Festa d'oli - Olive Oil Party!!

First of all, happy December everyone, and apologies for not dropping by for the whole of November - other projects kept me really busy (yeah, like you've really missed me). Anyway, the cold's kind of arrived, Christmas is almost upon us and it'll be time to say goodbye to 2013 and hello to a new year soon.

I was lucky enough recently to be invited to a "Festa d'oli"  - occurrences that happen each year at the harvest of olives around Catalunya, and is basically a visit to a factory/plant where olive oil is made from scratch. Along with some friends, we went to La Serra d'Alamos which is in the middle of fecking nowhere Tarragona.

We were greeted by a very small queue of people and duly grabbed our plate and headed for the barbecue - apparently common in this type of do. 

*puts on Homer voice* Mmmmmmm.....baaaarbecuuuuuue. Sorry. Ahem. 

It was a bit nippy in the shade but great in the sunshine. So the plant that we went to makes oil only from 1st November until the end of December, and in other periods of the year also makes wine. So, the wine was free on the tables, along with a salad - all good to get things started. 

 List of the different olives from the area which are made into oils, and an informative poster from the Generalitat, explaining the origins and processes of extraction of the oils. Good stuff.

There was plenty of information around along with artisan workers making baskets, soaps, cheeses, etc., and we simply chose a time to have a guided tour around the installations. First up they showed us how the olives arrive and are put on a kind of wire rack/mesh, which vibrates. All the olives fall through the holes, and the branches and leaves are raked away (sorry no pic of that., as it just looked like a metal grid  - and apologies in advance about the quality of these pics, I wasn't expecting to blog this, but as it was so interesting, thought I'd share). 

So Olives make their way up a conveyor belt and into vats. Like this one. 

You can see they're mixed. Next they're washed and pushed through to the next stage. Each part is processed by weight, so when the machine becomes empty/has done its particular job, automatically the next feed comes through (pardon the pun). They then move through a kind of centrifuge which mashes them up - stones and all - into a kind of mushy paste. I was surprised about the stone, as assumed this would be removed, like in tins/jars of bought olives. But "for each stone of an olive, you get a drop of oil" was the way it was explained to me. 

 Above, being washed, and below, the result of the mashing up:

Now, here's an interesting part. This much is then pushed through a kind of sieve, and a "crude" oil comes out (my wording not theirs). The resulting sludge/waste is then separated and SENT TO OTHER FACTORIES TO MAKE NORMAL OLIVE OIL!! It's mixed with many other things and is the usual stuff the majority of us will buy (i.e. the cheapest one). 

Oil goes into another room where it is stored in large vats, and then bottled by hand. So, you can buy the cloudy, crude oil which is full of flavour and basically 100% pure, or if you prefer, you can have it filtered, so it becomes the golden nectar stuff you're used to seeing on the supermarket shelves. Below is the filter:

The different sections in the middle, are filled with cardboard filters (we were shown them , but it wasn't that interesting to photograph). So, you can see in the forefront of the image, the unfiltered oil as it goes in, and the filtered oil going out. I took close ups, to show the difference. Here's no filter/raw:

And here's coming through filtered:

See? Cool, eh?! Production can reach around 80,000 kilos of olives in just that little plant, depending on the harvest. We were shown around the wine area, and although empty, was a great insight - all done by hand the corking, labeling, etc. and the tour finished in the shop. We had already gone with the intention (through the advice of friends who had been previous years) of stocking up for the year, and that's what we did. We got some cloudy oil (has to be used up quicker, as can gather sediment) and then normal for the rest of the year! 

It was a great experience (made better by being with friends, clearly) and there were typical dancing and singing as you would find at a normal Catalan traditional do:

There was a small gathering in the aftermath of a soup tasting kind of thing, but that was nothing to write home about, really, just an added bonus from the villagers. By all accounts there are many such "festivals" throughout November and December, so if you get the chance next year, I'd highly recommend! 

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Send a Personalised Message to Someone for Sant Jordi!

This coming week is one of the most colourful celebrations in the Catalan Calendar, Sant Jordi. It's a celebration of the patron saint of Catalunya and a patriotic day where everyone takes to the streets to buy a book and exchange a rose. Las Ramblas is a particularly cool place to visit on that day! There's a great explanation in English about the story behind the tradition here.

