Filling the Sink

Devils, dragons and a golden goat – Catalan myths and legends

Catalonia has a rich tradition of folk tales, full of strange characters and mysterious creatures. Cillian Shields and Alan Ruiz Terol join Lorcan Doherty to ask where these stories come from, what they tell us about the past, and what relevance they have in today's world. There's drama, as we re-enact how the Devil's Bridge in Martorell got its name, and music, as Alan serenades us with a tale of two giants, El Gegant del Pi. Plus, Víctor Borràs from the Catalan Legends Festival on the magic of mythology.

Superblocks and tactical urbanism – who owns Barcelona‘s streets?

A look at Barcelona's fascinating urban history and bold plans for the future.
Dr Zaida Muxí Martínez from the Barcelona School of Architecture at UPC explains the challenges facing the city as it seeks to transform its public spaces.
Cillian Shields visits a so-called superblock in the Sant Antoni neighborhood to see if cars, bicycles, electric scooters and pedestrians can co-exist.
Alan Ruiz Terol recounts the history of Barcelona, from the ancient Roman walled city to Ildefons Cerdà's 19th century expansion plan.
This week's Catalan phrase is "ser mes vell que l'anar a peu," which means "to be older than going on foot."
Presented by Lorcan Doherty. 

Parlem català? – Learning Catalan, at home and abroad

Filling the Sink listeners and Catalan News readers from around the world explain how and why they joined the more than 9 million people that speak Catalan. 
They also reveal some of their favorite words, such as somiatruites, or daydreamer, which literally translates as omelette-dreamer! 
Dr Afra Pujol i Campeny on the challenges of teaching her native language and what motivates students abroad – like those at the University of Cambridge – to study it.   
Cristina Tomàs White and Cillian Shields join Lorcan Doherty to chat about their experiences with the language and discuss the question: is it difficult to learn Catalan? 

Catalonia‘s National Day - history, symbols, independence rallies

Catalonia celebrates its National Day on September 11, known in Catalan as La Diada. Alan Ruiz Terol joins Lorcan Doherty to chat about the history behind the date – a military defeat in 1714 – and the symbols used to mark the day.  
Xènia Palau looks back on the last decade of massive pro-independence demonstrations that have taken place on the National Day, while Alan and Lorcan discuss the impact the rallies have had on Catalan politics. 
This week's Catalan phrase is "endavant les atxes," which is used to give encouragement when facing difficulties.

Harvest time! A taste of the world of Catalan wine

September in Catalonia is harvest time - la verema – when grapes are picked to go from vine to wine. 
Winegrower and co-owner of the Celler Can Roda winery, Enric Gil, explains the challenges posed by climate change and how this year's crop is shaping up after a difficult harvest last year.  
Enric Bartra from INCAVI, the Catalan Institute of Vine and Wine, on what makes Catalan wines stand out on the world stage and the remarkable growth of organic wines in Catalonia. 
Guifré Jordan joins Lorcan Doherty to chat about wine tourism and the harvest festival. 
This week's Catalan phrase is "dormir la mona," literally "to sleep the (female) monkey," it means to fall asleep after a few too many drinks! 

A whole new ball game – cricket, Gaelic football and American football in Catalonia

Cricket, Gaelic football and American football are three sports that are hugely popular in certain parts of the world but more of a minority pursuit in Catalonia. But that doesn't mean that the players are any less passionate. 
Cillian Shields and Lorcan Doherty discuss how these three sports are going from strength to strength, with local Catalans being bitten by the Gaelic football bug, the citizens of Barcelona voting to invest in a new cricket ground, and Catalan American football teams dominating the Spanish league and setting their sights on Europe. 
Diego and Michael from Sitges GAA and Sam, Lucky and Shub from the Men in Blue and Barcelona International Cricket Club explain why the social side of playing sport is so important to them, transcending international differences and political fault lines to provide friendship and a sense of community. 
This week's Catalan phrase is 'passar la pilota,' literally meaning 'to pass the ball', it's used like the English-language phrase 'pass the buck', to pass on responsibility to someone else.

Val d'Aran – the Pyrenean valley with a distinct history, culture and language

On the northern side of the Pyrenees, surrounded by high mountain peaks, lies the beautiful Val d'Aran, the Aran valley. Its geographic isolation has helped foster and protect its distinct culture, including the Aranese language, a dialect of Occitan.
Biologist and mountain guide Sara Arjó, head of Cultural Heritage in Val d'Aran, Elisa Ros, and Jordi Gavaldà from the center of snow avalanche prediction offer their thoughts on the natural and human forces that shape this land. 
Alan Ruiz Terol chats to Lorcan Doherty about the history of this unique place and recounts some tales he picked up on his recent visit. 
Jusèp Loís Sans Socasau reads an extract of Mossen Josèp Condò's poem 'Era lengua aranesa'. 
There are two Aranese phrases this week. 'Badalhi-badalhò, hame a o dromir vò', which means if someone’s yawning, they’re either hungry or tired, and 'long com era hame de mai', which means 'long like May’s hunger'.

