Language Soup

I've been taking Spanish classes on and off since I've been here, and this week I've finally started an intensive course of Catalan (which means 5 hours of Catalan and Spanish classes twice a week!). Basically a lot of things I'm learning with Spanish I have to unlearn for Catalan, such as accents and other many minor details. But that's okay, since I do know how to read Catalan, can understand it for the most part. But I need lots of practice speaking it.

What fascinates me is that I've also been absorbing other languages, primarily British English. I hang out a lot with people from the UK and Australia here in my networking groups and Spanish classes. As such, I am picking up the accents, words and sayings. I didn't expect that. (My Spanish class right now is a mix of Anglo-speaking students from the US [me!], Ireland, Yorkshire, New Zealand and Australia.) I also meet up with many English-speaking Germans, Dutch, Swedes and others. More inflections floating in my head on a daily basis.

Most Catalans are familiar with English and French. It seems that before the mid-70s, French was the foreign language studied in school started in primary school, but that was replaced by English. These days, students from as young as 3-4 are introduced to Catalan, Spanish and English. Nonetheless, French and German are offered as electives in later years. It's not uncommon for them to be familiar with several languages, including Italian.

Update & Photos

It's been hard writing up stories for this blog as I've had several freelance projects going on, lots of work on OlindaRidge.com, and also looking for a job! Isabel continues to like her nursery school and we are about to enroll her in school for September. My mother has been here for about 3 weeks and Mauricio is off to the States on Tuesday. Be sure to catch his concerts if you can. (See schedule for Sendebar here, and here's Mauricio's new site I just launched for him.) We've also had a visit from my Joe Kutchera, a former This Old House colleague.

I've been working on getting some video onto YouTube for a client, and having time to kill as the tape ran, I had some moments to upload photos to my flickr account. Check out the latest activities, and there's also more if you poke around:

Main Photo Page
Human Castles in Gracia
Montserrat
La Pedrera (Gaudi house)
Beach Day in March
Santes Creus Monastery

Carnevale Week

In addition to being Isabel's birthday week, it was also Carneval week (or weeks as the parties are still going on!). It was not unusual to see music and costumed people of all ages all around. There were parades of kids in matching costumes made at school, a Brazilian combo and dancing at the large market, and the usual parade of giants and trabucaires as well.

Isabel too had a lot of activity at school. Every day this week they had something to do: wear yellow shirts one day, painted cheeks the next, hats on another, costumes from home, and then they came home on Friday all dressed up in duck costumes made at school.

On Sunday we visited Vilanova i la Geltru to see their famous comparsas and Candy Wars. Associated groups of people march in pairs. The men have matching jackets and the ladies wear mantas de manila (shawls with colorful embroidery) and a carnation in their hair. Each comparsa has its own band, and marches throughout the streets. When they encounter another group, they throw candy at each other. The streets are full of smushed candy. As it had rained, the streets were slippery but I was told that usually they would be completely sticky. (This keeps the Sanitation Department busy here!). At around noon, all the groups assemble in the plaza, and the big battle begins - approximately 10 minutes of candy throwing and chanting. The spectators on the outside would occasionally get hit as well.

Sendebar Concert

Sendebar performed on Saturday at the Teatre L'Auditori. Their next concerts are coming up in the New York area in May! Check out the calendar: www.sendebar.com.

Venice for the New Year

We ventured out of Catalunya this year for the beginning of the year and headed up north to Venice. We stayed in an apartment on the Giudecca island facing the canal and San Marco. I put together a slideshow movie where you can see random images, somewhat in chronological order. Most of the shots of the canal were taken from our apartment window, including the firework scene.

Venice is such a fantasy place, even though people do still live there. Although overrun by tourists, and I can only imagine what it's like in summertime, the city holds on to its magic. I think we spent most of the time walking and getting lost among the narrow streets, small canals, and endless bridges (not an easy feat with a child and a carriage, but doable once you get the system down!). Venice is a system of approximately 120+ islands connected by the famous bridge-stairs. At one time, every island had its own functioning church.

