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.