MPC Press International

Today is el día San Jorge here in Barcelona, otherwise known as Diada Sant Jordi (Catalan), or Saint George’s Day.  April 23 is also the cumpleaños of Mom!  Saint George is the patron saint of Catalonia, as well as that of England and certain other locales.  While not a holiday here, the day has been celebrated […]

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A delayed entry…on Feb 24th, we took part in a “Calçotada”, a traditional Catalan event that celebrates the calçot harvest. Our large group of expats met at Can Carbonell, a traditional Catalan restaurant in Collserola Park, not far from Barcelona.  The website calls it a 13th century farmhouse or “masia”. What are calçots? They are a […]

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Soon after our arrival in Barcelona, Ella joined a local futbol club, Maddock Sports.  The team plays year-round.  Soccer in Spain, pretty intense, right?  Not exactly… Ella’s team consisted of about 10 girls including the Nelson sisters (Mia and Ella) from Menlo Park, and Barcelona locals Lisa, Maria, Paula, Alexandra, Pili and Alexia.  The practice fields […]

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One way to learn the geography (and culture) of Spain is to become familiar with the teams in La Liga (Liga Nacional de Fútbol Professional), the Spanish fútbol league.  The Primera División includes 20 teams, with the bottom three annually relegated to the Segunda División.  FC Barcelona and Real Madrid C.F. are the most prominent […]

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Showing up in a town with no hotel reservations can work, but it is probably better to reserve a room(s) if one or more of the following is true: a) you are arriving at 1 a.m.; b) the town is hosting its annual festival; c) it is August and you are in Europe; d) you […]

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