FOR CITY EXPLORERS
VIC
a small city with a cathedral, ROMAN RUINS, and one of the region's biggest markets every Saturday on the main square.
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BESALU
a gorgeous medieval town; great to explore a traditional village, but bring shoes suitable for cobblestones.
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GIRONA
one of Maria’s favourites, the biggest of the three and great for a full day of exploring. Game of Thrones fans, the city was the film set for Braavos and Kings Landing.
FOR NATURE LOVERS
MONTSERRAT
one of the most famous mountains in Catalunya. You can drive to Monistrol de Montserrat and do the 1.5h hike to the top of the mountain. Once at the top, you can take in the views, visit the monastery and enjoy the shops and restaurant. But do not worry, you can also drive to the top if don’t feel like hiking.
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TAVERTET–RUPIT–SALT DE SALLENT
combine a sceanic easy hike with tiny stone walled villages and you have this route. There are a couple of SITES explaining the route HERE
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LES GUILLERIES
a natural park full of trails of all difficulty levels. You can find most hikes HERE. Some of our favourites are the ones that go to Morro de l’Abella or to El Far.
FOR FOOD ADVENTURERS
ON TOP OF THOSE YOU ALREADY KNOW, YOU CANNOT LEAVE CATALUNYA WITHOUT TRYING AT LEAST THREE OF THESE LOCAL SPECIALTIES
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PA AMB TOMÀQUET
(VEGAN) (lit. 'bread with tomato') a classic sourdough bread rubbed with tomato.​
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FUET
(MEAT) (lit. 'whip') a thin, dry-cured, sausage of pork meat. Vic IS *the* place to get it.​
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BOTIFARRA AMB SEQUES
(MEAT) (LIT. 'BIG SAUSAGE with WHITE BEANS') SIMPLE, BUT EFFECTIVE. MAKE SURE TO ASK FOR ALLIOLI WITH IT.
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ESCALIVADA
(vegan) (LIT. 'grilled in embers') smoked roasted red peppers, AUBERGINE and onion, in olive oil.
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ESPINACS AMB PANSES I PINYONS
(vegan) (SPINACH WITH RAISINS AND PINE NUTS) another simple, but effective dish.
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MEL I MATÓ
(vegetarian) (LIT. HONEY AND MATO FRESH CHEESE) ideal for those with always space for dessert. Originally made in Montserrat, now you can find matÓ almost everywhere in Catalunya.
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CREMA CATALANA
(vegetarian) (LIT. CATALAN CREAM) creamy custard with a thin crust of burnt sugar. Some may say it's the same as crème brulée, but never say that to a Catalan!
FOR THE PARCHED
CATALUNYA IS WELL KNOWN FOR ITS WINES, HERE'S A COUPLE OF RECOMMENDATIONS OF DIFFERENT DRINKS TO TRY
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PLA DE BAGES, PENEDES, CAVA
there are a number of great vinyards around the area, and if you get the chance we'd recommend trying some out.
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RATAFIA
A TRADITIONAL HOME-MADE LIQuor made from a long list of herbs found around the local area. maria's home town is the epicentre and host of the annual ratafia competition. you won't often see it in barcelona, but out in the sticks this is a favourite. don't tell the catalan's this, but it has a jaeger vibe to it. [PHOTO]
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BIRRA
BEER is a regional affair in spain. MADRID HAS MAHOU. THE SOUTH HAS CRUZCAMPO. IN CATALUNYA IT'S ALL ABOUT ESTRELLA DAMM. WHILE BEER DRINKING IS GROWING HERE, IN THE SUMMER HEAT THE BEST THING TO OPT FOR iS A 'CLARA', the SPANISH TAKE ON A LAGER SHANDY.
FOR MUSIC LOVERS
Music is a big thing in Catalunya and over the summer you will be able to enjoy live music if you join any of the local parties (Festa Major). You can listen to our favourite Catalan MUSICIANS here:
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OQUES GRASSES
(LIT. 'FAT GEESE') ARGUABLY CATALUNYA's BIGGEST BAND, with summer hits such as 'BYE BYE', 'petar-ho', 'THE BRIGHT SIDE' AND 'WAKE UP'.
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THE TYETS
(LiT. 'THE UNCLES') THIS BAND HAS GROWN MASSIVELY THANKS TO THEIR RECENT HIT THAT BRINGS IN A TRADITIONAL type of music and dance called 'SARDANA' in the song 'coti x coti'. YOU'll likely be hearing and seeing that one at the wedding. SEE ALSO 'LA PLATJA'.
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ROSALIA
BARCELONA is very proud of this export. THough most of her songs are in spanish and english, rosalia has produced songs in catalan too. SEe 'Millionaria' as an example.
THE CATALAN LANGUAGE
BEING IN SPAIN, NATURALLY you'll hear and see a lot of spanish, but being in catalonia you'll also see that catalan (spoken by over 9 million people) is a pretty big deal here, especially in rural catalunya. catalan feels a little bit like a mixture of spanish, french and italian, and has about the same difference vs. spanish as spanish vs. portuguese.
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this is a bi-lingual wedding, an the other language you'll be hearing alongside is catalan. IF YOU MEET anyone who doesn't speak english (either at the wedding or out-and-about) you should be fine to use any spanish you have, but a little bit of catalan goes a long way.
​to help you out, here's some key phrases:
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Hello – Hola (O-LA)
​Morning! - Bon dia! (BON DI-AH)
​Good afternoon! - Bona tarda (BON-AH TARD-AH)
​Please - Si us plau ('SIS PLOW', like snow 'plough')
Thank you - mersi (MER-SI)
Bye! - Adeu! (A-DEH-OU)
Do you speak English? - Parles anglès? (PAR-LES AN-GLES)
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YOU CAN USUALLY tell catalan from spanish from the lack of a 'TH' sound. That's why it's bar-'SA'-LONA in catalan, and BAR-'THE'-LONA in spanish!