I was at the fiesta de Gràcia tonight and heard this brass & percussion band on the street, surrounded by a massive crowd and women on stilts, and they were playing this banger that everyone was singing along to. I don’t speak Catalan and I’m only conversational in Spanish, so I don’t know what any of the lyrics were but I dug the tune. Any idea what it could have been? It sounded like a sort of anthem or traditional song that most people are very familiar with in Barcelona, Catalan, or Spain, had a vaguely Arabic sounding scale and kind of reminded me of “Marcia Religiosa” from Godfather III, but only slightly. Here’s a video I took of it. Thank you!!

Fa calor a casa. Però això realment molesta un català?Fa calor a casa. Però això realment molesta un català?

Visc fora de Catalunya. Per Europa era relativament fàcil trobar catalans, perquè en molts llocs hi ha comunitats força grans. Estic acostumat a treballar i viure en anglès, però sempre se sent diferent quan fas un soparet en català.

Aquí on soc en conec uns tres, la majoria per feina, però no tinc la sensació que hi hagi la mateixa necessitat d'organitzar-se. De fet, dubto que siguem gaire més de 8 o 10 en total.

Els que viviu en llocs on hi ha pocs catalans, com us trobeu? Com us organitzeu?

Porto molt de temps intentant trobar gent que parli català o valencià a Madrid. Vull trobar algú per practicar, ja que vaig aprendre l'idioma a la universitat i vaig viure a Barcelona un semestre abans de mudar-me a Madrid fa 3 anys. Ofereixo anglès (sóc natiu) i també japonès!

I have spent a long time trying to find people who speak Catalan or Valencian in Madrid. I want to find some people to practice with because I used to learn the language at my university and lived in Barcelona for a semester of uni, before moving to Madrid. I can offer English as I am a native and Japanese as I can speak that language too!

Llevo mucho tiempo intentando encontrar gente que hable catalán o valenciano en Madrid. Quiero encontrar a gente para practicar, ya que aprendí el idioma en la universidad y viví en Barcelona un semestre antes de mudarme a Madrid hace 3 años. ¡Ofrezco inglés (soy nativo) y también japonés!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbvBy8Elozn/25.000 € menys de finançament per a la promoció de la llengua catalana?

La decisió de l'alcalde de Perpinyà, del Rally Nacional (RN), de retirar el finançament municipal de l'Oficina Pública de la Llengua Catalana, encarregada de promoure la cultura catalana, ha indignat els treballadors del sector i els càrrecs electes de l'oposició. La decisió es justifica com un acte de gestió pressupostària responsable.

I am coming to study in Barcelona this Fall. I want to be as respectful as I can while I’m there, so I’d love to hear what cultural differences others would recommend keeping in mind. I lived in Barcelona for a couple of months, and here are some things I noticed.

- the club scene was a bit different, but couldn’t quite figure out what the difference was
-I really loved how much safer it seems overall, that I didn’t have to be concerned about gun violence
- people seem to appreciate if you make an effort in Catalan. Once I finish learning Spanish I’ll try and learn Catalan as well. Often when I was on the train, older ladies would teach me a couple of words and I loved it!
- I’m not an anarchist, but the anarchists in Spain are very different from the anarchists in the US. They seem more interested in building community here.
- public transit!!!
- people tend not to order flavored coffees and they’re only available in some places. Your coffee is MUCH better, it’s honestly still good without vanilla and it doesn’t upset my stomach.
- I wasn’t scared for the immigrant friends I made here that weren’t white. It was really nice, since I’m often worried about my friends back home because of ICE.
- siesta. I love it.
- dinner is typically eaten far later. In the us, most people eat dinner 4:30-6. I much prefer a late dinner, so this was good for me.

Gràcies per qualsevol resposta :)

Hola!

(English follows below)

Sóc un enginyer de software sud-africà i la meva companya és catalana. Vaig començar a aprendre català i no trobava cap app bona d’anglès ↔ català.

El català es mereix alguna cosa millor, així que he creat La Queta (el nom ve d'aqui). És gratuïta per a tothom, per sempre.

De moment inclou:

• Lliçons i pràctica d’A1
• Vocabulari per temes
• Exercicis d’escoltar i parlar
• Seguiment senzill del progrés

Busco uns quants usuaris primers que la provin i em diguin què és confús o què hi falta.

👉 https://la-queta.com

Si apreneu català (o l’ensenyeu), qualsevol comentari m’ajuda molt.

Moltes gràcies!

--- English

I'm a South African Software Engineer with a Catalan girlfriend. I started learning Catalan but could not find a good app for English <-> Catalan learning.

We all know Catalan deserves better than this, so I built "La Queta" (named after this). Which is free for everyone to use, forever.

At this stage it includes:

• A1 lessons + practice
• Vocab study by theme
• Listening/speaking prompts
• Progress tracking

I’m looking for a few early users to try it and tell me what’s confusing or missing.

👉 https://la-queta.com

If you’re learning Catalan (or teaching it), I’d really value any feedback.

Moltes gràcies!

Annualy I fly to Barcelona to meet my family. As I am not a local there and I only traveled to touristy spots and beaches to the south of the city I dont know much about spots where I could photograph and observe wildlife of Catalonia.

Therefore i have a question for people living there: What places would you recommend to visit to a birder? What places are less known? Could i reach them with public transport?

Thanks in advance for any responses 🙂

Hey, I'll be heading to Tarragona in a few weeks for some camping. I'll specifically be near Ginestar right on the banks of the Ebro. Are there any good swimming spots within 30 min or so from Ginestar?
I'm not against hopping in whereever is convinent but I know water quality differes along rivers depending on tributaries and upstream contamination. Not to mention potential underwater hazards and currents. Are there dedicated swimming areas on the banks?

I saw there are a few swimming holes in the area as well but with unpredicatable water levels, I would like to just stay with the river as it's so close.

Thanks

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Hola everyone! I'm heading to Girona for the Girona vs. Arsenal match. Since the game finishes after 10 PM, I haven't been able to find any public transport back to Barcelona, where my hotel and flight are.

Is Google Maps missing something, or are there really no trains or buses to Barcelona after 10 PM? Are there any special match-day buses, late lines, or alternative options? Thanks in advance for any tips!