Did you know that the man who was apparently responsible for the unification of Catalonia was called Wilfred the Hairy (El Pelut), Count of Barcelona, but hailing originally from Ria near Prades?
A popular and much loved Catalan Christmas figure, this small statue, originally of a pooping peasant wearing traditional floppy red Catalan cap (barretina), crouches with trousers half down, in a ‘toilet’ position, making his small contribution to the land.
These pooey Catalan traditions may shed some light on the popular Catalan saying
“menja bé, caga fort i no tinguis por a la mort!” (Eat well, poo strong and don’t be afraid of death!)
The poppy is a powerful and iconic symbol of remembrance in England, but did you know that the French have an equivalent, ‘Le Bleuet de France’, their own poignant reminder of the First World War?
A silence, our heads are bowed, a prayer from the Mayor. In turn the boys read out the list of the fallen sons of the Great War, perhaps a dozen names from those awful days. This would have been a village of around a hundred people.
Love reading? Love the Pyrenées-Orientales? Why not combine the two? All of these books can be bought via the links or found in local book shops. Bonne lecture!
The origins of the name Marianne are unclear though many believe that, as, one of the most common names of the time, it was chosen to represent the common people.
Havaneres Named after the capital town of Cuba, La Habana (Havana), these sea shanties were brought back from Cuba by soldiers, sailors and expats in the 19th Century, originally to the coastal towns…
Suzanne Dunaway LOVES to cook. Some might say she LIVES to cook. Having cooked, written and painted around the world, here she shares her PO-inspired recipes in this weekly blog.
How much do you know about the origins of April Fool’s Day in France?