MY POINT OF VIEW 28 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

It's cold indeed, isn’t it? In fact, it's snowing in many parts of Catalonia. It's snowing where they're used to it, but also right by the sea, no need to go further than Barceloneta. We like watching the snow, especially those of us who only get to see it in those little glass snowballs we occasionally shake in the shops just to put them back on the shelf and forget about them once the snowflakes hit the ground.

The thing is –snow is romantic. There, I've said it; and there’s nothing wrong about it. Yet, it feels like talking about romantic things is kind of scary; it's uncool and it makes us look soft. I really think that a lot of the things that we like to look at, the things that make us relax and reflect, are romantic images and sensations, in the strictest sense of the word. Flames and glowing embers in a fireplace, the trickle or gush of running water, the sunset that paints the sky… I can even get a sweet sugary sensation just by writing down this list. We should get over this fear of things we find romantic; snow being one of them.

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MY POINT OF VIEW 27 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

There are times when it isn't the hotel you chose or the people you met or the meals you enjoyed that make a trip memorable. Sometimes, that which has really made a trip worthwhile, or not, is no more than an anecdote .That fleeting and transitory moment can seal the fate of a stay in foreign territory.

This is why today I would like underline the importance of anecdotes. Those which we share, those which we experience alone, those which mainly go unnoticed, those which we never relate, those which we repeat at every dinner party…today I am dedicating these few lines to all that which deserves the category of anecdote for somebody.

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MY POINT OF VIEW 26 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

How can we claim to know anything about a people if we don't know what makes them laugh?

Laughter unites and increases the feeling of having things in common, it produces a sensation of being at ease with other people, and it gives us information about the person we share our laughter with. In addition to all this, it is usually a reliable indication of character; not always, I know, but that's another question…

This is why when we want to learn more about another culture, we should do everything we can to find out what has them in stitches with laughter, what kinds of jokes or funny stories get them howling, and which theatrical gestures are infallible if you want to see a smile in less than 3 seconds flat. The problem is that, very often, laughter is related to the spoken word, and this can mean that outsiders find it hard to understand who we are and what makes us laugh.

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Hi there guys,

just wondering, how your traveling is going, cause all seems to be good in here !

There are so many reasons to be in Barcelona this time a year, that would be unfair to give names or places, but…

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MY POINT OF VIEW 25 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

So here we are: the first “My Point of View” article of the Autumn. It must be said that in Catalonia we welcome the Autumn with unusual enthusiasm. While it is undoubtedly true that many people are totally fed up by the end of the Summer with the heat and the same old clichés that are repeated year in year out between June and August, Autumn is nevertheless welcomed with a euphoria that comes more from the nature of the season itself than from that of the one we have just left behind. Let me explain.

When you come round to this time of year, you fish out that old pullover that you’d forgotten all about and that was hidden away at the back of the wardrobe. Suddenly putting on socks gives you a strangely reassuring feeling, and starting to boil up milk again in the mornings makes you feel that little bit younger. The most anxiously awaited part of all, though, is that at long last the hunting season has come round again.       

Catalans love hunting – hunting for mushrooms, that is. Such a simple activity, you wouldn’t think that it could arouse so much passion….
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MY POINT OF VIEW 24 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

I’ve just rushed to my computer to tell you about some good news I heard today. Now this is something that you might well think should be totally normal, but has in fact become an exceptional event, because these days having some good news to talk about in the media is about as common as being able to get hold of tickets to go to see the Cirque Du Soleil.

To get back to what I was saying, I just found out today that RENFE, the Spanish national railway company, has decided to stop the background music it plays on its local network trains in Catalonia. This decision has been taken after getting the thumbs down in a recent series of passenger surveys they conducted.

A train without music…at last!

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MY POINT OF VIEW 23 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

Last week saw the premiere in Barcelona of one of the most long-awaited films in the city since they brought out the promotional video for the Barcelona Olympic Games. I am of course talking about “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”, the latest film by Woody Allen.

During the last twelve months, either through official studio channels or unofficially through gossip in the press, we’ve heard everything, right down to the last detail, about the shooting of this film (where they were filming, what they were eating, how they were dressed, who was kissing who, and so on). Now we’re getting the full blaze of reactions to the work itself, in other words, whether or not it’s a good film, does it remind us of other films made by Woody Allen?, is it a faithful portrait of Barcelona?, what to make of that kiss between Penelope and Scarlett…

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MY POINT OF VIEW 22 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

Here’s a message for all you boys and girls who are coming to stay in Barcelona for a few days any time between September 19th and 28th: You’re in luck!

And I’m not saying this because it’s some kind of special week when it’s actually affordable to have a coffee in Passeig de Gràcia, or anything like that. My reason for saying this is that this is the week when Barcelona celebrates its main annual city festival: the Festival of La Mercè. This is a traditional festival and series of street events during which different institutions, cultural centres and associations make their premises and open spaces available to the general public for the holding of concerts, theatrical performances, poetry recitals, firework displays and all kinds of leisure and artistic activities.

For nearly 10 days, if you wish to, you will be able to enjoy morning, afternoon and night numerous different free events held all over the city which will keep you entertained and, who knows, you may find one or two that you really enjoy.
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MY POINT OF VIEW 21 (by Tatiana Sisquella)

Well, here I am again. I could start by writing a few lines in which I express my rage that the summer holidays have come to an end, or my sorrow at being forced to get back into the daily routine or, even worse, my feeling of nostalgic longing to re-live what may very well turn out to have been the best summer I’ve ever spent in my life. Nevertheless, while not ruling out completely any of the above options, I have finally decided to leave them for later on, for when my head is cooler and my brain a little calmer, and the hangover from so many days of relaxation and hedonism has had a little time to pass.

Today, on the other hand, I should like to bring to your attention a series of advertisements I came across on my way to work on my first day back. These adverts I saw are on the Diagonal, and are easily identifiable because they are in the form of a parcel wrapped up in brown paper and string. By this I mean that it is the bus-stop advertising signs themselves that are wrapped up in this mysterious packaging, which is accompanied by a postmark reading ¨New York¨ and a big wax seal to prove (in a slightly over-the-top way, as you can see) that the package is unopened. Not only that, there is also a message written on top of the wrapping paper reading in Spanish: ¨YA ESTÁ AQUͨ (¨IT´S HERE! ¨).

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Barcelona celebra su fiesta mayor durante una semana alrededor del 24 de septiembre, día de Santa Mercé, patrona de la ciudad. Cuenta la leyenda que en el siglo XVII el pueblo se salvó de una plaga de langosta tras rezar a la actual patrona. Año tras año, le damos las gracias con una fiesta popular llena de fuego, color y diversión.

Durante 7 días las calles se llenan de actividades, en su mayoría gratuitas que combinan el carácter lúdico y festivo con el más tradicional.

Fiesta de fuego, de cielo y de tierra, más de 500 actividades repartidas en una semana.

De día, muchos museos y edificios que generalmente no son accesibles al publico abren sus patios interiores y salas privadas en jornadas de puertas abiertas gratuitas.

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