Sunday 18 February 2018

New Year's High

Welcome back!
Sabadell City Hall.
The Church of Sant Felix in Sabadell.
So I know I'm writing this a little late - it's now February! Things have been very busy since the move back, finding work and a place to live - both of which are now well and truly sorted and going well. It hasn't been hard adjusting to real life here in Catalonia after South Africa, I have friends here (that I count as family) that have made that transition much easier. Strangely, my body took a bit of time getting used to the food again. Traditional Zulu food really agreed with me and having 'Western' food after so long was a slight shock to the system! The weather was a bit of a shock too - although Winter time in Barcelona is very mild, the South African Summer is very, very warm! The day I left was 40c, arriving in Barcelona to a chilly 15c or so. I have been lucky with the flat and job though - December isn't the best time to be looking for either of those things! English teaching jobs open in August and the start of September, rooms are normally taken by September too as the students have gone back to University and are all sorted. All that aside, the first month back here has been great. Although it was a big change going from baking heat on my last day in SA to Winter here in Barcelona, and although it's not as bad as Central Europe, the temperature has already dipped below 0c in some cities and snow is here and there too. I love mountains and the snow, a little less the cold weather but I enjoy 'dressing up' for it - gloves, scarf and multiple jackets to head out. I was also looking forward to being in Sabadell again - a city I am truly starting to feel at home in. A good-sized city with all the amenities you need, work, places to go out or go shopping, friends, transport, close to Barcelona and more importantly, the mountains and Great Outdoors. What more could you want?


Adventure this way - the start of the Via Ferrata Cinglera del Resistent.
Your life-line on the climb... and the view!
My friend Carles doing the 'ceiling.'
Hanging in there.
One of the first things I did after getting back was to get together with my friends and have a few beers and tapas. The great Spanish tradition of beers, food and friends - nothing like it. Although the word 'tapa' means 'lid,' meant to stop people from getting too drunk as they eat a small snack with every beer served, tapas just makes me want to drink more and so doesn't quite work. Nothing wrong with being a little tipsy - and I don't think a tapa has been invented yet that can stave off the effects of a large Gin and Tonic! Going out and having a few is all well and good, but what I really needed was some mountain time! Three of us heading off on a sunny Saturday to go and do a Via Ferrata - oh how I'd missed this! I had actually packed my climbing gear and taken it all the way to SA, but never had the opportunity to use it. The one we chose was close to where we all live, and although we'd done it before, this particular course has multiple options, making it different every time and also harder if you want. We got in the car, not starting out too early, but not too late either as it's dark by 5:30 here now, and drove to the village of Castellbell i Villar. This ferrata, the La Cinglera del Resistent, is actually rated at a K6, the hardest rating for these courses. The day was warm (for December) and we started out very excited - a chance to revisit a climb that we did back in Summer. The views offered by this Ferrata are amazing - you hang off the side of the rock, over the Llobregat River and the town, with the Holy Mountain of Montserrat always in view. The combination of exercise, sun and a breathtaking view is priceless! Last time I was here I did to 'the ceiling,' a 90 degree part of the climb that is extremely tough - the K6 part. There are two of these hard climbs and last time I managed one, but was too tired to do the second climb straight after. This time I completed the second one and I couldn't be prouder of myself! It was very hard on my arms, which were shaking in parts, as well as your legs and your mind as well - you have to think and plan where everything is going, where to hold on to, when to un-clip and re-clip onto the safety line. A complete workout!

