Feasts, Baracas and the simple life...

Last Wednesday was FIESTA time here (so was last Monday, but that was Constitution Day, Wednesday was religious, celebrating the Immaculate Conception). Unexpectedly, I was invited by local friends to join them at their “Baraca” for lunch. Over the time I have lived here, I have tried to determine the true meaning of “Baraca” as this is not the first time I have been invited to such a location. Originally, it seems, the word “baraca” meant a hunting lodge, situated outside a village or town, where men would meet to enjoy the cooking and savouring of the game they had caught. Also, much drinking of locally brewed beer and wine carried on and no doubt they told many ribald jokes, entirely unsuitable for ladies who were not present at these festivities.



These days things have changed. A “baraca” is now the term for a basic building, out of town, on an allotment, in the countryside or anywhere in which the family get together for fiestas, birthdays or any occasion to be celebrated. It must be said that some “baracas” are rather grandiose affairs, with electricity, gas, loos and even bedrooms and bathrooms. Others, like the one I visited on Wednesday are simple constructions, in this case, 2 rooms at one end of a large allotment, one with a an open fire on which our sausages were cooked, the other without heating or electricity where we sat around a large table groaning with food brought in from my hosts' home. The weather was particularly kind that day, the temperature reaching 16º at its height and the sun pouring into our eating area – just as well, or it would have been very very cold in there! The delicious lunch comprised an apple & tuna salad, numerous and varied types of sausage and chorizo, avocado, a wonderful bread with the typical Spanish tomato spread on it, pork patties fried in breadcrumbs (taught to my hostess by her German friends), and best of all for my taste, a very hot and spicy home-made Romesco sauce (tomatoes, mayonnaise, herbs, chili and spices). The remains are currently in my fridge! Plenty of fresh fruit for dessert and a special cake with almonds and marzipan which is eaten at this time of the year. This was indeed a true feast.

The sun was still shining into the baraca after we had washed up and stored the plates, so we sat down to a game of dominoes, followed by a Spanish card game I had to learn called “La Brisa” which was great fun and I seemed to have beginners' luck as I won each time! It occurred to me that, fundamentally, we are all much the same, wherever we live and whatever language we speak – a good meal with family and friends, a game of cards, laughter is to be enjoyed anywhere, even in a basic shed with a tin roof lit by the sun on a Wednesday in December. Perhaps in these days of ultra consumerism, we should try to spend more time enjoying the simpler things and remember that the secret of such enjoyment is sharing whatever we have with those we love.

On Thursday, at last, the shops began to decorate their windows in a Christmas style. Unlike in the UK, they generally wait until after 8 December (Immaculate Conception) to bring out the trees, baubles and glitter, but it is not overdone here in any way, Each town and village has Christmas lights but there is not that frantic pre-Christmas bustle in Spain. Traditionally, the children do not get their presents until 6 January (Tres Reis - 3 kings), but with the pressure of TV advertising and customs learnt from immigrants, some do now receive a present on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is very much a family day here as it is in the UK, and they celebrate the 26th December too, St. Estephan (St Stephen's Day). Christmas Carols, roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes are an essential part of Christmas in Catalunya as in other parts of Spain and I really have the feeling that it is still a religious-cum-family celebration here, not totally overwhelmed by commercialisation, at least for the time being.

Sally

The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Spainbuyingguide.com

Spanish Laws...are they loco?

Every country has its peculiarities, especially legal ones. Spain has a cluster all of its own, so it is vitally important that you check and if necessary, re-check laws that may affect you if you come to live here permanently or just own a second home somewhere on the Spanish peninsular.

This week, a woman from Galicia, north-west Spain, has legally registered herself as the owner of the SUN. This was done under Spanish Law at a notary's office. She now intends to “charge” us all for the use of the SUN and says she will give the larger part of her new-found income to the government to help with the current economic crisis, some to stall the reduction of pensions and 10% she will keep for herself. Now..just imagine if she “charged” us all a nominal 1€ a month: that would 40,000,000€ each and every 4 weeks rolling into her coffers. Any government would be happy to have a large part of that income without having to do anything for it.

This brings me to yet another thought: that all governments are constantly finding ways of increasing their income for virtually no effort on their part which, I suspect, is why the government of Catalunya has recently passed a law concerning everyone who wishes to rent out a property for 3 months or less, i.e. to tourists. It is now necessary to obtain a licence to rent out your property for tourism and you need to go in person to the Ajuntament (Town Hall) to obtain it. Fees and requirements have been left up to each individual Ajunatment. The property owner will also be responsible for any problems caused by their holiday-let tenants and fines for failing to obtain the licence are expected to be very high.