I had been to Venice a long time ago, and only for a day, so I was delighted to explore more. Venice is famous for it's masks and Carnevale gear as well as Murano glass (from the small island of Murano nearby). I was surprised to see just how many stores there were throughout the islands selling masks and glass and more masks and more glass. The amount of product was unbelievable. I wondered who ever bought so much. This time around we just ended up a small pin for Isabel, which she proudly wore for days.

It was wonderful to walk around with not a car in sight once we got past the entrypoints (bus and train stations) into the island. To get around longer distances, you have to have your own boat, take "vaporetti," small ferries sort of like a metro system on the canals, or call a water taxi. Everything is done by boat. We even saw a water ambulance, a fire "truck" and a funeral "hearse." Deliveries are done by boat and dropped off the quays. On the island where we stayed, there is a supermarket on the quay. I was looking out of our window one day and saw that they received their supplies by a semi-truck on some sort of barge.

We also did a day trip to Padua to see the Scrovegni Chapel and look around at yet another medieval city.

Christmas Catalan-Style

This holiday season we are much more aware of the Christmas traditions here, and we're integrating them into our own traditions. It's worth noting at least two very famous Catalunyan traditions: El Caganer and Caga Tió.

El Caganer is the figure most characteristic of Catalan nativity scenes. It is said that its origins began in the 17th or 18th century. The Caganer is considered to be a symbol of good luck. It is available in many guises, such as policemen, politicians (even American ones such as George Bush), soccer players, peasants. Mauricio picked up an irreverent bishop for his nativity scene (pictured here, front and back of course). An exposition in Napa Valley in 2002 caused a protest by Catholics as being irreverent.

The Caga Tió means "pooping log." It's a very old tradition linked to winter solstice. Where once it was just a plain old log, over the years it has taken on a painted face and some Catalan characteristics such as the pastorets' red hat. The modern function of the Tió is to poop presents on or about Christmas Eve. Days before, the log is "fed" fruit peels and dried breads so that it will have something to poop. A blanket is put over it to keep it warm (and hide the presents!). On Christmas Eve, children warm up their sticks (where it used to be in the fire, now it's just by rubbing them all together) and then singing a song while hitting the log with the sticks. Then the blanket is lifted and candy and presents have been pooped out. Isabel partook in one at school, and took home some clay. Our landlord kindly invited us to her family's Caga Tió party on Christmas Eve (pictured) and Isabel took home lots of little gifts and candy (at this party, everyone contributed gifts for every child, and we repeated the Caga Tió 8 times to distribute all the gifts). How do we know the Caga Tió doesn't have any left? When the blanket is lifted and there are no presents, or when a piece of garlic or herring is left.

Isabel's First Pony Ride

Today we visited a park in Barcelona that we haven't been to yet. It's called Parc de Castell de les Oreneta, and located southwest of the Tibidabo mountain and just at te north tip of the Pedrables and Sarriá neighborhoods. Whereas the largest park near us, Parc Guell, is definitely a tourist stop, it was pretty clear this park just attracted locals.

It was a great day for Isabel: she got her first pony ride and a ride on the kiddie train, replete with a station.

Isabel starts school

Today was a landmark day for us. Isabel started daycare today! She was so excited carrying her new school backpack, and when we got close to the school and heard the kids playing (and crying!) she started pointing and couldn't wait to go in. She had no problem saying goodbye and taking off with the teacher. It's only been an hour so far, so we'll see how she takes being away from us all day.

On a separate note, today the prices of milk, bread, eggs and meat went up, and it's the talk of the town. I bought bread this morning, and the friendly clerks were apologizing for the increases. What's sad is that the cost of living is going up, but the salaries don't increase in parity. And they are already so low.

The Fiestas are Here!

