Spain

Pavlova Catalana

Have you been invited to a friend’s Saturday BBQ in Catalonia, and want to bring that most iconic of Australian desserts, the pavlova? Never actually cooked pavlova before, not even with the help of your mum? Never fear! Simply follow these easy steps…

Calçots, calçots, calçots!

(To the tune of the Barça FC anthem) As I’ve mentioned before, calçots are one of the true seasonal delights of living in this part of the world. If the winter sun is shining, then I can’t think of a better to spend your Saturday afternoon than gorging yourself on these sweet oniony treats atContinue reading “Calçots, calçots, calçots!”

The week our visas expired

As I have alluded to in the past, the process of obtaining our visas to come to Tortosa was an incredible comedy of administrative hell. The twists and turns, the soaring highs and bone-crushing lows, were nothing short of a Game of Thrones saga (although obviously without quite so much blood).

The week of contrasts

This week has been somewhat of a come down after three jam-packed weeks of visitors and weekends away. We have been so lucky to have many friends and family visit from Australia, and our little apartment and day-to-day lives seem a bit quiet and dull now that they have gone. Quiet is not always bad.Continue reading “The week of contrasts”

The week for a weekend in Barcelona

There’s something magical about Barca. The narrow streets of the old town, the wide avenues of the Eixample district, the sunshine, the palm trees, the curved buildings, the people. Perhaps we are simply Melbourne folk, starved for urbanisation here in Tortosa, but every time I visit Catalonia’s capital I fall in love with it aContinue reading “The week for a weekend in Barcelona”

The week of Festes de la Cinta

“What?!”, I can hear you spluttering at your screen. “Another festival? Is she serious? Surely after Sant Jordi, Sant Joan, Benicàssim, the Three Kings and the Renaixement Festival that is enough, at least for a little while. Do some work for goodness sake!” That’s what I thought too. And believe me, I am trying toContinue reading “The week of Festes de la Cinta”

The week of Benicàssim

Tuesday last week Before we left Australia, a friend of a friend squealed when I told her we were moving to the south of Catalonia. ‘Oh, near Tarragona? You really should to go to Benicàssim!’ FIB, Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, is a music festival in the coastal town of, you guessed it, Benicàssim, about anContinue reading “The week of Benicàssim”

The week it was hot

And continued to be hot. And still is hot. Wearing bathers around the house, sleeping in the living room under the fan, covering windows with wet towels, giving up on the balcony plants, staying at work until late because that’s where the AC is, eating watermelon for dinner kind of hot. A heatwave is currentlyContinue reading “The week it was hot”

The week of Sant Joan

This week brought with it a delightful mid-week fiesta, the day of Sant Joan. The Catalan holiday combines a celebration for the summer solstice with a day commemorating the birth of Saint John the Baptist. If you are a boy lucky enough to be called Joan, then June 24 is your name day — like a second birthday, complete with gifts,Continue reading “The week of Sant Joan”

The week I wrote about science instead

One of the reasons I started this blog was to share my experiences of living and working in Spain, hoping to fill the gap that I discovered when frantically Googling ‘how to live in Spain as an Australian’ before we left home. I enjoy sharing what we see, what we eat, and where we discoverContinue reading “The week I wrote about science instead”