The town of Castellbell i Villar - the starting point of the Via Ferrata.
It's starting to look a like (Catalan) Christmas!
Very political at the moment.
The referendum for independence.
Just before New Year's Eve, I made a trip by train to the northern Catalan city of Vic. Again, I'd been here before, but that can make it better sometimes - visit places you missed last time, see your favourite things again and of course, see everything in a different season. It's also a wonderful city, famous for it's spiced salami called Fuet. The train is a lovely way to see any country in my opinion - it's relatively cheap, good for the environment, as well as letting you see a whole different perspective on the landscape without having to worry about fuel, parking or even concentrating! It was so good that I even had a little sleep on the train. While I'd been away in South Africa, a lot had happened here in Catalunya - mainly the big referendum for independence. The Catalans have been pushing this issue for years, ever since I arrived in 2007, but it has really come to a head this year. The parliament organised the referendum and it went ahead, against the Spanish government's wishes, and was met with a lot of resistance from the National Police and right-wing nationalists - polling booths were broken into and votes confiscated, police used their force to remove people from stations and stop them from voting... all at the command of Madrid. This is a big issue, the country has been arguing about it for so very long, and one I won't say too much about anymore as I'm tired of the whole thing... that and the internet is not the place to put your political views out there, unless you want to start more arguing. Vic, a city that is very Catalan, were displaying their point of view and perspective of the whole issue, in a peaceful and correct way. The main square in the city, Plaça Major, was decorated with a huge Christmas tree in celebration of the season, but instead of a star or angel topping the pine, a large, yellow ribbon was adorning the prized position. What does this mean you ask? It is the way the Catalans are showing their support for the politicians who have been locked up after the referendum (which was illegal and against the Constitution according to Madrid) and also showing their distaste for the way the whole thing was handled by the Spanish Government. Also on show around the plaça, on nearly every building, were posters with messages on them: "democracy for Catalonia," "freedom for the political prisoners," and so forth. I agree on these things - democracy for the country and political leaders should not be in prison for holding a referendum for their constituents who wanted it. A country should be for the people - politicians should be dancing to our tune, not the other way round.

Freedom for political prisoners.
Plaça Mayor decorated for Christmas - but there's not star on the tree this year.
Pedraforca at sunrise.
A touch of snow on the trail.
New Year's Eve was fast approaching and like everyone else, I was thinking of what to do to make it a special day. There are friends to consider, who you want to spend the evening with, places to go, money, bookings and tickets, crowds, parking, getting home after... but these are for people who venture into the city, drive to some 'special' restaurant or club for the night, pay huge amounts of money for something that won't be that special in the end, just busy and expensive. No problem for me - to the mountains it was! Organised with friends, a group of around 20 people would be heading into the mountains and staying in a refuge near Pedraforca. The last time I was here at this amazingly beautiful, yet daunting peak, was back in July when I scaled the smaller of the two peaks, the Pollegó Inferior (2,448m). This time it would be hike to the Pollegó Superior (2,506m), an easier hike and no climbing involved. Half of the troupe were coming later, the 'young' ones would be climbing to the top on the last day of the year. I joke about the young part, as apart from the two teens that came with us, I was the the second youngest at 37, the youngest, a good friend of mine, a mere baby at 32. The climb itself wasn't that difficult I must say, I've done harder and longer. Within 2 hours we were right up there, the top, the peak, the highest point for miles and miles - what a feeling! It was terribly windy, the temperature dropped dramatically due to windchill, but the brain was keeping all that at bay with it's flow of endorphins.  We stayed at the top with just enough time to enjoy the view a little, take some pics and have a snack before making the descent. After this huge effort, we headed back to the hostal for beers in front of an open fire and a siesta. The life!


Pedraforca at the 'golden hour.'

A beautiful view of Montserrat from Pedraforca.

The start of the walk to the top - the village of Gósol.
The crew of Pedraforce '17.
The night's festivities started just before dinner time, as there were many kids and they wanted to be entertained - no Wifi at the hostel and no TV either. To be fair, the kids were great - not glued to their phones (much), but enjoying being where they were and keeping themselves busy and entertained for the most part. Dinner was served for the whole band and it was lovely! There was wine to go around, plenty of bread and even fuet and olives - even as a treat for dessert, traditional Turrons were served. These 'turrons' vary in what they actually are, but they are basically a bar of either some form of chocolate or roasted nuts with honey and sugar, even some more fancy ones like Crema Catalana (crème brulée) or even Gin and Tonic flavour. They are only available at Christmas time, so I always stock up to keep me going throughout the year - I adore them! I'm not much of a fan of New Years celebrations to be honest - I even cheated the Catalan tradition of eating 12 grapes with the 12 strokes of the clock at midnight by bringing a pack of 12 grape-shaped sweets. This one was a good one though - a room full of friends, some only new, others as good as family, all spending time together. This is what life is about, this is what we need to live for, not money, a promotion, a better car, but people, relationships and good times with good people. I may be poor in my pocket but I'm a millionaire in my heart.

The team!

A truly magical mountain - one of my favourites in the World.



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