Now, with the modern age of connectivity and all things digital, the council usually also organises something on the website for people to join in, too. We've had virtual roses in previous years and there's an Instagram iniciative too again this year, for people to share their photos with the hashtag #JoxTu (me for you) and photos are published on the web.

So this year is no different, and you can send a personalised message to your friends or family or loved ones via the website here. It's based on the idea that "for you I'd..." with some funny ones like "I'd give up gossiping on facebook", "I'd bring you breakfast on the way back from a party" (classic Barcelona there, up till the dawn - although why this person wouldn't be with you at the party escapes me), "I'd miss Barça - Madrid" and "I'd change the cat's litter box" ! It's all a good bit of fun, and I like the way that the council has decided to share this in English, too, encouraging people to join in with the celebrations and embrace the tradition (unlike they do with La Merçe, for example). So go on, send someone a message!

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Solidarity Rose for Sant Jordi

Next week is Sant Jordi in Catalunya, and is always a popular and well celebrated day. I compare it sometimes to England, as Saint George is also the patron saint of England, and the day goes by pretty much unnoticed. Ask any Catalan the date of Sant Jordi, and they'd tell you the 23rd April like a shot. I'd wager that around 20% of English would know!

As is customary with the day, Barcelona council supports a cause and promotes the idea on the web. This year the very worthy cause is the Solidarity Rose project which is in its 18th edition and is an initiative from amics del gent gran. The idea is that citizens buy either a rose or a book (as per the tradition) and take it to an elderly person they know, spend some time with them and thus raise awareness of the large numbers of old people who are lonely and much of the time alone. Participants are then encouranged to share their tale on Facebook and Twitter with hashtag #rosascontraelolvido. So you can take a real rose or you can pick up the one that has been made specifically for the day in many different outlets (200 in total including supermarkets, shops, etc.) and the price is 3,50€. Good idea I think and I hope it is a success. Being self employed I don't keep a strict clock with work, and have made lots of friends in and around my neighbourhood who are all retired and who I bump into a lot. I know that some of them are lonely despite having families here, so this is an even better idea for those people who have no-one.

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Festa Major Sant Antoni

Happy New Year everyone! Well, I'm a bit late with the well wishes but it's been a busy start to 2012 for me, so there you go. Here's hoping this year is great for everyone.

There's no messing about in Barcelona, no moping about the cutbacks (ok, maybe just a bit) and shortly after the craziness of the King's parade, we're straight in with another local festival. Yes, from the 13th to 22nd January, it's the Festa Major Sant Antoni. No matter that the market itself is undergoing a (very slow) refurbishment, there's plenty going on all week for people of all ages, and if I'm not mistaken, it's a fairly long festival for just being a neighbourhood one.

This weekend just gone I wandered along with the kids and my wife to check out the opening parade. It had all the usual things I've come to expect with gegants, castellers, drummers and dancers, but what surprised me the most was the beginning, or rather, the people at the front.

I could probably look up somewhere the significance (or if anyone knows, please leave me a comment) but the people at the front had kind of fake old-style shotguns and fired EXTREMELY LOUD  shots into the air. We heard the procession from about 6 blocks away, and when the pistoleros were actually in front of you it was really deafening, like shake your body deafening. Very cool.

My wife and kids put their fingers in their ears, and some of those participating also had ear plugs in. Some of the guns also fired cofetti all over the floor, and it was great fun.

There was a comedy fire truck which was helping animate the crowds, and spraying paper all over the floor (and the BCNeta guys were not far behind!).

Mini-castellers:

Diablos with flares and the most attractive swine:

There are activities going on all week, so check out the programme in the link above, and leave me a comment if there's anything you'd like to specifically highlight or reccommend. Thanks!

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Nativity Scene at Plaça Sant Jaume

As is becoming customary with me, I'll take the kids to see the Christmas lights, Christmas Fair, often the Three Kings, and always the Nativity Scenes in the centre of the old town, too. The Plaça Sant Jaume is the usual place for the scene to be installed and each year takes a different form. Last year's scene was like a scale model Bethlehem with lights being projected onto the Town Hall in the background.