This morning the neighborhood was eerily quiet. But that only makes sense as the Festa de Gracia officially started yesterday. The level of activity in the last few days has been incredible, especially with a rainstorm that hit Sunday night and ruined a lot of the paper decorations. We were not able to take part fully as Mauricio had his first concert with Sendebar out of town. But no matter - the festival goes on for at least 10 days!

(Hmmm, it's raining right now again -- poor decorations! Not sure if the judges have gone around yet.)

Yesterday the streets were filled with locals and outsiders, festival guide in hand, roaming the streets in awe of all the wonderful presentations. Close to us we have a Route 66 theme on Calle Verdi, a Noah's Ark lower down on our own street, and a colorful school supply set up near by. The streets and plazas are set up with bars and stages.

As we got home last night by car, we were able to pass through many of the plazas and get a quick snapshot of all the festival has to offer: many music performances, a full street of carnival rides, and lots of drinking and boisterous folks!

I am overwhelmed with the amount of activities available. Each decorated street association has activities all day – and there are 18 of them. Then there are the plazas: at least 10 of those. Plus, I have lots of work to do too, so can't fully take part of lots of stuff. :( But it is wonderful to see the amount of creativity and dedication to create such a magical community event.

View more pictures.

Sendebar in concert at the Monestir de Bartolomeu, Bellpuig. At least 150 people attended on a hot summer evening, and the concert was very well received!

The Fiestas are Coming!

So we've been hearing about the Fiestas of Gracia for a long time, and now they are just around the corner. Today we were walking around and noticed several streets closed off. Tables were set up and groups of people were busily working on decorations. Each street association decides on a theme and decorates the streets and compete for the best. Close to our building we saw creations of totem poles. Turns out the theme was Route 66! We're still deciding whether we will stick around. It seems that lots of locals actually leave as the streets are filled with non-stop partying. Can't wait to see the streets decorated.

Blackout in Barcelona 2

This morning I went to get a cup of coffee and down the block I could hear lots of banging and chanting and I could see a mass of people. Typical Catalan-style, it was a demonstration to protest the power outage, blocking cars and tourist buses. Locals came out with pots and pans to demand power. People are mad at having to pay so much for electricity on low salaries and yet, get so little in service. The Maragall power station is still not estimated to be back up and running for a week. That means ruin for many businesses such as meat shops. Mauricio said that he saw our meat guy, bread gal and more among the protesters.

Oh, and the power just went out again as we were returning home. Shopkeepers were hanging out by the door. Fortunately for us, our building was fine.

Addendum: Later that night, our street started to protest by banging pots and pans from their windows. The owner of the bar down the block led the protest with whistles. It went on for a long time.

Blackout in Barcelona

My sister Linda is in town this week so we're taking the opportunity to visit different beaches. On Monday, we were on the beach in Vilanova i la Geltru (which so far is becoming my favorite) and my friend Annie, who lives in Vilanova, met up with us after running a quick errand in Barcelona. She told us that there had been a short blackout in Barcelona, but somehow she had missed it. Her boyfriend called her about it. I didn't think anything of it as New York City is always having power outages. However, Annie mentioned that it was a big thing as this kind of problem hasn't really happened before.

We forgot about it until we reached our neighborhood on the way home, and I noticed people in shops in the dark with candles lit. I was beginning to worry that we would get home and not find electricity and our food gone bad. At least I knew we had a supply of candles and a flashlight. It seemed that some shops and buildings were back up, but some random ones not.

We got home and all was fine. The story was in the news, including yahoo.com. Apparently some faulty cable caused the grid to go out at 11:01. Some subway trains stalled, and the city had been a mess. I realized how lucky we had been. We were supposed to take the 11:10 train to Vilanova! We got there early to have a cup of coffee at the cafe upstairs, but as they didn't have decaf (which I'm only drinking these days) so they sent us downstairs to the (smoky) cafe by the platform. As we got downstairs at about 10:42, there was the 10:35 train to Vilanova coming in. We jumped on, delaying the coffee until we got there. Had we waited for the 11:01 train, we might not have gotten there in time and would have missed a gorgeous day on the beach.

