Anyone familiar with the television series, Cheers
will know exactly what to expect of the atmosphere of Casablanca in Sitges.
Upon entering, Brandon and Joan welcome you to this gem of a bar in the old
part of Sitges.
This little space in time offers refuge to all,
away from the millennials who bombard the bars throughout town. Here you’ll
find a more mature crowd of gay, straight and bi—all colours of the rainbow
shine here; locals, expats, and vacationers lucky enough to have found it along
one of the towns most charming little carrers, Carrer Pau Barrebeig.
“The
owners, Brandon and Joan, made us feel very welcome in Casablanca's diverse
'family' ”… review
from Trip Advisor
Throughout the year Casablanca hosts a myriad
of characters. On the winter weekends and holidays the fireplace heats the
place and literally warms the locals into song! Needless to say, the cocktails
do the rest. It is a place unlike any other…
Again, José Uríszars’ paintings will grace the
walls of the bar this August.
As we experimented with different columns and
features in the pages of the Sitges
Quarterly Magazine over the years we have had the honour of including Jose
Uríszar as one of our contributors, namely his column, “From Our Vines” (*in
SQ2—see below).
José Uríszar has
visited Sitges several times a year, over the
last 17 years. He
hosted a live radio show—a food and wine program that was on the Cadena SER radio station, on Wednesdays. The program was called Ser de Vinos, where he conducted live wine tasting on
each show.
“Among
his artistic talents is also being a connoisseur of wine…”
This month, Uríszar has teamed with eatery, La
Picara to exhibit some of his watercolours of Sitges scenes. Seven in
all, his use of colour and shadow captures Sitges as only he can on canvas.
La Picara—Conchi
and Poala run this small place of great joy and atmosphere, located in the
heart of Sitges, where you can taste wines from the major appellations of origin
in Spain (especially La Rioja and Catalunya), to be accompanied by homemade Riojana-style
tapas.
Carrer Sant
Pere, 3
08870
Sitges
Tel. +34
938 11 02 85
www.lapicarasitges.es
Next month, the exhibition continues with more paintings of various sizes to Casablanca.
*Scribe
Note: José’s critique of La Blanc
Subur
(not to be confused with the Malvasia de Sitges)
MALVASIA
DE SITGES 2010
D.O. CATALUNYA 13.5% VOL. BLANC SUBUR Colour:
Medium intensity, clean, bright and transparent.
Pale
lemon yellow with turquoise soft touches, very subtle; when tilting the glass,
towards the edges, the colour intensifies approaching golden hues.
Thick
and smooth legs run down the glass when gently tilted.
Aroma: Medium-high and with
intensity; when shaking, the various characteristics stand out—white fruit,
exotic touches and a whiff of citrus (grapefruit).
Taste: It makes a good initial impression on the palate with a silky and
glycerol taste; white flowers surround a pleasant hint of fruit—apricot and
lychee.
Dry
in character, with a light but present tannin.
Aftertaste: High persistent flavour
returns as if on its’ way over the palate again. It has a substantial
difference from inland Malvasias, in its nice hint of salt.
With its quality and features, it is an ideal wine to drink as aperitif
(chilled) and to accompany rice, noodle dishes (fideuás) and fried fish.
2.the quality or state of being known to the public,
3.the degree to which something has attracted general attention; prominence.
Model Angel Gabriel
photo courtesy of Jorge Pereira
In this issue, we take a close look at what it
means to be visible as an LGBT person and the consequences of acceptance in
society. Being seen is the key. It
breeds familiarity, which is really the gateway for empathy.
The normalization
of homosexuality is occurring throughout western countries at a fast pace. Having
said that, now that same-sex marriages are becoming increasingly accepted, the
light now seems to be shining on the transgender struggle.
Transgenderism today is more visible than it
has ever been, yet is still considered a “gender identity disorder” in many
countries around the world. For those who experience profound inner discontent
due to feeling that their physical body is not in sync with their inner self,
life can be unbearable. They
get verbally abused and have received death threats just by walking through the
street. Fortunately, this is the LGBT frontier that is
being addressed.
GSL as an association exists to assist the LGBT
community in a myriad of ways. Among
its goals are to develop and strengthen relationships with many local, and
national organizations and businesses that are committed to furthering our
mission of creating community and improving the quality of life for LGBT
people.
And here we introduce the GSL-Visión magazine motto—
All Inclusive, All Together.
Come
Out, Come Out, whoever you are…
In life you can never have too many out and
proud individuals—the visible.
