I arrived in Barcelona totally ignorant about the language situation in Catalunya. I didn’t even ask myself if I should learn Spanish or Catalan – I assumed that Spanish was enough.
I thought I was coming to a famous Spanish city where I could learn and practise Spanish. I had been studying it and was excited and eager to get going.
I enrolled in a course and started reading local newspapers and watching TV in Spanish.
But it slowly dawned on me that things were not as simple as I thought. Here is what happened to me. Continue reading →
So you’re living in a new and different country, and one day you wake up feeling angry and fed up with everyone and everything
Don’t push me too far!
Some people call this ex-pat anger syndrome
You’ve been here for some years and you’ve really tried to fit in. You do your best to accept the cultural differences and to be open-hearted and accepting but sometimes you just feel so angry you could scream.
People ignore you, they do annoying things like barging in front of you in queues as if you didn’t exist. Or they don’t say ‘thank you’ when you let them pass.
The streets are dirty and when you do find a green place it is strewn with litter.
People don’t smile at you – they all look totally miserable and they sometimes stare at you in the street as if you were an alien. Continue reading →
Already it is Burn’s night and I feel my feet aren’t touching the ground at the moment as I suddenly have so much to do.
Last year I had the opposite problem. I spent far too much time sitting at home alone, chatting on Skype and reading Facebook messages. I was keeping busy but also marking time, waiting.
My need to change has grown slowly but now the process has taken off.
Last year I made some decisions which will make this year a bit different from the previous ones I have spent in Catalunya.
1. I am planning to walk the Camino from Roncevalles to Santiago de Compostella. 500 miles! This means I should be in training – now! But although I am reading guide books and making lists of what to take, I have to admit I am not yet doing the walking that will get me fit in time for April.
2. I decided last summer that I must change my house situation. I still have a home in Cornwall which is rented out. But it’s not ideal because although I go back in the summer and camp out in a chalet, I don’t have anywhere to stay when it turns cold. What’s more, I spend much of my time in Catalunya wondering where to live and wishing that I had a garden and a proper home but the truth is I do have those things – in Cornwall. It feels like I must sort this out – either use the Cornwall house or let it go.
Decision time.
3. This blog has already changed because last year I made the switch to WordPress and bought the domain name for The Catalan Way. After that I didn’t know how get the blog out into the world so that interested people could see it. Again my need to change was very urgent but I didn’t have the know-how to take action. Then a friend told me about an online blogging course run by Corrina Gordon-Barnes and I decided to invest in this. What is the point of all this writing if hardly anyone sees it? The course began in January and I am now in the process of looking at why I write, who am I writing for and what do those people want to read?
You are reading this so I am interested in you. What do you want to read?
This year started with a lot of new ideas and plans circling around in my head.
As well as all the above:-
I want to get involved in the local dog and cat rescue centre. Since Bonnie died I miss being around dogs and while I am not ready to adopt a new one, I want to do something to help.
Since we moved my piano into our main house I have been trying to practice every day. Still plugging on with the Maple Leaf Rag.
Then there is meditation and yoga. And Spanish lessons. Catalan practice over a coffee once a week with a friend.
I also spend time with Lydia, my friend’s little girl. It is incredible that I had to wait until age 57 but this is the first time in my life that I have had chance to really get to know a small child. Meeting twice a year isn’t enough – it’s the day to day things that bring you together.
I’m also taking photographs of Granollers for my Facebook page. It has become an obsession, walking the streets and looking for quirky details.
And then there are the balnearis – I want to visit them all and then write a guide in English. They are so amazing and not enough people know about them. How many people go to Barcelona and have no idea about the hot mineral bathes only 30 km away?
Are you tired just reading all that?
Perhaps I have taken on too much? But I don’t want to give any of it up. Suddenly I feel that time is not on my side and I don’t want to waste it.
Perhaps you will notice the posts here will change a bit over the next few months. I’ll be experimenting with my writing. Please let me know what works and doesn’t work for you. Gently, of course!
From the end of March I will be sending updates on my walk along the Camino. I will only have a phone so they will be short and sweet! It will be good to keep in touch as, apart from a few etapes when friends are joining me, I will be walking alone. Am I scared? Yes.
And then in the summer, who knows? I certainly don’t.
All I can do is follow an inner voice that is telling me it is time to sort out my own house. I want to change and I need to change. I imagine that after all this thinking and planning, walking the Camino, walk-eat-sleep, will be quite restful.
