catalonia

I don’t care about El País’ Catalan Edition

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I don’t care about El País’ Catalan Edition

I don’t, I just don’t. All odds were on me lapping it up. If El País had a target-reader production machine, it would churn me out first. I am a highly educated Catalan speaker, I score left on any political compass, I am invested in things like books and alternative music and films (sorry for the pretentious label), socially mobile, I speak English, and I live abroad. But I don’t. Actually, it’s not that I don’t care, it’s that it really pisses me off. El País was founded in 1978. That’s 36 years ago. That’s 36 years El País has had to create an edition in Catalan. But they didn’t. We did … [Read more...]

Homage to Catalonia; Scotland says ho sentim

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Homage to Catalonia; Scotland says ho sentim

As I write, the flags of Scotland (or 45% of them, at least) are at proverbial half-mast. I woke up on Friday, September 19th, 2014 to the sentence that will stay with me for the rest of my life: ‘Scotland Says ‘No’ to Independence’. It was the first country ever to do so. Beneath the low wail of the disenfranchised youth, cries of confusion could be heard thousands of miles away in Catalonia to the effect of, “What are you doing?! You’ve ruined it for all of us!” We know, we know. And we’re really sorry. The truth is that, in the lead up to the devastating result, Catalonia had … [Read more...]

El dret a Gaudí(r)

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El dret a Gaudí(r)

Park Güell, Gaudí's fairytale playground, pays as much homage to modernist art and architecture as it does to Catalan identity. But nowadays it all comes at a price... Built between 1900 and 1914 and inaugurated as a public park in 1926, the quirky wonderland has, for nearly a century now, been lending itself to those searching for a bit of peace and quiet amidst Barcelona's intense mix of city centre high rises and traffic jams. What was once a tranquil haven set aside from the hustle and bustle of the Catalonian capital, Park Güell is now surrounded by fences, guards, workers and … [Read more...]