SANT JORDI

Sant Jordi day is all the lovers day in Catalunya hold in 23rd of April, when beside ''love is in the air'' sweethearts also exchange the presents. Woman gets the red rose and man a book.


There are markets of books and roses all over the city center. Everybody is out for a fiesta, streets are just overcrowded, all people are into it as they give a lot of importance to this day here.


Squears of city are the best places to enjoy the atmosphere of Sant Jordi. Usually in placa st. Jaume is the essence of this beautiful event.







Some cultural activities are hold, music and a lot of fun.


Being inside of a crowd, you allow yourself just flow, being involved in all the happening and to expirience.


SOLD OUT.

CALCOTADA IN MANRESA

February and March are the months when is happening a very interesting and joyful event in Catalunya called ''calcotada''. This was my first expirience of calcotada and I just loved it. What is calcotada? The name comes from word ''calcot'', what means young onion, therefore that is a party when a lot of friends come together to eat fried young onions. The best taste of calcots is if event is happening in countryside, when nature makes it to be very natural and real.


''Calcots'' are fried on a real fire thereforehaving a very natural taste.


Then they are waiting the correct moment to be eaten, as this is a party with a lot of other things like an aperatif, chatting and making the atmosphere.


And here they are, completely black and not looking being so tasty.


When all of us are around the table and the host says ''attake'' (lets start), everybody is just jumping into the adventure of calcots.


First thing is to clean the onion, it goes very smoothly and quickly.


Then just to dip it in a special sauce (where the main integrients are tomatos and almonds) and good appetite! The taste is fantastic and beside everything a lot of fun.


The onion thing is just a part of all the party, we had a great food and wine and jokes. And for sure the presence of the beautiful landscapes of Catalunya. Living here every time more and more I expirience that people know how to keep traditions alive, to celebrate and to shear the life. Thank you Ana and Jordi for so warm hospitality!

SPRING TIME

So my favarote season spring is almost over. And then I just have a very natural question, which was really winter time. Then it comes out that 2 seasons in Spain are really short - winter and spring. Talking about winter - as this is my second winter here, I did not wait any more so much for cold weather and a possibility to dress my warm clothes as last year, because real winter days are just some. February usually is a time to enjoy blossom of almond trees, therefore as well to welcome sping. Unbelievable beautiful.

CARNIVAL SITGES 2011

Carnival time is here. Sitges carnival is one among three the most important ones and expectacular in all the country. I would say - crazy. Again there are no spare comments about the passion, people are totally inside of this colourful and also loud event. First 3 days of a week are days off just becouse of carnival, not so bad.
The basic idea of all this celebration is following - as people are very religious in Spain and before Easter is long period of fast, then this is a last moment to have a real party. Therefore Queen of a Carnival and Carnival arrive to the city to take over the leadership and to make their own rules for one week. Every day there are events and parties and a lot of fun. When the party is over they give back the keys to the major of the city and the life goes on its own way again.








So beautiful costumes and group dances, so many people all around. Every team presents its own theme and has a car which is decorated according to that and their own music. 2 evenings there was a great possibility so sea the parade going throught all the town and taking in account that was already dark it was really impressive. There are no limits for fantasy and crativity and it was really interesting to sea beside quite tipical carnival costumes some really brave and creative approaches.


And for sure a lot of things for kids. As traditions here are very strong, all the children from early childhood are already involved into them. Lets say they know how to take care of having a new generation who will take care of all those important things. All kids are amazed0 walking all the week in their masks, and beside that every day in kindergardens and schools all just around carnival thema.


Churus. Another mirracle of life here. First time I tryed them in Festa major. Churus are kind of cocies quite long like a sticks and quite fat, but really, really good as all the food here. In a combinations with hot chocolate they jsut dissapear in your stomack.
What can be better being with a good friend in the cool night near the sea enjoying the magic of carnival.



P.s If you want to expirience a real party one week long and a lot of music, fun and incredibly beautiful carnival costumes visit Sitges next spring around this time!

VILANOVA - SITGES

The beautiful path from the next town south Vilanova back to Sitges, just near the sea trecking some small clifts. Taking in account that almost 350 days here I see blue sky and the sun, we did not have the best luck with the weather, but anyway finally small journey went fantastic. That morning I cathed myself thinking, perhaps let`s cancel the plan due to the gray and foggy day, the next thought - crazy, I am so spoiled with the weather as, living here the sun is a usual part of your day.

Mediterranean vegetation is beautiful and very diverse. This plant always makes me wonder.

There are no questions about the strenght of a water, how in a combination with time it makes clifts recede and all the stones in a beaches so rounded. But in the other hand the sea calms and opens mind for new horizons. Very interesting is that for a word sea in Catalan language can be used both articals - mail or femail, depending from the caracter of a sea you talk about.

MONTCADA

Barcelona - the city of mistery and inspiration. The air, the sounds, the colours, arhitecture - everything is special there. In a very heart of it, there is a small and very, very cute gallery - MONTCADA. http://www.galeriamontcada.com/english/contemporari_art.html.
Just before New Years Eve I was rambling around over there and got a very nice surpriese. Some paintings of latvian painter Kristine Luize Avotina were exposed in a group exibition Horror Vacuui III. The rabbit was great, representing her style directly, it took all my attention and allowed to enjoy a moment of magic. All in all some warm greetings from my fatherland.

AUTUMN IN CATALUNYA

Finally there are chilly mornings and cool air after the hugest heat I ever experienced. The autumn is here just around November. The coloured leaves and that specific smell of autumn in the air makes me feel really great and inspired. I love to have some sensetion that I feel cold or just to remember what does cold mean. This season makes you to be more indoor therefore more time for doing your own things. Landscapes are incredibly beautiful, a little bit of wildness as well. What I adore about autumn here - it is dry, almost no rain, and even if it is end of the year still quite a lot of light. It is just to take a long walks and to breath and to enjoy the beauty.