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March 9, 2010

The aftermath of the great storm

What a storm!

According to news reports Girona province was the worst affected in Catalonia and for the record books this was the most snow locally since records have been kept!

Today, day two, and so far it has been clear and sunny which means the great thaw has set in with problems switching to drains and rivers overflowing. At least 200,000 people are still without electricity and the trains are not running yet. Other obvious damage was mainly to trees where branches fell under the weight of the wet snow and electricity pylons are also down as we had high winds all night long.

My son came back from an afternoon of sledding down the steps of the Cathedral which he rated as more fun than going to a ski resort and my big regret was not taking some pictures as I only heard about it afterwards...

Like the miners strike in the UK in the 1970's when the power was cut every evening we may see a mini baby boom here in Girona although we may need a few more nights to really get in the mood!

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The_aftermath_of_the_great_sto.zip (9253 KB)

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Filed under // Catalonia Girona power cuts snowstorm

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March 8, 2010

Worst snowstorm in 25 yrs hits Girona

Just when we thought spring was on its way, the worst snowstorm for 25 years hits Girona, that's global warming craziness for you!

Schools closed, shops and businesses too and Girona seems like a ghost town except for the sirens of the emergency services and kids shouting with pleasure having snowball fights. Train station and airport shut down and many people stuck in mid voyage with waiting their only option.

The forecast is for the snow to continue most of today Monday but by tomorrow the sun will be out again and this will just be a white memory, a fun one for schoolchildren and not so great one for those trying to complete trips.

All you people from countries where snow is a normal part of winter can have a laugh at how 10 cms of snow can reduce a place to complete paralysis in a few hours, meanwhile we will get even again when we are walking around in short sleeves in a few weeks time!

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Worst_snowstorm_in_25_yrs_hits.zip (4555 KB)

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Filed under // Girona snow snowstorm

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March 1, 2010

Tasting 44 Catalan red wines

Some would imagine a really enjoyable experience, others would savour every drop but the reality is that tasting so many wines is hard work for the palate, and you come out with teeth looking like you have been to dinner with Dracula.

True professionals spend more time with their nose pushed deep into the glass than quaffing the wine, and even then it is swirled around the mouth and spat out. Trying to capture what you have seen, smelled and tasted in words is possibly the hardest part and "I like this one" is not acceptable wine terminology.

When the wines you are tasting are all from the same region (Catalonia) and the same grape varieties are present in most of the wines it tends to emphasize the defects present very clearly and the 8 tasters were pretty unanimous on which were the worst wines. Worst in the sense of not technically correct, either through lack of balance, too much wood, lack of acidity or both which in Spanish wines seems to be a constant problem.

At the end of the 3 hour session a few wines emerged in both the under and over 15€ division.

In the under 15€ bracket:

2 wines from Cadaques (Empordà) which is more famous for artists than wines but these are both new wineries and interesting to taste- Pirata and Perafita; from the Montsant l'Alleu and l'Heravi; from Terra Alta Sola d'en Pol and Templari and Sirsell from the Priorat where most wines are more expensive.

In the above 15€ category(some wines went up to 80€):

From the Empordà, Perelada wines were represented with both Finca Malaveina and Finca Garbet; from Montsant a Kosher wine Peraj Ha' abib; from the Priorat the Trio Infernal and Akiles

Undoubtably the most dissapointing showing were for some the expensive wines including Finca Dofi and Vall Llach which just goes to prove that tasting blind means your palate is not biased!

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Tasting_44_Catalan_red_wines.zip (6408 KB)

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Filed under // Catalonia D.O. Emporda Montsant priorat red wine Spanish wine tasting Terra Alta wine tasting

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February 25, 2010

Chillida exhibition Girona

Eduardo Chillida (1924-2002) is one of Spain's foremost artists and expressed himself in many materials including stone, clay, metal, paper, collages and earth sculptures.

The exhibition currently at the Fontana D'Or in Girona until April 25th combines many of these mediums in the artists life long exploration of matter, both physical and conceptual.

His sculptures are famous for avoiding symmetry and offering several perspectives no matter what material he is using.

His works are found all over the world in both museums and parks but the largest collections are in his native Basque country.

Be sure to see this important exhibition, it is fascinating on many levels and a real coup for Girona.

Click here to download:

Chillida_exhibition_Girona.zip (6471 KB)

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Filed under // Caixa Girona Chillida sculpture

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February 17, 2010

Cork: an important local industry

Yes, we are talking about the corks that are normally found in a bottle of wine or sparkling wine. This is an industry which has been important for Girona province for 150 years. It is centred on the towns of Palafrugell and Cassa de la Selva, either side of the Gavarres hills where most of the cork oaks are found.

Cork is an amazing natural product which was discovered by the Greeks over 2,500 years ago to seal the amphoras of wine and olive oil they transported around the Mediterranean basin.

As well as being lightweight, it is waterproof and fireproof which means the cork oaks are some of the very few trees that survive the regular fires which sweep through most forests. The trees take about 30 years to mature sufficiently to produce a layer of cork (its bark) but another 15 is needed before it is thick enough to be used for commercial purposes.

