Calçotada in Spring.

2019-04-03 General Comments Off on Calçotada in Spring.

We recently posted on our Instagram, some pictures from one of this season’s Calçotada. This is a Catalan custom which takes place during spring, when the barbeque season begins. The “Calçot” is a vegetable that resembles a leek but taste more like a mild onion.

Calçots are grilled on an open flame, until they seem burned, then wrapped in newspaper and finally served on a terra cotta tile. This is a traditional appetizer, that can be quite messy to eat. First you peel off the burned part, then you dip in a delicious almond and tomato sauce and finally you eat the tender parts. In restaurants you often get a bib and a pair of gloves, to stay somewhat clean, but on a countryside barbeque, you better not wear your best clothes. After all the peeling and dipping, it’s time to dig in some grilled meat, often lamb chops and sausages accompanied with white beans.  Do you want to join us for the next Calçotada?

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Valencia & Las Fallas

2019-03-12 Social Comments Off on Valencia & Las Fallas

If you happen to be in Valencia this week, you will be so lucky to experience one of the biggest events of the year – Las Fallas. The festivity consists of 2 main events; “Mascletà” and “Burning of Ninots”.

At 14h, every day, the city centre fills up with locals to watch “Mascletà”. It is a noisy and smoky business, that involves crackers and fireworks, where the main goal is to make as much noise as possible 😉

Towards the end of the week, there will be a huge parade, with “Ninots”, who are enormous “dolls” created of wood, cardboard and wax. These artistic creations are supposed to reflect actual news and the political situation, in a sarcastic way. The dolls will be displayed throughout the city and finally a winner will be pronounced. The winner is the only “Ninot” who will “survive” from the flames, as the rest of them will be burned, on the 19th of March. In addition to these happenings, locals dress up in beautiful, traditional costumes, a colourful touch to the festivities.

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Carnival & Candy Crush

2019-02-26 News Comments Off on Carnival & Candy Crush

The Carnival week has just started in most parts of Spain, and a lot of local traditions and curiosities take place, as we speak.

One, very special, festivity takes place in the village of Vilanova i la Geltru, called “Les Comparses” – “Candy War”.

This upcoming Sunday, more than 10.000 couples will dress up under the flag and colours of their associations, and will dance the streets to marching bands and carnival rhythms. They throw candies at rival associations and by-passers, in colourful assault, and end up on the Town Hall Square, where the Candy War will start at a signal. Everyone has to find the best way to protect themselves, while at the same time, throw candy at their rivals. There is one candy war for children and then the adults take their turn. By the end of the day, the streets of Vilanova, are the authentic scenery of Real Life Candy Crush, and will remain sticky for days afterwards.

Isn’t that a sweet tradition?

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GSM Barcelona

2019-02-13 General Comments Off on GSM Barcelona

We are in the middle of Chinese New Year celebration. But did you know that the service sector, in Barcelona, also count the year different from the Roman calendar? The world’s largest exhibitions for the wireless industry, open their doors from the 25th until the 28th of February. Here they will present the latest news and innovations for more than 100.000 professionals and tech lovers, from over 200 countries across the globe.

The exhibition actually sets the date for when the season/year begins and ends for the tourist sector in Barcelona. We, quite literally, count the year from GSM to GSM. If a new hotel or restaurant is to open, it needs to be done before GSM, if refurbishing is on the agenda, it needs to be finished before GSM. More than 10,000 official taxis will work 24h to reduce the endless lines of people, at the airport – and trust us, it is almost impossible to find an available taxi in town during these dates!

Barcelona’s contract to host the event ends in 2023, but with the ever-increasing reliance to wireless technology, we hope they will continue to consider our city for many years to come. If not, we might have to go back to the old, boring calendar.

Happy (GSM) New Year!!!

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Patience is a virtue.

2019-01-06 News Comments Off on Patience is a virtue.

Finally, the 3 Kings have arrived! Spanish children have finally recevied their presents, from the Spanish version of “Santa”. The 3 wise men or the 3 Kings, arrived with a big pararde yesterday afternoon, bringing gifts and presents to the children, which was already listed in their letters to “The Majesties”. The parade takes place in all cities, but also locally, in small villages. At the end of the Parade, the Mayor of the city/village, gives a magic key to the 3 Kings, which gives them access to all the houses in the county. In the evening, the families set out food & drinks for the camels, and when children wake up (normally very early!!) on the 6th of January, His Majesties, have left plenty of presents during the night. Today is a day for family gatherings, and tradition is to eat the “Epiphany Cake”. And tomorrow, the Sales start in all the shops! Felizes Reyes everyone!

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Rough night for this little guy.

2018-12-24 News Comments Off on Rough night for this little guy.

While most of the western world prepare themselves for receiving Santa Claus tonight, the Catalans have a different twist to the gift exchange. This little guy, the “Cagatio”, will be in charge of joy and play (and maybe some anger release), while children beat him, so that he can “crap” their gifts! The story built up around the “Cagatió” keep children busy the days before Christmas. Sometimes families go to the woods and “accidentally” stumbles over him or he might show up misteriously on your doorstep, any day in December. The children feed him with bread, cookies or fruit and by Christmas Eve, he’s so full, that when they beat him with a stick, while singing a rhyme, he will crap presents for all. You might think it’s strange to relate crap and Christmas presents, but historically crap meant good luck, as it was used to fertilize the soil, in order to obtain a great harvest. Spain has many traditions different from the rest of Europe, but the “Cagatió” is a local tradition in Catalonia, and can’t be found anywhere else. Even Hollywood celebrities have told their version of this.

Check it out here:
Viggo Mortensen explica a 1 televisió dels EUA com els catalans fan cagar el tió.

We wish you a very, merry Christmas, whatever your traditions might be, and will follow up with more, local traditions in 2019.

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