Catalunya experience

My favourite time of the year is finally coming. There is only three weeks left to Christmas. I am starting looking for Christmas presents for my family and my friends and decorate my home. I have already started singing Christmas songs. One of the most beautiful one is the Catalan carol "Fum, fum, fum"!  "Fum, Fum, Fum" is a traditional Catalan Christmas carol. It was composed probably in the  16th century.  The word fum  means smoke in Catalan, and it refers to the smoke rising from a chimney.  The rhythm of this carol is characteristic of the Catalan sardana dance ( here you can read more about this traditional Catalan dance ).  The English version is not a literal translation but the lyricks is based on the Catalan carol. It was created by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw almost 70 years ago.

The most famous Impressionist paintings were created in the 19th century. We all know the works of Claude Monet or Vincent van Gogh. But did you know that there are a lot of artis who still creat Impressionist art? One of them is the Catalan painter, Josep Bahima. I saw the works of Josep Bahima for the first time in Palau Bofarull in Reus and I fell in love with his art. Josep Bahima lives in Catalunya, in Roquetes. He studied drawing and painting at the Tortosa School of Art Workshop. With a palette of very broad shades, he captures the unique light of the landscapes.  Josep Bahima in his painting shows the beauty of the Catalan nature.  His works are very poetic and simply beautiful.  You can find more painting on his Facebook profile:  Josep Bahima Carles

There are a lot of Catalan fantastic dishes. In this place you can eat really amazing food. One of my favourite one is  fideuà. I fall in love with this  Catalan dish. It tastes even better than paella ;)  Years ago it was a dish   used to feed poor fishermen on board fishing boats as a way of using up the seafood   they didn't sell in the market that day. Nowadays, it is very popular dish in all Catalunya. It is often cooked for special occasions.  Fideuà includes herbs and very esxpensive spices such as saffron and lots of good quality fish. The main ingredients of fi deuà are  short noodles. Normally, it is served with allioli. Believe me, it is soooo delisious!

La castanyada is a Catalan tradition of eating roasted chestnuts. You can buy them everywhere, on every street. R oasted chestnuts are delicious! What's more, you can warm up near the stoves during a cold November evening ;) La castanyada is a Catalan tradition of eating not only roasted chestnuts but also  panallets (Catalan sweets made by marzipan and almonds. You can read more about these sweets in my article about Sweets from Catalunya )   and moniatos (eng. sweet potatos). These delicious snacks very often are washed down with the Catalan sweet wine moscatel . La castanyada takes place in November, especially on the day of the Catalan Saints (1 st November) and the Day of the Dead (2 nd November). 

The lake of Sant Maurici is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. It is situated in The National Park of Aigüestortes in northen Catalonia. I can't imagine a more beautiful place to relax. The National Park of Aigüestortes located in the heart of the Pyrenees is one of the most popular touristic places in Catalonia. The incredible views and very varied flora and fauna make this place unique. In the park there are  nearly 200 mountain lakes. The most beautiful one is the lake of Sant Maurici. Around the lake there are many different routes. During the mountain trip you can meet many wild birds, the wild goat, the capercaillie, the marmot and even the legendary bearded vulture. Bearded vulture

La Senyera is the Catalan flag. It is one of the most important symbols of that autonomous community of Spain. You can see it everywhere when you are in Catalonia, in big cities and in villages. The Catalans are very proud of it. There is also another flag, La Estelada which is a little different from the senyera. The senyera pattern is currently in the flag of four Spanish autonomous communities: Catalonia, Aragon, the Balearic Isles and the Valencian Country and is the flag of the historically Catalan-speaking city of Alghero in Sardinia. The senyera is composed of four longitudinal red and yellow stripes. The difference betwen the senyera and the estelada is that the esteleda has the addition of a five-pointed star in a triangle at the hoist. The estelada is the symbol used by the Catalan independence movement. Two Catalan flags: La Senyera y La Estelada during one of the manifestation in Barcelona before the referendum in 2017 La Senyera and La Estelada hung down in ...

There are a lot of famous Catalan artists. One of them was Pau Casals who was a cellist and a composer. He was not only a great misician, but also a peace activist who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy Pau Casals was born in  El Vendrell (a town located in the province of Tarragona) in 1876.  At first, his father gave him piano, organ and violin lessons. When he was 12 he began to study at the Escola Municipal de Música in Barcelona. He graduated from the Escola with honours five years later. When he was 23 he started his professional career and performed concerts all over the world. Pau Casals was also a teacher and a composer. One of his works is the famous oratorio "El Pessebre" (The Manger), which became a hymn to peace.  The Catalan artist was always a defender of peace and freedom. Pau Casals died in 1973 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Do you know some of Pau Casal's compositions? Whic...