Yesterday I tried to buy milk, but some supermarkets were completely closed and others only had dried goods. Some stores were open, but had extension cords running across the street to other shops to at least power the cash register. My fruit & vegetable shop could only take cash they said as I offered my bank card as we stood in the darkness. Of course! Our meat store on the corner was doing bad. They were losing a lot of meat. But I was able to buy some sausages they had in a provisional refrigerator. The clerk said that some buildings were on a grid from a power supply that was still out, and may not be fixed for up to a week. Last night, after Mauricio got back from a 3-week trip to the States, we went out to eat. Coming home, I didn't realize how bad the black out was until I saw the streetlights out and lots of shops and restaurants either closed or in candlelight. People were making the most of it.

To Castille-Leon and Back

This past week we took a spontaneous trip to Madrid. The goal was to deliver an instrument to the maker for repairs and to find an image in a cathedral for Mauricio's upcoming book – both of which were partially accomplished. Plus, I broke my small digital camera and lost my sunglasses. Nonetheless, we had a great mini-vacation revisiting places and seeing new ones and visiting lots of great folks. Lot of hours on trains and buses, but Isabel either enjoyed it or caught up on sleep. She's been a great traveling companion.

We started the trip with a 4-hour train from Barcelona to Madrid, and met up with David. We stayed at his place, which is in the Lavapies section of Madrid where the Rastro, or flea market, is held on Sundays. The next morning we started off with chocolate con churros at the Chocolateria Gines. Then we walked around, visiting the first pension (Mariu) we stayed at 7 years before, having a coffee at the same cafe nearby, buying books at the book stalls by the Prado, and revisiting the Prado as well. I love the Prado as there are so many significant pieces but the size is manageable. And here's where my camera dramatically went flying out of my purse into the middle of an 18th century hall, gaining the bemused look of other visitors. In the Plaza Mayor we ran into a food fair, and tasted wines and cheeses. A heavenly cheese that we bought was made from goat's milk soaked in wine. We didn’t end up looking for the famous Kilometro Zero marker (indicating the exact middle of Spain).

On Friday we were back on the train for a two-hour trip to Salamanca to visit Rudaina's mom Ana and family. I forgot how beautiful the countryside was around here, and was pleased to point out cows to Isabel -- who always looks for them in Catalunya where there aren't any! Once again we revisited places we had been to 7 years ago. This time we were able to see the Plaza Mayor in its entirety. Last time there was a book fair and couldn't take in the expanse and the beauty of the pink stone. Ana showed us the plaques of heads around the plaza that commemorated past conquistadores, writers, etc. She also pointed out some blue flat ones that were being held for future use. I commented that Spain was saving it for future conquistadors! We heard some traditional music, and saw two musicians in traditional dress. Ana said that a wedding party would follow, but even though we waited, they never appeared.

Later we walked past the restaurant, El Bardo, where I wanted to have dinner, remembering the wonderful homemade yogurt with nuts and honey we had several years back. However, we discovered that there was some sort of fire only days before and the restaurant was closed. Fortunately, Ana knew of another one that opened up, so we went there (after tapas first, of course). Instead of tourists, this was a local hangout, and there were three bachelor/bachelorette parties going on at the same time, which was quite amusing. There was the sedate professional group on our level, and a noisier and rowdier bunch with megaphone on the lower level. The food was incredible. Isabel ate up most of the tender jamon Serrano. Although they didn’t have the dessert I wanted, they brought me my second choice of chocolate mousse, adding the nuts on top. It was out of this world.