So, this is no short term industry, the trees take about 14 years to re-grow its bark for the next harvest which is all done by hand up in the hills. This area is the second largest exporter of corks in the world after Portugal and some 1,500 people are still employed in some way by the industry locally.

Unfortunately, like all mature industries, there is severe competition from other methods of closing bottles which are more economic and the market for corks is sliding steadily. Their niche is still relatively secure in the more upmarket sectors of the wine and champagne sectors but the cheaper end is moving to plastic corks or screw-caps.

Make sure you come and take a tour of a cork making factory (ask at the local tourist information offices) or visit the cork museum in Palafrugell before this fascinating industry disappears forever!

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Cork_an_important_local_indust.zip (4703 KB)

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Filed under // Cassa de la Selva cork Girona province Greeks Les Gavarres Mediterranean Sea Palafrugell Portugal

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February 5, 2010

Girona's high speed train station

For anyone that has visited Girona recently, and especially by train, you cannot have failed to notice the major construction works that are going on all around the station. From the elevated train platform you get a great view of the works which will eventually connect Girona to Madrid and Paris via high speed train in some 4 hours.

The works going on in Girona are to build an underground station below the current one for both the TAV (Tren de Alta Velocidad) and later on conventional trains as well.

Why, you may ask, are they spending all this time and money putting a new station in the centre of Girona instead of 12 kms out of town at Girona airport for example, where car parking would be easy and no major tunnelling works would be needed? This is a complete mystery to me but knowing how things work in Spain I assume that the "powers that be" are behind it for ego as well as financial reasons...

Anyway, those that live in the centre of town will be inconvenienced for the next 2-3 years but hopefully Girona will become an even better connected and easier to visit city in the future!

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Gironas_high_speed_train_stati.zip (8030 KB)

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Filed under // Girona high speed train Madrid Paris TAV train station

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January 9, 2010

Winter walk- Calella to Llafranc

While the whole of Europe is experiencing winter storms here on the Costa Brava there were snow flurries today, something that only happens about every 10 years.

Despite the weather an easy walk from Calella de Palafrugell to Llafranc is a great way to clear the cobwebs and the sights are uplifting along the coastal path or "cami de ronda".

Some of my favourite Mediterranean pines are along this path, old, huge, mature and weather beaten but splendid in their setting and providing much needed shade in the summer months.

So come visit the Costa Brava this year, even in the depths of winter it's spectacular...

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Winter_walk-_Calella_to_Llafra.zip (22999 KB)

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Filed under // Calella de Palafrugell Cami de Ronda Costa Brava Llafranc Mediterranean pine

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January 3, 2010

Masia Freixa, Terrassa

Masia Freixa was also designed by the architect Lluis Muncunill in 1907/10 and shows clear influnces of Antoni Gaudi in it's organic shapes.

Commissioned by the industrialist Josep Freixa to convert an industrial space into a private residence it is now set in a public park and the building itself is used by the municipal music school.

It is extraordinarily interesting visually which shows the great imagination the Modernists used to create buildings which still surprise and give us pleasure many years later.

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Masia_Freixa_Terrassa.zip (3525 KB)

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Filed under // Antoni Gaudi Modernist Josep Freixa Masia Freixa Terrassa

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January 3, 2010

The Science Museum of Terrassa

The Science and Technology Museum has been established in the restored textile mill of Aymerich, Amat i Jover, which was the largest in Terrassa when it was built in 1907/08, closed in 1976 and bought by the Catalan government subsequently to house the museum.

The building was designed by Lluis Muncunill who was responsible for many buildings both private and public while he was the Terrassa city architect.

The mill itself is impressive both in its size (11,000 sq metres) and also in the details; the use of bricks in curved shapes, the large north facing windows to allow in the maximum amount of light and the simplicity of the metalwork throughout make this a delightful building to wander around enjoying all the various exhibitions.

Of special mention is the detailed explanation of how the textile mill worked from the raw material stage to the finished product with much of the original machinery on display.

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The_Science_Museum_of_Terrassa.zip (7134 KB)

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Filed under // architect Catalan government Lluis Muncunill Science and Technology Museum textile mill

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January 3, 2010

Terrassa a Modernist gem

Terrassa is only 28 kms from Barcelona and close to Sabadell which also developed in a similar way at the start of the Catalan Industrial revolution in the mid 19th Century.

Both these cities were at the vanguard of textile manufacture and as such the legacy they have left us is visible as textile mills, houses built for industrialists of the time and public buildings using architects that tried to reflect the new materials at their disposal (bricks, ironwork, glass, tiles) in a style which was collectively known as Modernism.

Terrassa has managed to preserve and re-use some of these buildings, turning them into wonderful public spaces like museums, art galleries and schools while others are protected but used as private dwellings or business premises. The tourist information offices have a map that highlights the main buildings and routes around town, all of which are marked with a signpost.

I will try to reflect the variety of buildings and capture some of the beauty of the details in the pictures below: