Category Archives: Travel and Places

Catalonia’s human castles

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Matt

A very good Catalan friend of mine has just sent me a fabulous calendar of one of my favourite Catalan folk traditions: els castellers – the castlemakers.  It’s a tradition that was first recorded in the late eighteenth century, though … Continue reading →

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With map and compass

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Matt

I’ve just spent a fantastic week in the Lake District, doing a course on walk leading and navigation.  It’s not a part of the UK I know at all well, but I now see what Wordsworth and Wainwright were on … Continue reading →

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Spain is different (2)

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Matt

Spain may be hovering on the brink of disaster,  but Barcelona is not the kind of city to allow the prospect of bailouts, cuts and economic collapse to interfere with the essential rituals of the Spanish summer.  On Wednesday night the … Continue reading →

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Spain is different (1)

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Matt

I’m writing from Barcelona, where I lived for nine years during the 1990s.    The early 90s were boom years for the Catalan capital, as they were for Spain in general.   It was a period in which the Barcelona … Continue reading →

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