For this months’ post, I highlight a short film made
by the assistant editor of the Sitges
Quarterly magazine, Gloria Gannaway. Although uploaded on YouTube roughly
two months ago, it is a very interesting proposition in light of the political situations
in Spain, Britain, the European Union and in the United States.
Of course, any government of a “western” country
uses a system of governance (democracy, communism etc.), and employs an economic
system based on the main ones taught in school being, capitalism or socialism
just to name a few. One such ideology missing from my education was Anarchism.
Anarchism is the belief in the abolition of all government and the organization
of society on a voluntary, cooperative basis without recourse to force or
compulsion.
It wasn’t until I saw “The Anarchist in Me”,
when I realized what a philosophy or movement it was. The film presents many
personal perspectives and ideas people have and incorporate into their way of
living.
According to Gannaway—“The Anarchist in Me” is
a thirty-minute documentary about the Bound
Together Anarchist Collective Bookstore and annual San Francisco Anarchist Book Fair in San Francisco, California. It
takes a look at anarchism today in the U.S. through interviews with people of
diverse age and background who are involved in the bookstore or the book fair.
They talk about the importance of the bookstore and the book fair, what
anarchism means to them, and why they call themselves anarchists.
The Bound Together Bookstore
Given the misleading stereotypes of anarchists
disseminated by the media and the general lack of knowledge about or interest
in anarchism in the U.S., this short film can serve as an introduction for
people by listening to a variety of anarchists speak briefly and simply about
their own ideas and personal objectives.
A common response among
those who have seen the film is that it has made them interested in anarchism
and made them want to learn more. It was surprising to some in that the ideas
of anarchism are so familiar to them, and not so far removed from what they
themselves think.
Bound Together: The Anarchist in Me
Where
we are today, politically…
In Sitges last May (2015), Miquel Forns was
re-elected to serve another term running until 2019. He has formed a new
coalition municipal government for the legislative period 2015-2019, overseeing
social policies, economic development, culture and sovereignty consisting of
five regidores (councilors) from his party, Convergència i Unió; Sitges en
Positiu, Capgirem Sitges and ERC have three regidores each, Nou Horitzó has two
regidores, while Sitges Grup Independent and the PP each have one.
Yesterday I witnessed an
event and learned something new about Sitges.
As I worked at my
computer, I heard rather loud music emanating from next door. And although this
occurs periodically, this particular afternoon it seemed louder than normal; so I
investigated… I followed the music and out on my terraza. And it turned out, instead
of coming from next door, I looked down on carrer de l’Estalvi and discovered a
group of people singing, accompanied by a band.
What was the
occasion I asked myself? And remembered it was the end of Easter week, known
here as Semana Santa.
What I observed were
the Caramelles de Sitges, Catalan songs sung by a group of men to announce the
start of Easter and the end of Holy Week. It is a tradition celebrated around
the Catalan region. Yesterday, being Easter Monday (el Dilluns de Pasqua / Lunes de
Pascua), different groups of singers from around town begin their tour of song on
the evening of Holy Saturday (el Dissabte de Glòria / Sábado de Gloria) and sing
again all day, today.
A Barretina
It should be noted that
the first performance is held at the Town Hall (Ajuntament) before going
further a field.
A group of men wearing the typical cap—la barretina*, go from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, and house to
house offering a repertoire of songs. These performances are sung to women in the Spring
or today, lyrics can be dedicated to Sitges. They are always sung in Catalan.
The group always carries
a very long pole with a basket which is decorated with ribbons, bells and carnations.
This is used to reach the balconies of houses and apartments in order to
collect gifts of food. Historically, Caramellaires would visit houses to proclaim
the Good News of the Resurrection of Christ and in exchange for the news, people
would give the singers eggs, sausages and other foods, which indicated that
Lent was over. There is evidence
that the tradition here dates back to the seventeenth century, although it was
different to today. Over the years it has lost some of the religious aspects
and the lyrics gradually have included different themes.
One of the most
difficult times for the tradition was at the outbreak of the Civil War and the
early post-war years. It was a time when music didn’t fill the air and caramelles
almost disappeared. But they were recovered in 1941 thanks to a group of young
Sitgetans, and former caramellaires active before the war, who got the permit
to return to publically sing caramelles. Remember, Franco banned the Catalan
language and as a result, caramelles were included in his edict.
Time
marches on and in recent years a welcomed evolution in the tradition has
occurred—some groups in Sitges have accepted women. So at this time of year, walk
around town and hear the music now sung for and by all—the tradition lives on…
Here is a performance
posted by Monica Gallardo last Saturday, March 26th, 2016:
Caramella
played by les Caramelles Sitgetanes.
Lyrics and
music by Jordi Benet Centaur Pañella.