Well, this year's scene is perhaps a little more traditional  - as in old fashioned - and seems to echo the style of the abandoned frescos painted on the cielings of churches around Catalunya in the day - many of which can be seen at the MNAC over at Plaça Espanya. The paintings of Jospeh, Mary & the Kings are almost icon-ic and for me the whole faux-stone church is trying to evoke that.

For my ignorance, there may well be a very informative piece all about the designer and painter somewhere around the Plaça Sant Jamue, so I apologise if that's totally wrong!! haha!!! Well, anyway, I like it this year a bit more than last year - although there's no place for the classy dinner table with the caldo de galets like last year...shame!

And just as you're admiring the scenes and taking a few photos, there's your caganer out the back, looking like a mix between Edvard Munch's The Scream and a cardboard Muppet. Hang on a minute.....

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below about this year's decorations, and if anyone else has anything to suggest, please leave a comment, too!

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Christmas Market in Barcelona - Giant Cagatio!!

Every year the Feria de Santa Lucia brings a bit of Christmas Cheer to the city - it's a very long running tradition, and what started as a small market now takes up pretty much the whole of the Plaça in front of the city cathedral in the gothic quarter. Christmas tunes are playing from speakers just enough to keep things merry and not annoying (unless you work there, I imagine!) and it's great to just have a wander around and experience the different traditions and customs which Catalunya has embraced for Christmas.

As well as real Christmas trees (very overpriced, sorry) and decorations there are nativity scenes, ornaments, caganers, cagatios, and lots of plants and floral decorations. Into it's 224th edition, it's a must-visit for anyone visiting the city and even the residents here - especially those with children.

 And this year, there's yet another reason to get yourselves down there. Yes, it's a giant Cagatio!! The Barcelona council and getting good at making giant Christmas characters (see my linki for last year's enormous Caganer in Maremagnum!).

I happened to be there last weekend and it was just about to re-open for the afternoon "show" and there was a huuuuuuuggggge queue of people up towards the bridge of sighs - so we gave it a miss, but for those in fine voice for the song (oh, yes, people, he's got his own song!!). Also, this Saturday and Sunday you can see the traditional Sortidas de la Carassa - like the Christmas beast - from 12:30 onwards. The Fair is on until the 22nd December, so get yourselves down there to pick up a gift or those last minute decorations for your place!

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Monumental Curtains

It's widely accepted that the Catalans don't like bullfighting. That's something very Spanish - Osborne's monstrous black silhouettes around the country's highways and festivals such as San Isidrio in Andalucia are huge events for local people, and it has to be said that as an imagery to foreigners most people recognise Flamenco, Paella & Sangria and Bull fighting as a typical weekend in any Spaniard's diary. Not so in Catalunya. They mock the bull.

While the city has been the home of two bull rings over the years - Las Arenas and Monumental - it will be the proud owner of none come this Sunday. Saturday sees the very last appearance of bulls within Monumental, at least in  front of Matadores for the viewing public that is. Across town, Las Arenas has been converted (albeit very slowly) into a rather snazzy shopping mall with gyms, Rock Museum and endless shops and restaurants.

You can't say it hasn't been coming. From locals recording disgusted tourists on camera and then uploading the videos to youtube, to official protests and demonstrations, the whole thing went to court and the new law will be introduced and enforced as of 2012 - No bullfighting in Catalunya. I think if you ask the majority of locals what they think about, they'll agree that it doesn't bother them one bit. In fact, it's true to say that the majority of the seats at Monumental over the past few years have been filled by tourists, so it's hardly going to be missed.

So what will happen to Monumental? I have no idea, so welcome any comments of people who may be in the know. Of course it can stay as a concert venue, or sports venue of sorts, I don't think there's a need for another Mall of sorts, but surely the structure will be kept - as much as the locals don't like what goes on in there, it's become part of the urban landscape of the city and is extremely distinctive. Feel free to comment if you do know what's planned!

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Nativity Scenes in the Old Town

Well, it's less than 2 weeks to Christmas. Nearly the end of 2010. I don't know about you, but for me, the year seems to have flown by. Let's hope 2011 is a hell of a lot better for the whole country.

