Author: Kate Wilson

Trips out from Granollers

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

Saturday
We cycled along the river path in the direction of Barcelona, with Bonnie and Duna running along beside. Bonnie is new to this so we walked through the town part and only started cycling when we arrived in the park. Duna is more practised and can do the road as well, doing a rapid walk rather than break into a run. They really feel like part of a pack when we are all speeding along together and don’t even glance at the other slower pedestrians – human or canine

There is a Viena restaurant further along the river – it is a Catalan chain of fast food restaurants which has been going for 40 years. It’s a good place to stop for breakfast, as I did with Tiffany last week, or lunch as on Saturday

Sunday
This time we took the van out of its parking space and I drove to Montseny and up the steep windy narrow road to Tagamanent(1056m). The top of this little mountain can be seen from Granollers and looks flat but it actually has an old disused monastery up on the summit.

Blue had a potter around the lower slopes and then happily settled into bed in the VW while we fitter ones climbed to the top. There are amazing views over to the snow capped pyranees

and a deep silence enfolds you when conversation pauses. The sun was shining straight into the chapel and illuminating the statue of the Virgin Mary

The shadow creature beside me is Bonnie.
Which reminds me that last week a small child pointed at us as we walked by, saying, ‘lobo, lobo!’ The mother said ‘no mi niña, es un perro’
How wonderful to be that age when it is possible a wolf walks past you in Granollers!

Virtual Vermut

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

It’s Friday and time to wind down and relax.
Which is what we did. We went to La Garriga to the Balneari for a few hours of swimming and floating and steaming and cleaning. We had invited a friend from Barcelona to come as a birthday present and it was even more special as we had the place to ourselves almost all the time

We were there over two hours and it cost about 30 euros each.
It was my second visit there and next time I must try the other one – Termes de La Garriga. Then there is the Victoria in Caldes,  several in Santa Coloma de Farners and the special one in Puigcerda. If I am ever to write the English guide to Catalan balnearis (mineral bathes) I better start exploring.
If we sat together for a vermut today I would probably show you my photos of the wall near our house
I love the colour of this door. The notice is about the Grua which is the lorry that comes and tows away your car if it is parked in the wrong place. Here they are taking a coffee break near the Toy bar.

It’s easy to be in the wrong place as almost every second door is an entrance to a garage and you can’t park or even stop there. It makes Granollers a nightmare for parking

Also I always hesitate before saying ‘I am sorry’ as the words are too close for my liking. An apology is Em Sap Greu.  Greu and Grua – not so different.  The literal meaning of Grua is a crane. Then there is the word Gual as seen above. What on earth does that mean?

I have been in a cooking phase this week. Is it something to do with the absence of resident adolescent?  It is heart sinking to cook when he is around as he won’t eat anything that isn’t simple meat, pasta, pizza or chips. Somehow it takes the fun out of it. And he hates anything spicy.
So this week I have made
1/ Nut and Vegetable rissoles
2/ Rice Pudding
3/ Mexican Tortillas
4/ Baked salmon with potatoes dauphinoise
5/ Fideua`

This last you do in a paella pan – the sort with little holes in them

I hadn’t made this dish before and it is typically made with seafood and a fish stock. I was experimenting with a vegetarian version and it worked better than expected, especially nice with a little alioli on the side.  And a glass or three of cava.
And now as I am trying to watch Pa Negre on the TV why not drop by Bodhi Chicklet and see if she has dug out her bottle of vermut.  I need to concentrate to understand a film totally in Catalan. It was put forward for the Oscars this week as Spains foreign language film and almost got nominated. Imagine that – and it’s not in Spanish!

Happiness is learning something new!

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

After months of trying and many frustrating hours of trying to put video on here, or on YouTube, as well as failing totally to understand iMovie…….I have finally done it!

So here is the video of Blue celebrating her 15th birthday last year by sitting like a princess in her bed and receiving and opening presents. She learnt to do this as a puppy and like many a spoilt child throws away the last gift as soon as the next one appears.

Thank you so much to Nuria who gave me a tutorial in how to use Photoshop and somehow today it magically opened up the mysteries of iMovie too. Anyone near Granollers needing help in design or illustration?  She is a font of skills and knowledge.

And now to the main show – my lovely border collie Blue who has retired to Spain at the grand age of 15 (85) for her health!

Click HERE

(thanks to Margret Steigner for the filming)

Thursday is Market Day

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

It was relaxed at the market today

I went late but there seemed to be no rush to close the stalls. Everyone was in slow motion, enjoying the sunshine and perhaps the wonderful ordinariness of a January Thursday without the pressure of Christmas ahead. I love January because Christmas is as far away as it can possibly be!  (Not that I hate it really but it’s so dominant in December)
I bought some boots – having decided that I need black leather ones I bought these

They are made in Spain which is not easy to find these days as almost everything is Made in China.
I was in the right mood to practise Catalan so chatted to the stall holders and provided amusement to the people selling vegetables when I asked for pernil. ‘Oh no we don’t have that’ she joked, ‘unless you want to take it from here’ (stroking her own thigh)  ‘Do you mean perejil? ‘
It was my fault for using the castellano word for parsley instead of the Catalan julivert.
Pernil is ham



El Clàssic or Yet another football post

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

Tomorrow evening there is a football match between Barcelona and Madrid. It’s called El Clasico or El Clàssic in Catalan, and is the name given to any match between these two teams. It is one of the most watched football matches in the world – hundreds of millions of people glued to their TV screens, as well as the lucky ones who are actually there to see it live.
As I’ve said before, I don’t know much about football, but it is easier to learn about it when it grabs your attention like this does.
To show how ignorant I am in general I will embarrass myself by admitting that I didn’t know there was a  Barça/Madrid match tomorrow night until I just saw it on TV.  Then I noticed something interesting – I felt nervous!  I realised it makes me anxious thinking about it and I know that when I am watching the game there will be butterflies in my stomach.
Weird isn’t it?
Five Things I Have Learnt About El Clàssic
1/   Real Madrid has more supporters in Spain than Barça does while Barça has more support in Europe. Worldwide, Real Madrid appears to win the number of supporters competition with over 228 million fans according to some studies. Perhaps if you keep expanding your horizon to include the universe,  Barça would come out top!
2/   Barça has won more Classic matches than Real Madrid.  Barça 103 – Real Madrid 90 (I’ve never seen them lose which is one reason for my pre-match anxiety)
3/   More players have switched from Barça to Madrid than the other way around with 17 going to the Spanish capital and only 4 coming to Catalunya. I wonder why? More money offered by Madrid?  Barça preferring to get new players elsewhere?
4/   The other rivalry is between the team coaches – Guardiola and Mourinho.  They share a first name but for Guardiola it is the Catalan version Josep/Pep and Mourinho is known as Jose.  In English? Joseph or Joe.

5/  When they speak in the after match discussion it is impressive how easily Guardiola slips between languages but I have just read that Morinho too speaks English, Italian, Spanish, French as well as Portuguese.  Guardiola speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish and Catalan so in this match there is a draw!