We never noticed it before, and only happened upon it as there was a long line outside the shop (that is, a hole in the wall with a metal grate as the door) and people hungrily waiting to take home their main meal of the day. We also got a glimpse of about 20 chickens rotating on 4 different spits.

We also happened upon a florist open on a Sunday. We asked about what kind of plants we can put in our patio in the back and the windows out front that would survive the winter. We didn't think we had much choice, but we were wrong again. There were many choices, but the vendors said they really needed to come to our place to see the amount of light we get and the layout and create a plan for us. Mind you, they do not charge for this service -- only the plants you buy! As we looked around for furniture for Isabel's room, many stores emphasized that they must come and measure first to make sure what we order will fit correctly. Vendors here have no qualms in coming to your place for a consultation. Our cable guy has come back three times to fix settings. No problem. He gave us his cell number from the very start.

Today we also discovered the type of plaza I was looking for only three blocks away. Plaça del Nord is full of trees, a young children's playground, a patisserie/bar at one corner, and a community center right on the plaza where children go for an assortment of classes from 5-9 pm, and where plays, concerts and neighborhood festivals are held.

Adventure in Chaos

We shouldn’t think that moving into an apartment is plug and play. Living in a new apartment is like navigating a new relationship. One has to learn the idiosyncrasies – and learn to live with them if they’re not fixable. Such is the case with our new apartment, and one in a new country no less. Granted, there are a few things the owners are having fixed, such as leaks, hot water inconsistencies, and lights going out by themselves. But then there are the details that probably won’t be changed; the patio door that requires a swift pull towards you as you lock or unlock it; the washer that takes forever to go through it’s cycle, the front door that has to be locked with a key from the inside.

The second day living in the apartment turned out to be quite an adventure. Mauricio had to go to L’Arboç to work that day. That meant he was gone from 2 pm until 11 pm. He called me about 7:30 pm to say that he was lucky and was able to get out early as his last two students were not going to make it. However, he had just missed the train and had to wait another 50 minutes. I had planned to get all the laundry done, cook dinner for Isabel and us, and work and organize. About a half hour later, I had a load of laundry going, I was heating up a spinach cannelloni bought from the store, I had my new halogen lamp on in the office, and I turned on the stovetop to make Isabel some soup when everything blew. Lights out, everything off. Isabel was luckily near me in the kitchen and she clung to my leg as I walked around trying to figure out what to do. Of course, we didn’t have any candles or flashlights in the house. I immediately shut off the oven and stovetop and the washing machine. I took my cell phone for the light and opened the fuse box. I thought it would be a snap. As I had remembered, all I had to do was push down a button and then flip the main switch. Nothing happened, I called Mauricio. He was just getting on the train and couldn’t hear me well. He said to open the front door so I could see the fuse box from the lights in the hall and hold down the button and flip the switch on the left side. He said he sort of knew what to do but he had to see it. I called back and told him I tried again but it didn’t work. I didn’t have the owner’s number and it was stuck in his cell phone, but we decided we didn’t want to bother them again. He suggested going up to the neighbor’s we had met the day we moved in and ask them for help. I grabbed Isabel, felt my pocket for the keys and walked out the door. When I pulled the keys out to lock it, I realized I had the patio keys – and the door was locked! I was stranded without keys, phone, money, jackets – nothing but me and Isabel. What if the neighbors weren’t home?

I went upstairs and rang the bell. Angeles was on the phone as she opened the door but shooed me in. I told them that the fuse blew and her husband Mario was already saying no problem. But I said yes, that I had also locked myself out. What an airhead I looked and felt like. I also explained that my husband was about 45 minutes away on a train and he had the other set of keys. They let me call him. He got very worried and couldn’t believe I had also locked us out. We decided to wait for him to get back. We spent an hour hanging out in the couple’s grandkids room. Fortunately they had lots of toys to keep Isabel occupied and happy. I also got to know Angeles and her 95-year-old mother Antonia. Although she couldn’t see well and was hard of hearing, she enjoyed playing with Isabel and having the company. However, I was nervous the whole time – here I am locked out, in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language, and thankful of the graciousness of good people.

