Winter 2015: Holidays & Birthdays

This winter was full of family! We visited Seattle for Christmas, my mom's birthday and New Year's. When we returned to Catalonia in January, we met our new niece Mey. She is a wonderful gift for our family. We celebrated many, many birthdays between December - March: Kilian's mom, my mom, Mey's birth, Kilian's grandma, Kilian's grandpa celebrated his 80th with a big bash, cousin Nabil and cousin Leila, one of the little cousin's and Kilian's sister Alba, Kilian's uncle, and my birthday (and I hope I am not missing any). Here are some photos from this season.

first time in the snow

first time in the snow

playing with the cat

Christmas 2014

My mom's birthday surprise

eating with the help of Aunt Peggy

My birthday cake - we forgot to buy candles

Palau de la Musica Catalana

Palau de la Musica Catalana

Palau de la Musica Catalana

Nabil's birthday

cousins!

Mey asleep on her mama

Loving the monkey

Alba's birthday

It snowed in Terrassa in February

Eating a yellow plum at the park

Arnau's birthday

Playing the piano

Loving the goats at the zoo

Lluis' 80th birthday

the new addition to our family: Mey

4 Months & Finding A Home

We are back in Catalonia after a nice month in the United States. Roc has just turned four months old and we are actively looking for a home for our little family.

Yay! I'm four months.

You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find a place here. Three of our biggest challenges are that Kilian works full-time, we are an hour car ride from where we want to live and we don't have a car (or driver's license). Translation: we are dependent on someone to drive us outside of Kilian's working hours – not exactly the winning combination if you are seriously intent on finding a place. Kilian took two days off last week and we saw a number of places, but none of them were quite right.

So we are back to the drawing board, searching for other options and contacting more companies. Hopefully we can schedule another round of visits and be in a new place soon.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

My hands are tasty!

Meanwhile, Roc is growing up quickly (no surprise there). His hand-eye coordination is improving daily which means he can really get his hands and toys and my hair to his mouth quite easily. And his mouth is his everything at the moment.

The cloth diapers are so thick that he cries every time he is on his tummy (they must put too much pressure). We used disposable diapers while we traveled and found that because they are much thinner, he didn't mind tummy time. As a result, he is getting very strong, enjoying it and can almost roll over completely.

fascinated with grandpa's guitar playing

Roc has a vibrant personality. He knows what he wants, what he likes and dislikes. He loves music; it is an instant calming silencer when he is nervous, tired or upset. He has even started "playing" the piano. He likes to be held so that his feet touch the ground and he can look around.

In the last month he started losing some of his newborn hair. His new frock is quite humorous. Short on one side, long and curly on the other. He has got a little fistful front and center, and a lot back and bottom. He weighs around 17 lbs (or 7.9 kg) give or take the weight of his clothes & diaper; he has more than doubled his birth weight. We will have the official weight at our check up this week.

ready for the Super Bowl

He is very interactive and is learning how to communicate using sounds so we are having a lot more fun together. He has different sounds for different uses (I'm sure this is true for all babies). He loves interacting with people and smiling. He even laughs sometimes, which, of course, is so cute.

He is able to entertain himself a bit which means I can make food, fold laundry, use the computer while he is in his bouncy chair. This is very helpful for me as soon I will be managing my own household and will have a lot more work to do while educating Roc.

It is really an exciting time for our family and we are enjoying this time with Roc.

Xocolata Amb Xurros (Chocolate with Churros)

Kilian and I went out for the most sugar-filled breakfast imaginable: xocolata amb xurros.

Xurros with lots of sugar!

When the weather turns to autumn, xurro trucks, xurrerias, begin to pop up in different places around Catalonia. These trucks serve freshly deep-fried xurros, which are different from porras, which the Catalans seem to love (according to Wikipedia, this is most popular in Spain and Italy).

