Going Native in Catalonia

Simon Harris

Description

The second edition of this quirky guide from a British writer and football afficionado living in Catalonia

Sujets

• Histoire
• Southern Europe
• Spain
• History of Europe
• Spain (groupe)

Informations

• Publié par: Summertime Publishing
• Date de parution: 09 janvier 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781909193178
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

GOING NATIVE IN CATALONIA
Simon Harris
First Published in Great Britain 2008 by www.BookShaker.com
This edition published in Great Britain in 2012 by Summertime Publishing
© Copyright Simon Harris
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Typeset in Trebuchet
DISCLAIMER
While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, neither the Author nor the Publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions. Any slights of people or organisations are unintentional.
The purchaser or reader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use of these materials and information.
For Magdalena Amorós i Mena… my first guide to Catalonia
Praise for this book
‘I have been to both Barcelona and the Costa Brava on a number of occasions, and I had always said to friends and family that I was going to Spain. After reading this book, I am not only more enthusiastic about going back but I will also have a much better idea about where I’m going and will definitely consult a Catalan phrasebook before I leave.’
Martin Fullbright, Cheltenham
‘We have a lot of English-speaking visitors to our company, and I have often wondered how I could tell them about Catalan culture in a way that they would understand. This book is the perfect answer to my problem. Well done!’
Núria Santacreu, Barcelona
‘I’ve never seen my part of Barcelona even mentioned in a guide book before!’
Paul Fisher, Nou Barris, Barcelona
‘Very helpful. It gave us an insight into the way things are done that would have been difficult to pick up from anyone else.’
Jean Grandy, Tossa del Mar
‘Quirky, crazy and a lot of fun. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the observations because they rang so true.’
Pete Osborne, Badalona
Contents
OVERVIEW
I NTRODUCTION
A BRIEF HISTORY
P EOPLE AND THEIR QUIRKS
L ANGUAGE
C ULTURE
F OOD AND D RINK
T RANSPORT
C LIMATE
E CONOMY
F ESTAS
G OING N ATIVE IN C ATALONIA
TOWN AND CITY GUIDE
B ARCELONA
G REATER B ARCELONA
B ARCELONA P ROVINCE
G IRONA P ROVINCE
T ARRAGONA P ROVINCE
L LEIDA P ROVINCE
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
C RIME
H EALTH
D RIVING
S HOPPING
A C ATALAN P HRASEBOOK
RESOURCES
N EWSPAPERS & M AGAZINES
R ECOMMENDED R EADING .
M ORE L INKS ................... E RROR ! B OOKMARK NOT DEFINED .
ABOUT SIMON HARRIS
A B ARCELONA S TORY
Overview
INTRODUCTION
With a coastline that stretches 700 kilometres from the rugged Costa Brava on the French border passing through the Costa del Maresme and the city beaches of Barcelona right down to the golden sands of the Costa Daurada in the province of Tarragona, it is not surprising that Catalonia is a prime destination for tourists from all over the world – but the Principality offers the visitor much more than just its beaches. Skiing holidays in the Pyrenees, a weekend break in Barcelona or rural tourism in the Ebro Delta are obvious alternatives, and the diverse geography of the region along with its history, architecture and vibrant sense of its own culture make any stay in Catalonia one to remember. I should know I came here on holiday more than twenty years ago and still find living here a continual delight.
Modern Catalonia is the rump of a Mediterranean nation that included Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Rosselló in the south of France and the independent state of Andorra, and an empire that incorporated Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Milan and Naples, and for a brief period stretched as far as Greece and Asia Minor. Although remnants of Catalan dominance can be found all over the Mediterranean, in the present day, the Principality is now restricted to the top north-eastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula.
Given their impressive imperial history and their cultural and linguistic differences from the rest of Spain, the Catalans have long considered themselves an independent nation within the Spanish state, and from a geographical point of view it is easy to see why this is so. The Principality is clearly defined by the Pyrenees to the west, the Mediterranean to the east while the River Ebro forms its southern boundary separating it from neighbouring Valencia. Its northern border, however, allows easy access into France, with whom it has close historical and linguistic ties. So, while cut off from central and southern Spain by the Meseta, Catalonia is a ‘terra de pas’, a passageway, that links the mysteries of Iberia with northern Europe, and its geographical position explains much of its turbulent history.