I inquired about jumping down into the patio as I had left that door open and wondered whether I could get in from a neighbor’s. But we didn’t take that route either. Finally, Mauricio arrived at 10:15, but he was flustered. He said he tried to open the door, but I had left the keys in the lock on the inside. That means you can never open the door!!! We had no way to get in now, short of having a locksmith cut a hole through the door – that is if we could find one. We decided to try our neighbor next door and jump over her patio wall. We all went down and rang the bell. Nothing. My heart sank. I couldn’t believe that the situation went from bad to worse. Finally, after 5 minutes, the door opened. A middle-aged woman appeared clutching her bathrobe closed. She had been asleep but heard voices outside for a long time so figured something was wrong. She usually goes to bed early. What a way to meet a new neighbor. We explained our situation and she nodded yes, she had done that before as well. I volunteered to jump over the wall with the help of her ladder. The only way for me to do it was to climb the ladder, straddle the wall, and then pass the ladder to the other side just enough to land on the patio table that was fortunately sitting against the wall. I was so happy I ran to the front door and flung it open. Mario, our upstairs neighbor was so happy he was about to leave. But we told him No, don’t go – we still have to resolve the fuse issue! And wouldn’t you know, he took one look at it and fixed it. I was working on the upper bank, and was afraid to touch the middle bank, which looked so ominous I didn’t want to touch it. Somehow I missed the owner’s overview of the fusebox. I only saw him point to the upper bank. I should be more careful next time. I was so grateful that a potentially difficult situation was avoided. And more embarrassment as well. I don’t even want to think of the scenarios we would have to face.

In our own place -- finally

(Post from November 6)

We finally got into our new apartment last night. Trying to settle in today. Although the apartment is furnished, there's still lots of things to buy, including a sofa and bedroom set for Isabel. Plus, we don't know where shop for good quality at great prices -- so it does complicate matters. And everything always seems more expensive than we expect.

The owners are great and very helpful. But I was getting a little nervous when they were explaining all the gas related stuff. Did you know in Spain you have to turn the gas range on with a match or lighter? The system here does not have the automatic clicker thingy. That means lots of burned fingers until we get the clicker gun.

We also had an interesting night. First, there was no consistent hot water. We had to do funny things to get it to work. We thought maybe we didn't do something right, but it turns out the gas company had come last week to fix something and made it worse. In addition, the bathroom sink is leaking and needs a part, which is packed away with the owner's stuff. Plus, the lights in the bathroom have to be fixed as they shut down after a few minutes. And, there is hardly a curtain for the whole bath, so when I took a shower this morning, I walked out on a flood! Then, I was in the middle of giving Isabel a bath and I couldn't get the stopper out. Then the light shuts down (you have to wait for it to recycle) and water is going all over the place while we are in the dark. All this while the telephone company is installing stuff and the painter is finishing up the paint job. Just a bit of the craziness of the day.

We're Here

After months of preparation, and almost one whirlwind month of sorting through all of our stuff and closing down the shop in NYC, we're finally here Barcelona! We still haven't closed on the apartment in New York (finally happens on Wednesday!), the apartment we ended up renting is still not ready, we're living out of our suitcases, shuffling between friends, but we're here! It's like an extended vacation. Even thought I've been working a lot on my olive oil project, I fit it in between eating, visiting friends, meeting new people, and going to festivals. So far we've stayed in Barcelona in the Eixemple (one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Barcelona), and small towns in the Penedes region. We've even had a chance to do something touristy as visiting the Cordorniu establishment where they make cava and brut and wines. It's miles and miles -- or rather kilometers and kilometers -- of bottles.

We're adjusting to kilos and euros and dinners at 10 pm and finding stores that are still open on a Sunday afternoon for milk. Isabel is doing great. She is also meeting lots of new people, and having a blast with the festivals, parks, and all the new things. Her latest thing these days is horses. Let's see how long that lasts before her next new obsession. She is still speaking in English, and her vocabulary increases every day. She can even hip hop a Blue's Clues tune (okay, just pretty much the last words of the sentences I sing). She hasn't picked up the Spanish or Catalan yet, although we're sure she's absorbing it all.

Can't beat the weather. It's been beautiful spring like days and cool evenings. Some rain, especially during inopportune moments such as moving 15 pieces of luggage around.

As there are no shortage of festivals in Catalunya, we had one at our doorstep our first Sunday in Banyeres del Penedes, where we were staying with our friend Jordi. Unfortunately, Isabel was feverish, so we missed some of it, such as the wine ritual, but we were able to catch some traditional elements -- the giants, the devils with fireworks, and the cabezons (large-headed puppets worn by children) we have come to know. The maypole dance was a new element.

Here are some photos of that day.

The Devil Dance


The Gegants. Here are Banyeres' giants. The man on the right helping them is our friend Jordi's father.


Maypole Dancer


Isabel checking out the festival.


In the plaza after the festival.


After the festival, some folks go to the community center for paella. Here is where it's cooked. A truck comes by, sets up a pan over a fire on the street, and voilá, lots of paella!