Xurreria at night, courtesy of Flickr

The first time I heard about churros was in my middle school Spanish class where we learned about "Mexican" food, including churros. We had a celebration where we could try these desserts, along with a variety of other typical eats. Those churros from the States are not the xurros of Catalonia. These ones are markedly softer, served fresh and warm with hot xocolata desfeta (melted chocolate), a very dense, dark, rich hot chocolate beverage.

As I mentioned before, this meal is served at breakfast. I'm not sure I would call it a meal; to me it is more like a dessert. But this is typical here and when in Catalonia, do as the Catalans do, or so they say.

Xurros are the small and thin ones. Photo from: CocinaRecetas)

Having tried xurros from different places, I find that there can be a huge difference in taste and texture depending on a number of factors including how long they are fried for, the dough, and the amount of oil/sugar ratio when served. For me, overly oily xurros are too much for my stomach to bear for very long.

The type of xocolata also makes a difference. Since there are both milk chocolate and dark chocolate variations of xocolata desfeta, this contributes to the richness of the meal, as well as the consistency of the xocolata desfeta. A more liquid xocolata will go much further than the thick, pudding-like kind which is heavy in and of itself but a very rich dark chocolate won't make it as long (for me and my tummy) as a less intense milk chocolate.

Milk chocolate (left), xurros, dark chocolate (right)

This combination is very heavy and sweet; not for the faint of stomach. Eaten with moderation, it makes for a quite delicious breakfast or afternoon snack.

The Castanyada: a Catalan alternative to Halloween

Every year on the eve of All Saints Day, which happens to also be Halloween for America, Catalans celebrate the "Castanyada," a dinner of sweet potatoes, roasted castanyes (chestnuts) from which the word "castanyada" is derived and panellets (almond-based cookies). It is traditionally served with a special wine. This Catalan holiday differs from many others in that it is celebrated in the home with family over dinner rather than in the streets with music, dance and other activities.

Sweet potatoes, chestnuts and panellets

Enjoying the Castanyada dinner with family

A large selection of panellets.

During this time of the year, walking through Barcelona and surrounding towns, one will find street vendors roasting chestnuts and sweet potatoes where long cues form to get their hands on these sweet and healthy treats. Since the weather drops quite a bit at this time of year, it is a real delight to warm up the body with these piping hot, freshly-roasted snacks.

Anyone in the mood for chestnuts? Photo credit: Barcelona Street Times

The traditional figure from this holiday is the castanyera (the chestnut-roaster), depicted by the image of an old woman in a skirt with apron and a headscarf, bent over a grill. This image is part of the collective memory of the origins of the Castanyada and has been immortalized in popular children's songs as well as through drawings and stories.

Photo credit: L'Elefant Tropeta

El Vendrell's Antique Market

About once a month, El Vendrell's Rambla converts into an outdoor antique market. From coins, records, and posters to old books, decorative items and jewelry, there is plenty to sort through on a relaxed Saturday morning.

Museu Vil·la Casals - Museum on the life of Pau Casals

Pau Casals (photo credit from Fundacio Pau Casals)

On September 11th, Catalan National Day, we went to visit the Museum Vil·la Casals which is located on the beach a few minutes from El Vendrell. The Museum is situated in a former of home of Pau Casals, one of the most well-known and respected cellists and composers of recent history.

He is Catalan and was born in El Vendrell in a home near the Placa Nova at the center of town, which can also be visited. He is especially noted for transforming the way cello is played, for his commitment to peace and non-involvement in politics, and composing a song which became the anthem for the United Nations.

Although he passed away in Puerto Rico, his remains have been returned to El Vendrell, where he is buried. On Catalan National Day, one of the cultural activities listed in El Vendrell's event calendar, was paying respects to his resting place and leaving flowers.

A visit to the Museum Vil·la Casals will provide you with an overview of his life, which is done via audio/video presentations in each room in conjunction with artifacts preserved from his life. The home itself is located on the Mediterranean Sea and contains beautiful gardens and sculptures. It is not a large museum but well worth the visit if you are interested in history, music and culture.

Museu Vil·la Casals (photo credit: National Geographic)