Nothing gets me more in the mood for the Christmas time than the traditions. I love the Christmas songs on loop in the supermarkets - Frank singing "Let it Snow" and it's 19ºC outside - the fake snow in the windows, the lights being turned on, etc. I even had a special delivery of Christmas crackers for my tree delivered in November (gotta have crackers, people, with really bad jokes) - thanks Uncle Tony!! So, whilst I'm also one for embracing the wacky traditions that other cultures may have, I'm also happy to queue up to look at other "normal" stuff, like the Christmas market, and the Nativity scene currently in place in front of the town hall.



The back drop of the scene has projections - like a giant Advent calendar - of the typical Catalan traditions and there's a great meal laid on of the traditional escudella amb galets. You'll have to forgive the quality of the pics, guys - wife's iphone as we hadn't planned on heading there - but I thought they were worth sharing.



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Carnival Time in Sitges

This month is a party month, with carnival starting in many places around the world. While Brazil remains the favourite destination for the spectacular street parades and jiggling bodies on display, there's a little place closer to home that can give you just as good a show - Sitges. The seaside town of Sitges is just a short train ride away and is a favourite Barcelona day trip for many. It's also a gay resort, and a great place for a party even when carnival week is not on, however, getting the change to visit for the parade is something everyone should try and squeeze in.

Carnival is all about hedonism, debauchery and letting loose. The traditions of Carnaval in Catalonia are taught from an early age, with school children all week joining in activities and dressing up for the arrival of "carnestoltes" who is king of the crack pots!

Starting tomorrow, Carnelstoltes and his queen move around the town, visiting schools and gearing everyone up for Sunday's procession. This is a great party evening, and is even repeated on the tuesday with more people. I went on the Tuesday years ago, when I first arrived, and it was a fantastic night. There are around 50 floats and about 3000 people who dress up and parade around the town and the beachfront. We stayed up all night (that was a big deal for me back then, as I was still in "going home at 3am mode" as per England, so if you fancy a really good night, get yourselves there. It's easy on the train (last one there, first one back, if you like) from Barcelona, or any of the neighbouring towns, but expect busy trains!!

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Flickr credit

Barcelona Remembers Laia in Style

Not many people know, but Barcelona really has two patron saints. Our Lady of Mercy is the obvious one, made famous by September's La Merce celebrations, and you'd be forgiven for guessing at Saint George (Sant Jordi) as the other, but he's actually for the whole of Catalonia.
No, I'm talking about Santa Eulalia, or how she's affectionately known, Laia.



Laia is kind of remembered as the children's saint, and probably because she died so young. A little girl who protested in defence of the Christian persecution, she was only 13 when she died - and a particularly horrible death at that. She is warmly remembered and even has her own "mini" gegant on display at the city's ministry of culture building on las ramblas. Fitting, then that it's the start of carnaval week, and even if the weather looks like it doesn't want to play along (it's raining, and apparently is going to be like this all week!) then there's plenty to keep things happy for the kids!

Starting on Friday, there are many activities going on around the old town, and for a full programme of events, see the city's website. Just a selection of activities to whet your appetite however, are the parades through the gothic quarter, hip-hop workshops for the kids, classical music concerts in the maritime museum, various dances and theatre pieces and a correfoc fire-run, too! The city's museums are all joining in the fun starting from today, and many have free entrance on Saturday, for example. Full details here (pdf).

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New Year Traditions in Barcelona

It's almost time for 2009 to come to a close. I personally can't believe we're almost in 2010 - although it's been a tough year for everyone in Spain (and probably the world over), it still seems to have gone quickly, I don't know about you? And one thing that has had me wondering (very silly) stems from when I used to be a teacher. My students always used to be perplexed with how we English say the date - especially in years. For example, 1982 is read "nineteen eighty-two" and not "one thousand nine hundered and eighty two" which is how the Spanish/Catalan say it. I remember many students couldn't get their head around this and asked me what would you say in the year 2010; "two thousand and ten" or "twenty ten". I've heard both on news reports on the TV, for example, and personally I think I'm leaning towards "two thousand and ten" probably because I've been saying it that way for the last 9 years, and "twenty ten" sounds a bit funny. Anyway, silly aside there. Apologies.


So, one of the great things about the welcoming of the new year are the funny traditions. The Catalans have some great traditions regarding the replenishing of the earth after a year of farming, for example, and although the poo theme for me can go a bit too far, it's all good fun. So, being a sucker for everything festive, I'm always keen to hear about different traditions when it comes to Christmas and New Year.