Catalonia has a cultural flavour that is markedly different from southern Spain, and this is particularly evident both in its Gothic and Romanesque architecture and in the cadences of the Catalan language. One of the reasons for this is that both architecturally and linguistically, Catalonia received very little Moorish influence. The Moors began their conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711, but never really succeeded in controlling Catalonia, and the reconquest of Girona in 785 and Barcelona in 801 meant they never had time to leave their mark. This is in sharp contrast to the rest of Spain where their dominance lasted centuries, with the ‘Reconquista’ by Ferdinand and Isabella not being completed until 1492.
To this day, Catalan territory is divided along the lines established by the Franks and Catalan Counts in the 8 th and 9 th centuries. The comarques, of which there are 41, are similar to the English counties. They have their own identity based on geography, agriculture and commerce, and are governed by a district council made up of elected municipal members. However, for administrative purposes within the Spanish state, since 1833, the Principality has been split into the four provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona.
The Principality is one of the largest of Spain’s 17 Autonomous Communities covering an area of some 32,000 square kilometres, making it bigger than many other countries in the European Union including Belgium, and with a population of around 7 million, Catalans comprise about one sixth of all Spaniards. The region is also economically prosperous, and, in Barcelona, boasts a capital that is on a par with any other major European city
Just as in the rest of Spain, the Principality has a regional government with its own President and Parliament. However, after the end of Franco’s dictatorship, the Generalitat was ‘restored’ in 1977 whereas the other autonomous governments were not created until 1979 when the new democratic constitution was ratified by the Spanish Parliament. The Catalans are quite rightly very proud of their political institutions and democratic traditions. Els Usatges , for example, is one of the first documents to define the rights of the people and the obligations of their rulers, and predates the English Magna Carta by almost 150 years.
For long periods of their history, the Catalans have pushed for independence from Madrid. However, with the passing of Catalonia’s updated Statute of Autonomy in 2006 and a new Statute in Andalusia this year, Spain in the 21 st century is becoming increasing federal. Now Catalonia’s cultural and linguistic rights are safeguarded, calls for complete independence are becoming less frequent, and what’s more… living in such a beautiful, diverse and prosperous country, who on earth would want to complain?
A BRIEF HISTORY
Though Catalonia has formed part of Spain for nearly 300 years, Catalans only grudgingly admit the fact. Current relations with distant Madrid are as good as I can remember, mainly because socialist President José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has a very positive attitude towards the Catalans and their culture, and consequently treats them with the respect they deserve. However, his right-wing predecessor José Maria Aznar, who was Spanish President until 2004, was a different matter altogether. During his presidency, continual snipes at the Catalans including a proposal to impose the Spanish humanities and languages syllabus in Catalan schools and a ludicrous plan to divert the River Ebro south before it reached Catalonia brought back the ghost of Franco in many people’s minds. The Principality has suffered too many periods of repression at the hands of the Spanish for the Catalans to ever completely trust Madrid.

It was a dreary day and the banks of the Ebro were close to bursting, so the effect of this river memorial to 35,000 dead in the Civil War was even more sobering.
Catalonia’s independent streak is also justified by more than 2,000 years of history. When the Romans came to the peninsula, more than 200 years before Christ, they divided their newly-conquered territory into two; Hispania Citerior, which roughly corresponded to modern Catalonia, and Hispania Ulterior, the rest of the peninsula. Tarraco, present-day Tarragona, was the capital of Roman Hispania and when Emperor Augustus made the city his home in 26 BC, it was briefly the capital of the whole of the Roman Empire.

FOUR FINGERS OF BLOOD

Legend has it that whilst still a vassal of the Carolingian emperor, Guifré el Pelós (Wilfred the Hairy) Count of Barcelona was wounded in battle against the Moors. The appropriately named Frankish king, Charles the Bald, realised that without their leader the Catalan troops would be much less motivated on the following day. He grabbed a golden shield, plun