The next morning we were off on bus to Ciudad Rodrigo, a walled medieval town. Although we went to visit the cathedral, I couldn’t help take pictures of all the storks in their nests and flying around town. Once at the cathedral we discovered that they had strict policies about taking pictures – i.e., couldn’t do it. It didn’t matter anyway, because we could not find the image of the woman playing pandero that Mauricio had heard about. But he connected with the foundation running the visits, and they said they would look into it.

We returned the same day to Salamanca, and met up with Rudaina’s brother Angel and wife Maribel, whom we had met in New York also. We walked around town and went to another fabulous, rustic restaurant whose name I forget. We were back in Madrid by Sunday, and ended up going to a birthday party for another Anna’s boyfriend whom we never had met, but we wanted to see Anna. Met a whole bunch of expats living in Madrid, including another Colombian married to a Italian-Mexican! That evening we met up with Sandro and had fantastic thin-crust pizza outside on the noisy streets of Madrid near the Teatre Latina.

Photos above are from Plaza Mayor in Salamanca.

More Photos

Election Season

Today Isabel and I stopped to have coffee and juice at Don Teo's, a hole-in-the-wall cafe on the Escorial on the way to the metro. We sat outside at one of the few tables they have set up. At some point, I heard someone calling someone else and the woman at the next table waved. I looked at her and wondered where I knew her from. What store did she work in, I asked myself? Then it hit me -- she was one of the candidates running for mayor! She's running on the IC-Els Verds platform (Iniciativa per Catalunya/Green Party). She was sharply dressed, as she always seems to be in the pix I've seen of her in the papers and on the TV news. Once, I saw four men in suits and then Imma standing out next to them in a very red leather jacket. And here she was having a simple coffee and chatting with two other women right next to me! She's also married to one of the men who ran for President of Catalunya in November when I first got here.

The rest of the day I couldn't help looking at all the election posters, not that you can't help the posters with huge faces plastered all over town. Later on, I went to my Spanish conversation class, and funny enough, the topic of conversation was the elections, which was great, since I didn't have a grasp on all the parties. Below is, from left to right, Jordi Portabella (Esquerra, Republicana - independistas), Xavier Trias (CIU, or Convergencia i Unío, conservative/nationalists), and Jordi Heuru (PSC, partido socialista, and current mayor). Missing is Alberto Fernandez Diaz (Partido Popular -- PP).

Trip to Vic

Yesterday Mauricio, Isabel and I took a little side trip to the old town of Vic, the see of a bishop since 616, lies in a wide valley some 60km/37mi north of Barcelona, on the site of the Roman settlement of Ausa. It was the birthplace of the noted philosopher, mathematician and publicist Jaume Balmes (1810-48), who is pictured here in the funerary monument located in the center of the cloister. The town boasts a few examples of modernist houses, such as the Casa Bojons, also pictured. Another curiousity is the considerably restored Roman temple immediately adjoining the Baroque facade of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Piedad. It seems that the remains of the temple were hidden within the Castle of Montcada, and only recently discovered.

The trip was a working excuse to travel. We needed to take a picture of a capital in a cloister of the Cathedral of Saint Peter (11-15th centuries) for Mauricio's upcoming book. [Congrats to Mauricio, who will be publishing a revised edition of his dissertation with a prominent German editorial house Reichenberger-Kassel, based in Barcelona.] With my new handy telephoto lens, we were able to get a snapshot of the capital approximately 20-25 feet from the floor. I am sure this is just the beginning of getting all the images in various places for his icongraphy collection.

See more pix in my Vic set on flickr.com

De Mar a Mar

Great news! Mauricio just released his new CD with his ensemble Sendebar, entitled De Mar a Mar. Plus, Catalunya Music radio aired a 15-minute program on it yesterday, featuring four songs. Check the website for more information on the CD, audio sample, and where to buy! www.sendebar.com

Spring breeze, Vilanova

I like this pix. We're on the beach in Vilanova i la Geltru on a windy spring day a few weeks ago. We went to visit our friends Annie and David.