Catalan cuisine – superstar chefs and Michelin-starred restaurants

On today's menu, a mouthwatering starter in the form of an interview with Carme Ruscalleda, a passionate, virtuoso chef who has been awarded seven Michelin stars across three restaurants in Catalonia and Japan. 
For the main course, Judith Càlix from Cuina, Catalonia's favorite foodie magazine, on 20 years of food revolution and five young chefs to check out right now. 
And for dessert, a visit to Alkimia in Barcelona, to hear head chef Jordi Vilà's take on the philosophy and business of running a Michelin-starred restaurant.  
Your maître d' is Lorcan Doherty and Alan Ruiz Terol serves up the palate cleansers. 
This week's Catalan phrase is 'a la taula i al llit, al primer crit', literally 'to the table and to bed on the first shout', it means you should go to eat or sleep straight away when you're called. 
The five young chefs recommended by Judith Càlix are Arnau Muñío, Eli Nolla, Joseba Cruz, Arnau Bosch and Martina Puigvert. More information on Cuina's website. 

Fruit pickers and street vendors – migrants' struggle for decent work

Many migrants to Catalonia from lower-income countries find themselves doing precarious summer work, such as harvesting fruit in the fields around Lleida, or selling goods on the streets of Barcelona and other cities.  
Serigne Mamadou, a seasonal worker from Senegal, Llibert Reixach, from the Fruita and Justícia Social seasonal workers' rights group and Jaume Pedrós of the Unió de Pagesos farmers union give their perspectives on whether the situation for fruit harvesters has improved since last year, when Covid-19 outbreaks and images of workers sleeping rough hit the headlines. 
Xènia Palau visits the Top Manta shop and factory, set up by the street vendors' union as a way to provide legitimate work and sell their own brands of clothes and shoes. Papalaye and Lamine explain the challenges of working as a street seller (or manter in Catalan after the blankets where they display their wares) and the success and strength of the shop and union. 
Cristina Tomàs White and Guifré Jordan join Lorcan Doherty to put these stories in the wider context of immigration, racism, the economy, policing and social policy. 
This week's Catalan phrase is 'amb una sabata i una espardenya,' literally, with a shoe and an espadrille, which is a type of traditional Catalan rope-soled summer shoe. It means to get by with what you've got. 

Supercomputer and particle accelerator – cutting edge research in Catalonia

From black holes to climate change to Covid-19, cutting edge research is taking place in Catalonia. Barcelona Supercomputing Center and ALBA Synchrotron are two high tech research facilities that are key to the country's contribution to the global scientific effort to enhance our understanding of the world around us and address the challenges of the 21st century.   
Guifré Jordan visits ALBA Synchrotron, where electrons are accelerated to produce x-ray beams that allow scientists to see the atomic structure of matter and study its properties. Salvador Ferrer, Eduardo Solano and Julian Steele explain how the facility works and its role in their research.  
Xènia Palau joins Lorcan Doherty to describe the scientific discoveries made possible by the MareNostrum supercomputer at Barcelona Supercomputing Center, and the plans to upgrade what is already one of the world's most powerful machines.  
This week's Catalan phrase is "La paciencia es la mare de la ciencia," or, patience is the mother of science. 

Fifth Covid wave - causes, restrictions and FAQs

Catalonia is in the midst of its fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Faced with record numbers of daily cases and rising hospitalizations the government has introduced a 1am to 6am curfew for the worst-hit towns and cities, including Barcelona, affecting some 80% of the population. 
Enric Alvarez, a member of the BIOCOM-SC research team at UPC considers the reasons behind this dramatic rise in transmission, especially among young people, and whether it could have been predicted or avoided. 
Cristina Tomàs White and Guifré Jordan join Lorcan Doherty to discuss the latest figures and restrictions, and respond to readers' questions about vaccinations, quarantining and EU digital Covid certificates. 
This week's Catalan phrase is "ensopegar dues vegades amb la mateixa pedra", which means to stumble over the same stone twice. 

Expanding Barcelona Airport - economic necessity or environmental folly?

A new satellite terminal and a runway extension. That's what AENA, the company that manages Barcelona Airport, says is needed if it is to be an international hub. Catalan society and local authorities are divided on the issue, with business leaders arguing it is essential for the economy, while environmentalists warn against the destruction of the Llobregat delta and increased carbon emissions. Cillian Shields joins Lorcan Doherty to discuss the arguments for and against expansion. 
Òscar Oliver, infrastructure management professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, and Olivier Chantry, an organic vegetable farmer and the Catalan Farmers Union's biodiversity and climate change representative in Baix Llobregat, give their thoughts.  
This week's Catalan phrase is "tants caps, tants barrets," literally "as many heads as there are hats," it means that there are as many opinions as there are people.