Sunday, November 1, 2009

Calella

We got out of dodge for the day, and man, did I ever need it. Don't get me wrong, love where I live, but it was super sweet to be somewhere else for a bit.  We had gotten a little too shut in.

We went up to to a little town called Calella where there was an exhibit about traditional Catalan fishing - perfect for us...boats and Catalonia!

Here's some pics!

First from the museum - I'm not sure how many folks would be interested, this is a hand stitched sail,  we wanted to look at some of the detail work of how they did it....I actually have quite a few photos of these, but I'll only post the one.



Below is actually a photo of a photo, but it is not something I would want to try doing....they did it every day.  The boats are sailed off the beach, which is no small thing to manage in a big boat or a small one, and these suckers are heavy.  There was a movie at the exhibit showing how it is done.  Like the ancient Egyptians, they use a series of wooden skids that they move from the back to the front of the boat as she moves up or down the slope and there were systems for pulling the big boats up, the little boats were pushed or pulled by individuals.  Oooooffff.



Floats for nets, I actually found a float very like that in the Bahamas...they are much treasured by beach combers....do you like the cork floats?  Have I mentioned that cork trees grow around here?  Very funky looking plants.



Some seriously heavy short blades to row with....meant for strong short men.



Some of the current fleet in Calella...pretty no?  Please note the Catalan flag flying in the back.



Interesting exhibit, good food in a cafe, pretty(extremely touristy) town), a walk on a beach and lovely boats....

Great day.


Now we are planning a trip to Madrid, a trip to Vic and Xmas.  If we don't book it, we'll never do it.

Hope you all had a great weekend,

Cheers,

O

8 comments:

Boo and Trev said...

Where' Vic?

oreneta said...

Right there:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=vic+spain&sll=41.522395,2.34682&sspn=0.070687,0.153637&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Vic,+Barcelona,+Catalonia,+Spain&ll=41.771312,2.230225&spn=1.126631,2.458191&z=9

Jason, as himself said...

Such the exotic life you live!

egaliede said...

Yay Vic! My boyfriend is from there... the center is really pretty.

If you want some suggestions for things to do there, I can ask him - I know a few places myself, but I don't think I could reliably give directions :P

Beth said...

I'm glad you got away for a bit and enjoyed yourselves.
We spent our Sunday rummaging around a flea market in a nearby village. The kids found some clothes and books, all very cheap. Very affordable and lots of fun!

Beth said...

A great escape - into a world you love. Wonderful.
Book those other trips - pronto!

oreneta said...

Jason, thank you for the reminder, sometimes it feels like the same drag it is anywhere else, though aside from the architect, life is pretty good......

Egaliede, a good place to eat lunch on a Sat, not super expensive, but a good menu would be great to know....

Beth, I LOVE a flea market, I haven't had a chance to go to the big one in BCN in ages...but I have to go again...love it. That day away was exactly what I needed. It was so great.

Beth, getting that done....YEAH! How were the mice?

egaliede said...

Two suggestions: el Basset, at Carrer Sant Sadurní, 4, or el Casino, on Verdaguer between the Plaça Major and the Rambla de la Carme, next to Can Masramon. My boyfriend says they're both "casolans i bons". Bon profit!

And if you feel like seeing some weird sights, there's an old factory complex right outside the old city which never ceases to amaze me. This might not be a very good explanation, but if you can find a place where the old city walls are still standing (there's a gate and a tower in the wall), the complex is across the street, next to the river. There's a bunch of abandoned buildings, some overgrown with weeds and inhabited by cats, and if you look inside some of the windows you can still see the tools that were used to make whatever it is they did there... It's a great place for taking photographs.