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.