A Cyber Walk In Granollers

Today I thought I´d take you for a quick walk in Granollers to my favourite coffee shop/bakery.  Let´s go.

 These are the stairs from our apartment. We´re going down.

At the bottom of our building there are two elevators. Sometimes, if I want to get one last look at what I look like before I go out into the world, I open the doors of the elevator and there is a long mirror. Doesn´t show shoes, but I get a more flattering light than the one in my hall.  That´s me today.  (If you want, you can post me a picture of you today and I´ll add it to the blog too, just for fun)

Here´s our entrance. The weather has changed a bit in the last few days.  Today it´s sunny but with a few clouds. About 23 degrees, but cooler in the shade and breeze.  I´m still wearing sandals.

We turn left and that ´s what we see.  The building beside us is a bank with some surprisingly insensitive and politically incorrect advertising considering the  ‘occupy` movement going down.

So we walk to the end of the block (15 steps?) and turn left again. Yes, lots of graffiti here.

Our bins! This is still our block! Come on.

It`s marketday! It´s pretty late (1:30), so people are packing up. I haven`t been to the market for ages.  We have to get across here. Hold on to your bag. Granollers is usually pretty safe, but on market day every one has a better grip on their possessions.

I usually cut down here. There a less people. Especially on market day.

We`re almost there.  Love this old stone work. A student of mine just walked passed.  Smile and wave.

There`s the church! We`re sitting there.

Ferrer! Our coffee shop/bakery.  I think it has one of the best coffees in Granollers.  My sweet tooth has more or less disappeared in the last weeks, but you can order what you like. Today`s on me, so order  anything you like.

It was lovely to see you today! Thanks for joining me. 

This is the first post where I have used my new Toshiba netbook, our lovely fuji camera, my new Motorola flipout and done everything myself! (ok I did call Albert about some small details, but, I did the actual work!)

I´m even going to try to blue tooth this document to my flipout and send it from this coffee shop before I leave.  Am I not totally cool and clever, not to mention modern and dexterous?¿  That is my Spanish keyboard for you!

Hugs all and talk to you soon!


(edit - blog publishing disaster actually occurred but hopefully Albert can help me out with tech details. Learnt a lot though!) 

My Job

I hold English Conversation Classes here in Granollers. I have about 30 students on my e mail list and I see 15 or so a week. I also take yoga and qigong classes.

My Pastry Compromise

Hello Kate! Well, this is the chat we didn't have this week since you were away.
You can see where I am, and I've decided to allow myself a SMALL pastry. Not the normal one.
I went for a 90 minute walk this morning and then 40 mins of asana practice. Now my coffee. It's ok. My body is still recovering from the Montserrat walk. Especially in the supportive tendons in the lower legs. Albert was brave and carried the bag with our things. He's now 32. Suffered no birthday blues. :)
It's seriously hot here. 30 already.
Today I'm taking Jett to the doctors. He's had some troube with his ears for a while and it's time to do something about it.
How's things there? What have you been eating? I've sent a few students your e mail. I've cut back my English classes so I can spend more time with energy healing/qigong/yoga. It means an immediate drop in income, but for me there isn't a choice. It's time. We can talk about it when you get back.
When we were walking to Montserrat I was thinking about the movement into darkness, the womb, the mountain, and the connection between human 'spiritual drive' and the black Madonna and the virgin birth. The new being that arises from the void.
And I was watching The Matrix last night and had the whole latex fantasy as a fashion option for a moment. Luckily it's summer or I might even buy something stupid in a fit of movie madness. :)
I like these slow hot afternoons. I have three classes this afternoon. All lovely people.
Ok then. Got to meet Jett. Let me know all your news! Hug and smile

Happy Birthday Kate!

Love from our lunch table to yours.

Lovely Visit

Today we (Kate and I) were very lucky to receive a visit from Oreneta. We're all fellow bloggers writing about our experiences here in Catalonia. We treated our fair visitor to the sights of Granollers and we ate at one of our favourite restaurants, the Baalbek. Hope to see you again soon!

Welcome Sarah!

Sarah is here safe and sound from Italy. Yay!

Kate's Blog

Hello!

Have met (cyberly) a lovely woman doing almost exactly the same as me. Her name is Kate and this is her blog - check it out! :)

Kate's Blog - The Catalan Way 

Protocol for Casual Meetings in Catalan

There isn't any.

What typically happens in my experience, is that we will be approached in the street by someone I don't know, and that someone will barely look at me, and will talk to my Catalan partner. Then, after 2 -10 minutes of pretending I don't exist, the person leaves, and may or may not throw a glance my way as a 'goodbye'.

The first time this happened, I took it personally. Now I see its just a cultural atrocity, I mean, difference.

In English speaking countries, and I'm going to generalize (forgive me), if I was the person greeted, then it would be my duty to introduce my friend/parter to the other person. Especially after the 2/3 minute mark of conversation. I would feel uncomfortable for my friend, standing silently beside me, not knowing who the other person was.

In Norway, you throw your hand out and say your name. Its that simple. And they are not even that friendly.

I am going to study the situation in more detail and discover a way that is a positive solution to both parties. That is, one that will not offend the reticent Catalan, and will not provoke rudeness in myself.

Photo: Montserrat, the meeting of the elephant and the sphinx, Tiffany Jones

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. 

Christmas In Hamar, Norway December 2009 - Part III

We woke a few days after arriving to 30 cm of snow!

Jett was so happy. They hadn't had much snow before we arrived, so we were lucky. He's wearing my old skiing pants.

These were some beautiful reindeer from Finland sitting in Ingebjorg's shelf.

I took this photo from our window. There are many places with food for birds. I realised just how difficult it is to get a great photos of wild animals.

The middle of Hamar. The main centre where I lived on and off for ten years.

While I was in Norway, I took a few yoga classes at Espern and a yoga workshop. Thank you Grethe  Lillesand, for taking the photos. Thank you for all the participants. I don't know about you, but I had a great time!

It was -25 - and here are the beautiful pictures of the area farmor lives in Ottestad.

This is the same place as the above picture - just warmer weather!

This year, on the strike of 12, we ate grapes (or pieces of mandarin) with each bell toll that heralds in the new year.  They do this here in Spain. Albert really wanted to do it, and it was actually fun.

I had a great visit this time. One of my best, happiest holidays. When I first arrived, it felt honestly like coming home. I don't have a home town. We moved around a lot when I was a child. Hamar is the closest I've got. Seeing friendly faces and hearing the lovely words 'how good to see you' - really - thank you, it lifted my spirits to see all of my friends and family for the holiday season.

Happy New Year for 2010!

Christmas In Hamar, Norway December 2009 - Part II

This is Ottestad Church. People take lights and put them on the graves of loved ones. It was really lovely to see. It was about -8, not too bad, and we could be out for a while. It was really something to see the candles on the graves and so many visiting. I hadn't seen that before.

Ingebjorg and Tiffany.

We ate lasagne and I added the sour cabbage (that sounds disgusting but I like it), potatoes, and salad. Albert made a goat's cheese salad that is my favourite..

The typical Christmas dessert is riscreme (rice cream) and red sauce. Its quite yummy.

Time to start opening the presents. (In Australia we open them on the morning of the 25th)

Ole Jonny and Albert.

Jett loved the job of giving the presents.

Geirmund. Our host.

Jett received Sims III and he was so happy. Just what he wanted.

Jett being doctor Evil. :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!