Primavera is here

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of changes. My mom headed back to New York. We had daylight savings time. Friends are here visiting. My brother and family and my father are here as well. Spring is here but it's been raining non-stop. Today it's beautiful though, despite the weather forecasts. We even discovered that we do get direct sun in our patio area; it just depends on the time of year. Maybe we can grow a pot of basil!

We recently discovered a beautiful garden at the northern end of Barcelona. It's called the Jardin de Laberinto, and features a life-size labryinth in addition to other surprises at almost every turn. Isabel had a blast. Definitely worth a visit if you have the time. Great for kids.

See more pix >


We also took a bus trip with the American Society of Barcelona to a castle near Lleida called Montsonis. The descendants of the original owners still occupy the 10th-century castle, but they've set off many areas for a viewing museum. It was replete with portraits of ancestors, dating back to medieval times, knights' armor, and dungeons! Afterwards we went to a local restaurant to have more calçotadas. We were in for some entertainment from a singer/keyboardist with "chariots of fire" and wedding-type repertoire and dance floor. Isabel got a kick out of dancing and was thrilled when she had to pick the cards to determine the lottery winner for the ham. The proceeds went to pay the musician!

More pix >

Flamenco Birthday

To celebrate my mom's ??th birthday (let's just say it's significant), we decided to treat her to some flamenco. We took her to Tablao de Carmen (for the legendary Carmen Amaya), a cute little place located in Poble Espanyol. We did the dinner and show, and practically got front row seats. We were worried it was going to be another touristy in and out show. It partially was, but it was nothing like the big hall with tons of long tables and benches we went to in Sevilla. The intimate space was well organized so everyone got good views. Walking through Poble Espanyol at night was delightful as well. Isabel was entranced from the moment the show started. She was not expecting the vitality of the hand-clapping, foot-stomping, and singing right in front of her. She immediately started to imitate the clapping.

See a video of Isabel discovering flamenco.


Flamenco dancer. Isabel back at home. Mauricio and Grace at the Tablao.

Our Barcelona Ramble

Many folks ask us how we are enjoying the Barcelona late night ramble. Well, um, we have a two-year-old daughter, so, no, we don't really get to experience it like we did years ago as tourists. However, last night we took the opportunity to get out and see a friend's jazz performance while my mother is still in town. We invited our friend Jordi as well. We started out getting a bite to eat at 9 pm at a local Greek/Lebanese joint (the Greek yogurt here is awesome). Then we set out to look for the Sala Monasterio (clearly unmarked!) down by the sea and enjoyed two hours of Frederique's jazz trio plus guest guitarist. They played jazz standards and some of Frederique's compositions.

We then walked over towards the famous Rambla, cutting through the Raval. We caught sight of "Sidra & Cabrales." As I had a yen for this very rich and dense Spanish blue cheese (which I have yet to have since we moved here), we stopped in. Not surprisingly, Jordi knows someone who is also hanging out. Unlike other more upscale Asturian bars where the waiters pour sidra (cider) from a huge barrel with grace and flair, we are served the sidra from a bottle and are given one glass to share (the more traditional way). The pour starts out high, and any liquid not making it into the glass falls into a small barrel bucket on the floor by our feet. The cabrales was excellent and we also ordered chorizos with sidra as well before we headed out again.

As it was St. Paddy's Day, the streets were filled with green-hatted revelers (forgot to take a pix of that). We then walked through many winding streets, with young men approaching us with 6-packs of beer. We passed through the Plaça Reial, where it was packed, and then made it over to the Rambla. We finally found the bar Jordi wanted to take us to, The Black Sheep. We were asked for documents, not for our age, but for security! The place was huge, with many college-age students flirting with each other, of course. After a few American-sized pints (I had a pacharan instead), we headed out to catch a cab home. By this time it was 2:3o am, and we took a cab home (the metros close at 2am). Felt like my old days of hanging out in the East Village!

To see more photos, including the bucket, click here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barceluna/sets/72157600007185695