Summer in Plaza Corona

It's almost lunch time here. But people are feeling lazy. Summer is truly here. Flies are dancing in the air. It's also market day in Granollers, so there are many more people on the street. There's a breeze, but it's warm.
 I came out to drink Tiger's Nut milk (orxata) but felt so lazy I decided to take a boost of caffeine instead. I'm cleaning the apartment and preparing for our month long road trip to Norway. We leave on Sunday. I can't afford to be lazy this afternoon.
 I'm also strongly aware that when we return it will be to the Festa Major. A week long (loud) party centred 50 metres from our building block.
And my brother arrives. It will be his first visit to Granollers.
Ah, the cafe amb llet is kicking in. It was my emergency coffee for work purposes! Is it me, or is everyone suddenly walking faster?
 Oh, and remember, the sales start here twice a year. The 7th of January and the 1st of July. So if you plan to come for shopping, those are the best days.
My friend Kate said she was feeling in love with this place lately. I guess it's contagious. Arrogant women, lazy appreciative men, hot sun, lots of bars with terraces, people milling about. It's not the Spain of the south, as I have read about, but it's plenty for me.

Top 4 Coffees in Granollers

• I love the coffee in Delicious Pa, opposite the bingo on Girona street. 
• The coffee in Veritas is also excellent, on Joan Prim. It gets extra points because of the warm smile by the excellently named 'Mama Jesus'. 
• I especially like the coffee in the bakery in the Church square and I've recently discovered their excellent apple pie with a thin layer of custard. 
• Finally I also recommend the coffee in the bus station, the Caffe di Roma I think it's called. They've got lovely surprise coffees and can do the simple coffees with as much pride. 

I should mention that I don't like bitter coffee. I prefer smooth and round flavours. If you have a good suggestion for trying another bar, I'd love to hear from you.

You might also like to take a peek at  My Mid Morning Break

My Work?

These days of fine weather I've been having my English conversation classes outside on a terrace. It really doesn't feel like work at all. More like I'm working on my tan. Well, it's hard, but someone has to do it.

Coffee at Veritas

It's surprisingly good. Does that mean I've blown my diet? What if I said it's decaf, organic and soy? Not that it is. That would ruin the point of coffee completely.

Bikini Season Farewells

I guess it's no surprise to you, but I like to eat pastries. You can see cheese cake above. I finally had to admit to myself that the 2 or 3 stops at the bakery a week was more like 5 or 6 and I truly couldn't fit into my old white pants all of last year- so, hence the running and the liver cleanse diet. I'm down to 53 kilos and still have 2 to lose before I'm at my optimal weight. It's going well. But its also time to say goodbye to my sweets. Though I'm sure we'll meet again, just not so frequently.

Friday Morning Pastries

So this morning we sat in the sun and had our coffee. Lovely weather. Fair Sarah even caught some rays on her face.

Beers 'n' Barça in a Bar

What more could you ask for on your first night in Catalonia?

Jett's Way of Filling His Bottle of Water

If this doesn't prove he's has Norwegian blood, I don't know what will. Dripping ice?

Typical Pre-Dinner Snacks (Appetisers)

Today is the last evening of my beach paradise holiday. The weather has been perfect. Here, Albert and I are snacking on sea salt potato chips, olives and sipping martini. Cheers from canyelles cove.

My Mid Morning Break

Across the road, I sometimes stop by for a chocolate stick. And coffee with milk. 

This little lovely is a chocolate xuxu - and is really wonderful!!! I have to have two coffees with this one. 

One of my favourite cakes is this ensaimada, with custard. I love the burnt sugar taste. And its SO soft!

We were told, 40 days ago, that we had to eat a lot one day - for Fat Thursday or Fat Tuesday?, so we said ok... and we ate as much as we could. I love Catalonia. 

Who says I don't study Catalan? I do it the best way possible, by living the traditions of the second breakfast: pastry and coffee. Of course. 

Happy New Year for 2010!!

Its time to say goodbye to 2009 (two thousand and nine) and greet the new year with a big smile of welcome.

At this time of year, many of us spend time remembering the past and promising ourselves not to make the same mistakes for the new year.  We make lists of things we’d like to do, and bad habits we’d like to give up.

In this last year I moved to Granollers from Australia. Its been a year of change, acceptance and adaptation.  In 2009 I’ve begun to learn a new language and discover a new culture while making new friends and exploring a new landscape.

I’ve lived through my first hot granite summer in Granollers, my first St John day (St Joan), my first festa major, my discovery of noisy fire crackers and the devils running through the streets, my first dolmen, the Caganer, the Caga Tio, and soon my first experience of the three kings. I’ve been to the Montsegn in the Autumn, to Montserrat to pay my respects to our lady  the Black Virgin, to the Costa Brava for relief from the sun,  to Tarragona to see the statue of the human castles. And that is just my first 6 months here.

Its time to begin to cast our eyes into the future. To receive my first rose for St George’s Day (St Jordi), to see the spring sunshine begin to warm the city faces of  Granollerians, to discover a new host of fairs and festivals celebrating the history of the area.

My friends and family ask me if I am happy here. I must admit that its difficult sometimes. And yet, yes, I say, I’m happy here. Many people are warm and generous and I love the food.

I like to walk the streets in the middle of the day, when its quiet and there is little traffic on the roads. I like to sit and think of all the people that have passed through these streets on their way to and from Barcelona.  The history of the town walls impresses me every time I think about it. Europeans have only been in Australia for little over 200 years, so our history is really quite different.

Yes, I say, I am happy here. So, in typical Aussie fashion, let me raise my cold beer (its summer back home you know) and say ‘three cheers for the new year’. Wishing you all a happy new year for 2010.

Originally published in Revista del Valles. 

Cold or Natural?

Jett asked for apple juice today in a café, and the waiter asked him if he wanted it cold, or natural.

It’s the first time I’ve heard this.

It seems that some people buy drinks at room temperature. As Albert said, ‘some people don’t like cold drinks.’

No comment.

Kettle?

There are no kettles in Catalonia. I don’t know about the rest of Spain, or how far the denial of kettles pervades the surrounding areas, but here at least, they don’t have them.

I’m a traditional tea drinker and put the kettle on a minimum of three times a day and it sits, pride of place, on the kitchen bench. I will not relinquish my hold on the kettle.

Here, they drink coffee, and if they need to boil water for any reason, they put it in a saucepan. I feel like pointing out, as the word suggests, that the SAUCE pan is for sauces, but that would be juvenile and being mature as I am, I can resist petty insults that don’t bear up to much scrutiny.

My kettle came into Catalonia via Albert. After he’d travelled to Norway, he thought that a kettle would enhance his mother’s kitchen. Montse eyed the contraption suspiciously and promptly demoted it to the dark recesses of the cupboard that one can not reach. That was three years ago.
When we arrived last week, the kitchen was fitted with the kettle.

Unfortunately, the kettle is more for show than for use. It takes about five minutes to boil two cups of water. After the luxury of the one minute boil kettles I’ve been used to, this slow ‘Mañana, Mañana' kettle is forcing me to take a local pace indeed.

Long Live the Kettle!

Polly put the kettle on, kettle on, kettle on
Polly put the kettle on, let’s all have tea.
Sukie took it off again, off again, off again.
Sukie took it off again, they’ve all gone away.