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he
annual flower festival in Girona, Temps de Flors, now in its 50th
year, takes place from 14th to 22th May. Major and minor monuments,
public and private buildings all in the Barri Vell are decorated with
flowers and opened to the public (some only for this week). There is
also a programme of exhibitions and concerts. Programme on:
www.ajgirona.org:
T
he
14th edition of the annual tourism fair is being held later than
usual this year, running from 26th to 28th May. With
special emphasis on Italy’s wines and gastronomy under the
slogan “Viaje al sabor de Italia” but with the Catalan
and Spanish contingents the largest. There is traditionally a strong
French presence, especially for the regions near the border, and
other more exotic destinations also appear.It gives you a chance to
find out (more) about interesting places for day-trips, puentes or
longer breaks. Held in Trade Fair buildings on Montjuic. More info:
www.saloturisme.com
or Tel. 93 233 21 72. There is an entry
charge.
A
new exhibition has opened at Caixaforum, dedicated to the ancient
civilisation of the Thracians, which reached its zenith in the fourth
and fifth centuries BC. Until recently all that was known about them
came from Greek iconography and literary sources such as Herodotus.
Recent discoveries of royal tombs has brought new evidence to light
and some of these treasures are on show in the exhibition. The
exhibition is open Tues-Sun. 10am – 8pm and runs until 31st
July. Free entrance. Info: www.fundacio.lacaixa.es.
CULTURE: Don Quixote celebrations
2
005
is the 400th anniversary of the publication of “Don
Quxote”, a fact that has been celebrated in the press
internationally. Barcelona, which features in the novel, is joining
in the celebrations. Two exhibitions are running currently: Visions
del Quixot in the exhibition space at La Pedrera (daily 10am –
8pm until 12th June) shows the figure of Don Quixote as
seen by artists through the centuries, with works by Hogarth, Doré,
Daumier, Picasso and Dalí, among others.In the Museu
d’Historia de la Ciutat the exhibition “El Quixot
i Barcelona” recreates Don Quixote’s visit to the
city and transports us to the streets of Barcelona four hundred years
ago. This exhibition is open Tues-Sat. 10am – 8pm and Sundays
10am – 3pm and runs until 9th October. More info:
www.museuhistoria.bcn.es
In addition there are two musical offerings: The musical “El hombre de la Mancha” is being staged at Teatro Apolo until 26th June. Info: 93 441 9007 ; in the late autumn, within the cycle of El Petit Liceu, an opera for children entitled “Dulcinea” will be performed at the Auditori de Cornellà. Details: www.liceubarcelona.com .
MUSIC: CHILDREN:
Alongside “El hombre de la Mancha” the Teatro Apolo is also staging the musical version of “Peter Pan”. This is a modern production which makes use of audiovisual effects to transport the audience to the streets of London, a pirate ship etc.Also running until the end of June. Tel. 93 441 9007. Tickets also through Servicaixa and El Corte Ingles.
Organised by Fundació La Caixa, the XXVIII Festival de Música Antigua runs until 15th May. Most concerts will be held in Caixaforum but some will be at venues in the Barrio Gótico. Tickets from Servicaixa machines. Info: www.fundacio.lacaixa.es
I
f
you have choral experience and would like to take part in this year’s
Messiah, you have until 15th June to apply for an
audition.Auditions will take place on 1st and 9th
July and practices start on 1st October. Performances will
be in Palau de la Musica Catalana on 15th and 16th December.
OOD:
New Cookery Show on Spanish TVSpanish TV has also realised the appeal of cookery shows and TVE1 has announced a new one with a star chef, Jose Andrés. Andrés is a disciple of Ferran Adriá and is well known in the US where he owns several restaurants (in Washington). Last year he was voted Chef of the Year by US magazine Bon Appétit . “Vamos a cocinar” will be shown on Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm and in it Andrés will demonstrate both traditional recipes and nouvelle cuisine.
IRA
BIOCULTURAThe 12th edition of the Fira Biocultura will be held in Palau Sant Jordi from 6th to 9th May with over 500 stalls selling items which are “ecological” including toys, beauty products, furniture etc.The organic food fair, the Setmana de Gastronomía Biológica, will be running from 2nd May and continuing until 9th. Main focus will be on Slow Food, the international movement which started in Italy and aims to counteract the effects of the fast food revolution by promoting traditional cuisine and local food diversity. More info: www.biocultura.org .
S
HOPPING:
Who hasn’t sometimes looked for a nice piece of jewellery
for a special occasion but then everything was just too dear……
Now when you need something for that gala dinner or a society
wedding, there’s a solution on hand without breaking the bank.
At Oh! Stupenda Joyeria at Rambla de Catalunya 30, you can hire the
finest Italian jewellery for a special occasion. The cost: only 3 %
of the sales price for a weekend’s hire. You pay by
credit-card, with the credit-card number acting as guarantee.
barcelona@oh-stupendajoyeria.com
Website: www.oh-stupendajoyeria.com
C
HILDREN:
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS: The summer holidays will soon be upon us again
and many of us are wondering how we can keep the children occupied
all those weeks (and in Britain they complain about the length of
their school holidays!!!). Public schools, the ayuntamientos, public
and private sports clubs all organise esplais. Some places offer
swimming and tennis courses for just a couple of hours a day,
elsewhere the activities fill the whole day. Look out for details
locally. For casals in schools in Barcelona you can find info on the
city website: www.bcn.es
(Look up: Colonies i casals) In July and early September the city
museums also organise workshops (duration usually 2-3 hours). The
Egyptian Museum offers week-long courses (which are however pricey
compared to municipal museums) Tel: 93 488 01 88 or www.fundclos.com
. The motoring organisation RACC also has a
programme of (much pricier) options: computer workshop, sailing
courses, sport summer schools etc. Many are residential which
explains in part the higher cost. More info on: www.racc.es
Look under: RACC Junior Colonias de Verano. You do not need to be
a member of RACC for your child to take part (there is a small
discount if you are).
A
nyone
interested in bilingualism, either within their family or as a social
issue, will find interesting reading material and links on :
www.multilingualmatters.com
. Multilingual Matters publishes quarterly the Bilingual Family
Newsletter and also books on multilingual themes; it also sells
books on related themes by other publishers. The Newsletter (sample
on website) contains articles on current thoughts on language
learning, bilingualism, biculturalism, mother tongue schools etc. It
also publishes descriptions of how particular families have managed
in their particular situations, the problems encountered and how they
were overcome.
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