One of the most exciting things I discovered after moving to Catalunya was that there are lots of places where hot mineral water springs directly from the earth. A spa built around this spring source is called a Balneari.
This natural mineral healing water is sometimes as hot as 74 degrees centigrade and the mineral composition varies from place to place.
The waters are warm and inviting
The Romans made good use of the local mineral waters and I am sure the Arabs did too but I believe that so long as there have been humans living in the area, they would have been enjoying the healing and relaxing properties of the water.
I imagine it goes back to the beginning of civilisation.
Early on I decided to visit as many mineral spas as possible and to write about the experience here on The Catalan Way. I have a dream of writing a guide to the Hot Springs of Catalunya which would mean I have to do a tour every year to review each and every one. Bliss!
I haven’t managed to visit them all yet even once, but slowly and surely I am working my way through a list of about 21. Some of them are not yet developed and can be found in wild and wonderful places.
Last weekend I went with my friend Cristina to try out Balneari Titus which is halfway between Arenys de Mar and Caldetes on the Mediterranean coast
Practicalities first
You can get there by train from Barcelona on the coastal route to Sant Pol. Get off at Caldes d’Estrac and walk to the Balneari. It takes about 20 minutes.
If you drive you can see the entrance easily from the NII. Coming from Barcelona go through Caldes D’Estrac and when you see a little mountain on your left there is a roundabout and the lane to the balneari is sign-posted. There is plenty of free parking.
We booked for a basic circuit of the waters plus a session in the steam room(hammam)
The basic circuit costs 20 euros and we paid 10 euros extra for the hammam.
Things to take with you
Bathing hat, bathing costume, towel, wrap, flip-flops and toiletries, bottle of water.
Some places provide towels and wraps, Some require hats. Some offer free water. These are the sort of things I notice and will include in every balneari review.
What happens in a balneari?
They are all different which is one of the pleasures of trying out new ones.
In general you will be going around a series of pools and special showers with water jets and letting the healing properties of the water do its magic on your body and spirit.
It is important to know, and I wasn’t sure of this at first, is that although many people visit balnearis because they have been sent by their doctor for treatments, they are also just places to relax and to restore your vital energy through the healing qualities of the water. You bathe your body, the waters cleanse and nourish your soul.
Balneari Titus
Titus is a small balneari close to the sea only about 30 km from Barcelona. There don’t have a large choice in terms of pools and showers but it was a pleasant surprise.
In the main room there is a smallish pool, a jacuzzi and a corridor of little water sprays that blast you with cold mineral water as you walk along a path of pebbles.
The steam room was separate and as we walked there we passed several interesting rooms for doing steam inhalations and massages and individual bathes. Look at the web site and you will see there are many extras you can try, but we didn’t.
I like to be free when I am in a spa and they do vary in this respect. Sometimes you are at the mercy of a system which guides you from one thing to another. I like to be shown around at the beginning and then left to my own devices. Titus came out somewhere in the middle here – we were left alone to enjoy the pool and jacuzzi but we were also told when to visit the hammam and how long to stay there.
We were incredibly lucky as there was no-one else using the balneari at all. We had the pool totally to ourselves. When we were taken to the hammam I was disappointed that we were only given 10 minutes to relax there. The steam room itself was clean and pleasant with a shower inside.
We were also told when to use the jacuzzi and the staff member put it on for us. I have no idea how long we were in there, it felt like half an hour but must have been less. This was almost the best part of the whole visit. The water didn’t smell of chlorine as some jacuzzis do. It was comfortable and the sprays were neither too strong nor too weak. We both entered a dream world and started singing mantras and dancing under the water. I am not a jacuzzi fan normally but this one was lovely.
Then we were able to return to the main pool and spend time there doing water massage and floating and relaxing. Someone popped their head in to tell us our time was up but it didn’t feel pushy or intrusive. We had been there just over one and a half hours in total.
The water at Titus is high in sodium chlorides and bicarbonates. I only judge water by how it makes me feel and what effect it has on my skin. On both counts I would say this water is excellent. I felt relaxed but not drained, my skin and hair were soft and still are three days later. The previous week I had been in bed with a bad cold and the spa helped me make a full recovery.
To sum up
Cons
-Compared to other balnearis Titus is expensive. 30 euros was a lot for a small installation which doesn’t provide towels or wraps or anything free to drink. The time in the Hamman was far too short and 10 euros was too much to pay for this extra.
-There is only one shower for women to use at the end. As we were alone this wasn’t a big problem but if there had been even just two more people it would have been annoying.