Here in Spain, there's a tradition that many people know about which is to eat twelve grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve - precisely in time with the twelve gongs of midnight. Grapes are festive fruits, and used in wine making and champagne, cava, etc. so it's an understandable fruit to use. It's supposed to signify that you will have a prosperous year to come, and is a tradition going as far back as 1895, although there is some confusion as to where the tradition was started, according to the wikipedia article - Alicante, Catalonia or Madrid.

However, it's interesting to read that the whole idea came about as a bit of a jokey protest. Apparently in 1882 the mayor of Madrid, Jose Abascal y Carredano, decided to charge 5 pesetas (known as "un duro" - never knew why, I was here when the peseta was still the currency) to those people who wanted to go out and meet the 3 Kings on the eve of the Epiphany. This led to a group of locals to then make theor way on New Year's eve to the Puerta del Sol, and mock the bourgoise custom of celebrating with champagne and wine, by eating the grapes with each peal of the bell. Nowadays, this is the location for the televised coverage of new year.

If you've never tried it before, it's actually pretty damn tough to do - a lot harder than it sounds, especially if you start being picky and taking pips out of your mouth. Fortuntaely, there are many ready-made solutions in many supermarkets in the form of little tins of peeled, seedless/seeded grapes - just don't cut yourself on the can as you open it! I'd love to hear some of your own traditions of New Year in the comments, guys. I know that in Argentina for example, they do a similar thing but with raisins, not grapes, and in Peru there's a tradition of running around your block with an empty suitcase so that you'll travel in the coming year. My wife and I exchange wedding rings and drop that into the first glass of cava to toast in the new year. Not sure where that one came from, but we always do it. Any others to add? Let me know! I love this kind of thing!! I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Happy New Year - thanks for reading, and for voting me the bestblogger in Europe for 2009 through the bloggersguide. I hope you all have a happy and successful TWENTY TEN....sorry TWO THOUSAND AND TEN.

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2010 image by freeimageslive.co.uk - christmashat

Let's Petanca !

With Barcelona enjoying sunshine for many months of the year, it's common to see people practicing sports within the high rises of the building blocks that surround. There are many table tennis tables dotted around the city, which are permanently open and often in parks or green areas. You can take your bats and ping pong balls and play at any time.



Another such outdoor game which is a little more popular with adults and the older generation is "Petanca". Petanca is a kind of bowls game which is played on flat, often sandy pitches. The players can play alone, but usually play in teams. The game involves throwing a small wooden/plastic ball or "boliche" and then each team has to get the closest to that boliche with their metal balls, which are around 8cm in diameter and weigh around 700g. The technique of throwing the ball is to release the ball with your hand/fingers facing the direction you are going to throw, shielding the ball - so you gain backspin and it stops quicker. The one closest to the wooden ball gets a point, and the first to three is the winner.

It's great to see groups of mixed ages getting together for a quick game - you can be surprised at any time of day with a petanca game going on, and there are plenty of areas designated for the game, with perches to hang jackets and bags. Sagrada Familia has a fair few courts/playing surfaces in front of the Nativity facade inside the park, and there are numerous other locations in the city too. If you get the chance, stop and watch a game for a few minutes, it's great fun. For a full list of the rules, the Federation of Petanca in Spain has a website (in Spanish).

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Bastoneras in the Old Town

This weekend (Saturday) saw the Bastoneras of Catalunya celebrate their annual festival in Barcelona's Old Town. The "Bastoneras" are traditional groups who dance with wooden sticks, and traditional attire with flutes and drums performing in and around the streets of the city centre.
A meal was celebrated in the Rambla del Raval, and previously, the groups from all around Catalunya paraded around the old town, las ramblas and Plaça Sant Jaume, performing dances and animating the streets and the spectators. All walks of life were represented, and the whole parade brought life into the city with tourists and locals alike transfixed by the well-rehearsed routines.

The participants wore costumes in bright colours, similar to those of the castellers but with flag bearers following, and some had bells around their ankles, too.



With over 70 groups participating, it was a flurry of colour and noise to compliment the fine weather, and a great spectacle for those watching. Did you see the Bastoneras this weekend? Comments welcome as always guys!