*Note: A barretina, no longer used in everyday life,
is still considered a Catalan symbol and used in traditional fiestas of
cultural identity, such as in Sardana dance or by figures seen in nativity
scenes.
The book, Les Caramelles de Sitges by
Albert Soler Marcé
A few days ago I received an email from the staff at Issuu congratulating me (with a warm,
“Well Done!) that the third issue of the Sitges Quarterly magazineI uploaded
last year was chosen to be included in their Stack categorized under “Sitges”.
Included in the stack are
publications such as The Sitges Flyer,
The Sitges Annual, Vacation Rental Travels magazine*and the Agencia de Promoció Turisme de Sitges’
multilingual promotional booklets.
Issuu (issuu.com) is
a free electronic publishing platform for magazines, catalogs, newspapers and
more. As a digital newsstand with over 21 million publications and 85 million
active readers, it features leading and emerging titles in fashion, culture,
arts, and local content, all of
which are accessible on any device.
“From giants of the publishing industry to
art-school graduates seeking a first job, issuu
gives anyone with digitally bound content the ability to upload and distribute
their publications worldwide”.
Sitges Annual 2014/ 2015
Their Stacks are
an easy way for readers to discover content in one place. It's similar to a
bookshelf in that a user who clicks on that Stack
will be able to see many publications, usually categorized by date and subject.
The “Sitges” stack is comprised of 27 publications related to our beloved town.
[Unlisted publications that are added by members are only viewable to them, the
publisher, and not all readers]
September / October 2015 Issue
We are honoured to have been chosen to be included among
these other publishers and also very happy that the Sitges Quarterly magazine will now reach the Issuu membership and an
even greater global readership.
*Note:
Vacation Rental Travels Magazine covers the best, most
unique, quirky, beautiful, amenities-laden homes for rent to vacationers.
“Whether you’ve found the joys of staying in a home yourself or are new to the
concept- this magazine will delight and surprise you with visually evocative
photos of homes and destinations, as well as practical advice you can use to
plan your own escape”.
See the September/October 2015 issue of the magazine:
Sitges Tales 2: A Wonderful, Windy Winters Day Have you ever wandered aimlessly along the paseo in Sitges?
Today (January 16th) time is of no essence and the Manteros (with their counterfeit products) are out in full force trying desperately to coax euros out of the pockets of the many people taking in the relentless sun as they stroll.
Couples of all kinds, kids, families, dog-walkers and elders with whiskers share the windy promenade, the temperature - a brisk 12°C. All living life, enjoying the experience of the free time they possess.
I choose this activity because I have the luxury of sight, sound and smell to relish the fresh air, sand and sea before I attend a showing at El Prado of "Steve Jobs” (the film starring Michael Fassbender) with SQ columnist, Juan Carlos and SQ assistant editor, Gloria Gannaway.
It is a successful initiative of the CineClub Sitges which brings a wide variety of international films offered in it's original version with subtitles in castellano. Every week a new film graces one of our screens, the other being at the El Retiro. Both are venues for the SITGES – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalunya.
Going off on a tangent for a moment, I admit the film was brilliantly written and acted yet can't believe a real, highly functional human being with a team of albeit fractured friendships, can be 98% flawed and 2% - sympathetic and remorseful… For me, that doesn't compute. Of course my companions for the evening, contemplated my comments and added theirs to the discussion about the film as we drank our "despues pelicular” (after film) beverages.
We moved on in topics of conversation and verbally sauntered to the small Catholic chapel (Església de les Religioses de la Immaculada Concepció), thePatronat D’Asc building on Carrer De Parellades, designed by Gaietà Buïgas i Monravà and built back in 1900.
Over many years after use as a place of prayer, the chapel was used as a civic centre - a “bingo” hall and a place where films were also screened in its garden. Following a series of lawsuits and appeals debating ownership (not to mention mismanagement), the building remains locked, and abandoned behind its legally protected façade.
If ever the legalities are settled, development of the site might have to include façadism (or façadomy); which, in short refers to the architectural and construction practice where an existing façade of a building is incorporated into the design of a new structure or building. The often controversial practice gained strength in the 1980s when technological advances in construction made it easier and more viable.
Who knows what 2016 will bring. New happenings, new resolutions and many new conversations to be had and include in the continuing Sitges Tales...
Note:
Buïgas i Monravà also designed the Casa Bonaventura Blay, which became theHotel El Xalet in 1983, the Casa Severiano Virella Cassanyes (The Medium Park Hotel- 1895), Mercat Vell de Sitges (the old market, 1889) and today it is the museum, Casa Bacardi.