-There was no free water available although there was a vending machine. It is important to drink when in a balneari so I thought this was a bit mean.
Pros
-The staff were quiet, helpful and friendly. I hadn’t taken a wrap as I assumed they would provide one but when I asked they gave me a dressing gown for no extra charge.
-They are open all year round apart from the first two weeks of January
-The water has a soft gentle cleansing quality and the temperature is perfect. It emerges from the nearby hill at 39 degrees centigrade.
-The pool room is small but well designed and there is a window with a sea view. When the outdoor pool is open you can walk there from this room through the garden.
-The jacuzzi was fabulous.
Would I go again?
Yes I probably would if I wanted somewhere close to home and if I thought it would be quiet again. The price is a bit high for what is offered so I won’t rush back but I would be happy to visit again one day.
I am hoping to visit at least two more balnearis in the next month and will let you know what they are like and how they compare to Titus. If you don’t want to miss my reviews of the hot spring spas then do join my email list on the top right of this page to get the posts as soon as I write them!
Bunyols de Bacallà or Salt Cod Fritters is a classic Mediterranean dish which can be eaten as a tapa or as a main course with a salad or other small dishes to accompany them. They are often served with allioli which is a wonderful meeting of olive oil, salt and garlic.
There is a huge difference between the bunyols you will get in a cafe and those you make at home. The photo above is of Bunyols de Bacallà made by my friend Bev who is a fantastic cook and she inspired to me to have a go at this recipe myself. This was my first try and even though I had some problems they still turned out well and were delicious.
They will not be perfectly round and this is part of their beauty.
There are many variation on this recipe. You can leave out the potato and add more flour, you can use baking powder, add milk, separate the eggs and whip up the whites first. But what follows is the recipe I used and I will experiment later.
At the end of this post I will give you a couple of links to Catalan sites with slightly different recipes and some more information plus photos.
Bunyols de Bacallà
Ingredients
500g salt cod fillets
50g plain flour
2 medium free range eggs
400g floury potatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
2tbs olive oil
good handful of chopped parsley
salt and pepper
Preparation and Cooking
Salt cod has been preserved in salt and so you need to prepare it at least one day in advance. Wash off excess salt and leave to soak in a dish of cold water for 24-36 hours. Change the water three or four times. Taste a tiny fragment of the fish to see if it is still too salty. It has been preserved – don’t worry that it is raw. When it is to your taste, drain it and cut into smaller pieces
Put the fish into a pan with the bay leaf and cover it with fresh cold water. Bring it up to the boil then remove from heat and leave it to stand for ten minutes
When it has cooled take the fish out of the water and remove skin, bones and any other fishy bits you don’t want in your bunyols. Break the fish into small pieces with a fork. Keep the salty cooking water to one side.
Now put the potatoes into a pan with the salty fish water and more salt if necessary. (I didn’t add more salt and regretted it later) Boil for ten minutes and then drain well and leave to cool
Now for the batter! Put 300ml of water and the two tbsp. of olive oil into another pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and slowly beat in the flour to form the batter. I did this too quickly and it developed lumps but don’t despair if this happens to you – you can just beat it harder and they will go eventually. Let the mixture cool and then beat in the eggs one at a time.
Mash the potatoes in a large bowl and mix in the cod, the crushed garlic and the parsley. Add salt and pepper. Now put together the salt cod mixture and the batter and cook it on a low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens. It should end up with a mashed potato consistency and easily form into balls. This process can take a while and I stopped too soon which meant my mix was harder to handle later.
Leave it all to cool and you can even put it in the fridge for a few hours as this will help it thicken more.
Heat the oil in the deep fryer to about 190C or 375F. You can use a deep frying pan if that is all you have. Our fryer is an old fashioned basket in a deep pan and this part was quite scary for a novice. However, if it isn’t hot enough the bunyols will fall apart or stick to the bottom. Tip for testing if the oil is hot enough – drop a little flour into the oil and see it if disappears. Another tip is to drop a clove of garlic into the oil and when it starts to fry then you can start cooking the bunyols.
Using two dessert spoons form the mix into balls and deep fry them for about 3 minutes or until deep golden brown. You can do about 5 or 6 at a time. I won’t pretend this stage was easy for me. They fell apart, they stuck to the bottom of the wire basket, they took much longer to cook because I didn’t have the mix dry enough or the oil hot enough. But they still turned out OK!
Drain on kitchen paper and serve with ailioli – home made if possible