You should not be put off the idea of renting out your property as it can still be very lucrative, especially from mid-June to mid-September. I suspect that landlords will try to put up their rental prices to cover the extra costs involved in getting the licence, but this may not be wise just at the moment when money is tight and the holiday rental market is extremely competitive. Good properties, though, near beaches or other leisure attractions always find holidaymakers to fill them.

I have a pretty 2 bedroom apartment in lovely seaside town to the south of Girona. Until now, I have let it out on a long-term rental but since my last tenants left without paying several months' rent, I will relaunch it for holiday lets from next Easter. I will now have to negotiate the new licence law in that particular town, so will be able to tell you more about what it involves as time goes by. I already have the “Cèdula d'Habitabilitat”, a certificate of habitability from the Generalitat of Catalunya (Catalan Government), which you need this for either long or short term lets. It is one of the “good” requirements as you only receive it once the property has been declared in good order and fit for habitation, which is necessary for everyone's peace of mind.

It is also possible that this new “Law” may not in fact be implemented. There were elections on Sunday for the Generalitat (government of Catalunya) and the balance of power has swung away from the ruling party. It may well be that, with hindsight, they decide that this licensing law will be detrimental to the tourist industry here and therefore “put it to one side”. Is that not Loco?

Sally
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.spainbuyingguide.com/

The joys of Spanish trains

I went to Barcelona on Friday to meet a friend for lunch, visit a wholesale jewellery company and to collect my new glasses. All this in 4.5 hours. I am lucky as every time I go there the sun shines and as I walk the streets of this lovely, vibrant city, the sun catches a Gothic window, the side of a contemporary office block, a statue or shop front and lights them up like Christmas tree lights.

Being the capital city of Catalunya, Barcelona is steeped in history, old and not so old, as the Summer Olympic Games were held there in 1992 and an entirely new “Olympic village” was constructed by the sea. That was probably the year in which the World discovered Barcelona, now one of Europe's top tourist destinations.

For those of us who live within reach of the city, it is much more than just a sightseeing destination, as Barcelona can happily compete with London or Paris for wonderful shops, great little restaurants, a fantastic daily covered market (La Boqueria), opera, concerts and musicals. It is about a 90 min drive from where I live but I usually take the train. The MD (media distancia) fast train goes from Figueres near the French border right to the heart of Barcelona and there are several stations on the way where we can board. I usually drive 35 minutes to Caldes de Malavella which lies to the south and so nearer to my destination. Others catch the train at Flaça which is a shorter run but the train journey is rather longer. RENFE is the Spanish Rail Network. The MD trains are clean, modern and fast. Generally speaking trains arrive according to the timetable but the stations vary with regard to comfort. There is usually free parking by the station, so I leave the car there not worried about how much the parking will cost if I delay my return by another hour. The station at Caldes has recently been renovated externally and internally and is actually a beautiful building with wonderful Art Nouveau tiles in the foyer. Of course you can get to Barcelona by train from all directions and with equally good services. The AVE trains are hi-tec, super fast long distance trains, from Madrid to Barcelona taking just 2hrs 30 minutes.

When I go over to the UK and travel by train, I am truly shocked at the ticket prices. Here in Spain, train travel is much cheaper for everyone. There are various cards one can buy which give large discounts, one especially good one, the DORADA (gold) card, is for people over 60 and gives a 40% discount on MD trains & 25%-40% on AVE trains. The DORADA card is purchased annually at a current cost of 5.10€ !!

So on Friday, I took the train to the centre of Barcelona, the Passieg de Gracia, where I met my friend & we went to the jewellery company she works for. I couldn't resist a pair of earrings sold to me at cost price. We then collected my new glasses (much cheaper in Barcelona than in the smaller towns) and set off for lunch. There is such an amazing choice of eateries, but we decided to return to one of our favourites, on the Passeig de Gracia itself, so near the train station. Housed on the first floor above a good Tapas bar, is Restaurant Citrus, a contemporary space where one is never too close to anyone else. They do not have a Menù del Dia, but the prices of the dishes are reasonable and the cuisine which is modern catalan, is excellent. Drinks are a bit pricey, but then you are right in one of the smartest parts of Barcelona. Just time to savour my lunch before strolling to the station and a one hour train journey back to Caldes. I was home by 6.25 pm having had a great day out.

Sally
The Overseas Guides Company

http://www.spainbuyingguide.com/