Catalonia, rough diamond.

by Rosario del Carmen Mendoza de la Cruz (Spain)

Making a local connection Spain

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Spain We would usually think paella, tapas, wine and flamenco. But Spain, especially Catalonia, is much more than that. My story starts at Barcelona, coming from Mexico 3 years ago and hoping to have an advantage in the matter of language… couldn’t have been more wrong. At first I hated it. The language, the new ingredients, the city, all that cultural difference that smacks you right in the face. But once you get used to it To say “bon dia” instead of good morning. To the grumpy old Catalan people. You’ll find that Catalonia is, in fact, an underrated part of Spain. Barcelona of course is loved and appreciated, it has “La Sagrada Familia”, Montjuic’s castle, all Gaudi work sprinkled all over the city, La Barceloneta and the night clubs. Yes, Barna (how local folks call it) is indeed a gorgeous place and has a lot to offer, but you haven´t visited the real Catalonia until you go to one of the little charming towns where they can hardly speak Spanish. My first encounter with that was at Girona, visiting “temps de flors” which is a festival that takes all the city and turns it into a total flower stravaganza. You can find various themes, from the religious kind to the environmentalist type. There are concerts, wine tastings, magic shows and Japanese Tea Parties. My favorite part was of course the gardens behind the main church. You could go and explore the intricate kind of labyrinth garden, in which each chamber had a theme, for example you could enter a space full with origami paper cranes hanging from the branches of apple trees in blossom and next thing you know, you are in a room, full with all kinds of roses in every color you can imagine. It’s just breath taking how a city can turn into that for a few days, and of course, worth the little trip on train from Barcelona. Finally, the best way to end a day there is to eat an ice cream from the famous Can Roca brothers ice cream shop while returning to the train station crossing one of the many bridges that divide the colorful town. Now summer is arriving and everyone expects the same of it: Sun, beach and beer. And the male lectors would add bikinis, but let’s focus on the main subject: where to go to spend that radiant season? One answer arrives: paradisiac idyllic island. In the case of Catalonia you have 3 options, the Balearic Islands. Ibiza being the most famous of the three because of the nocturne life and, let’s face it, who doesn’t enjoy a good party? The next one in popularity is Mallorca, being the biggest of the three But I prefer myself the little sister of the last two, Menorca. There are two main cities, Mahon and Ciutadella, and of course all the little urbanizations around them. My recommendations, stay a few days at each and most of your vacations in a little urbanization. Why is that, you may be wondering. Well, being a small island it doesn’t have much to offer in the sense of amusements inside the main cities, but that’s part of the charm. In two days you can see what is to see in Ciutadella and Mahon, the churches, the museums, the shops, some of the architecture if you fancy that. The fun part starts when you are in your own villa outside of everything, next to a cliff where you can go explore day or night. Just you and the sea, and of course the random curious tourist that gets lost and ends up there. The creeks are the best thing to discover. Just go around walking and every now and then you’ll find a sign to the nearest creek and a little path inside that looks like a forest. If you follow those, great wonders expect you. Deserted beaches, huge creeks with water so blue and fresh, you won’t have other choice than go swimming or at least get your feet inside. That little island is really something, either you go alone, in family or with a loved one, there's always a perfect sunset or sunrise.