Lately, some of the beaches in Catalonia look like they have been swallowed by the sea. The reason is the recent storm Nelson, which hit the Catalan coast during Easter. Nelson caused an unprecedented loss of sand on some of Catalonia's beaches. However, this phenomenon is not new. Recent data show that two-thirds of the Catalan coastline has receded in the last seven decades. At the same time, other beaches have grown as a result of the construction of more ports or the expansion of beaches. Lea Beliaeva Bander is joined by Cillian Shields. We talk to experts Gonzalo Simarro of the Marine Sciences Institute and Jordi Pinyol of the Geological and Cartographic Institute of Catalonia. We share beach recommendations, from the rocky Costa Brava to the fun Barcelona beaches, the family-friendly Costa Daurada, as well as the windy Terres de l'Ebre. The Catalan phrase of the week is "Hi ha mar de fons," which is an expression used to express that there is tension or bad vibes.
Barcelona's take on fashion week is the bi-annual event 080 Barcelona Fashion, which this season runs from April 9 to April 12. The event has been held at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site since 2013, and during the 33rd edition celebrated this week, a mix of 24 emerging designers and established brands presented their idea of what should be in vogue in 2024. Over the years, 080 Barcelona Fashion has gone from being a locally focused event to catching the eye of the international fashion world, thanks to its unique mix of Catalan textile tradition, sustainability, and diversity. In this episode, designers Eva Dimas of Simorra and Alejandra Valero of Hoss Intropia unveil their latest collections, and we also hear from 080 Barcelona Fashion's project manager Marta Coca, who explains how the event has evolved. Lorcan Doherty joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to talk about all things fashion. This week's Catalan phrase is 'passat de moda', which means 'out of fashion'.
The number of indoor climbing gyms in Catalonia has multiplied by four in just ten years, making climbing a lifestyle phenomenon and another way of connecting with people. At the same time, the mountainous landscapes of Catalonia have become some of the most visited destinations for outdoor climbing. In this episode, Oriol Escudé Macià joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about the Catalan bouldering boom, and we also discuss whether it's a sport that is accessible to all. We visit Sharma Climbing, the largest climbing gym in Spain, owned by American climber Chris Sharma, where climbers explain why they took up the sport. We also talk to Quim Hernández, the climbing manager of the Catalan Mountain Sports Federation about the growing popularity of climbing and how it is being received. The Catalan phrase of the week is "Fer una muntanya d'una gra de sorra" which means to blow something out of proportion, similar to the English expression "to make a mountain out of a molehill."
This year marks the 120th anniversary of the opening of the notorious La Model prison, located in the Eixample district of Barcelona. The facility closed in 2017 and has since become a site for Catalan historic memory, open to the public. Behind its high beige walls lies the history of a prison that sought to be exemplary, but during the Franco dictatorship held thousands of political prisoners, many of whom were tortured or executed. Cillian Shields joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to talk about the agonizing history of La Model and its impending transformation into a place of life. We speak with Isabel Centeno, historian and tour guide at La Model, and we hear from Gemma and Carme Puig Antich, the sisters of Salvador Puig Antich, the last political prisoner to be executed at La Model, and their lawyers, Maria Servini and Magda Oranich. The Catalan phrase of the week is "pagar justos per pecadors", in English to pay for the sins of others. Gràcies! Bona Setmana Santa!
In January, the Catalan government joined other European countries in the fight to regulate the use of mobile phones by children in public primary and secondary schools. The idea came from the parent initiative Adolescència Lliure de Mòbil, A Phone-free Adolescence, which started in the Barcelona neighborhood of Poblenou in November 2023, and soon spread to other parts of the Catalan capital, then the rest of Catalonia and Spain. Oriol Escudé Macià joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to talk about the new regulations and some of the risks of children using smartphones. Lluna Porta, spokesperson for Adolescència Lliure de Mòbil explains how the group got started, and Jose Ramon Ubieto, a clinical psychologist and author offers advice on how to reduce phone time. This week's Catalan phrase is 'bufar i fer ampolles'. Literally, 'to blow and make bottles', it's used to express something easy to do, similar to the English phrase "piece of cake".
"Society of the snow" and "Robot dreams" miss out on coveted Academy Awards, but plenty of fun is had along the way. In Los Angeles, Natàlia Segura catches up with J. A. Bayona, director of "Society of the snow", Montse Ribé and David Martí, nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for their work on the same film, and Pablo Berger, director of "Robot dreams", nominated for Best Animated Feature. On the big night itself, Natàlia heads to an Oscars party at the Teleferic Barcelona in LA, meets a survivor from the 1972 plane crash that inspired "Society of the snow", and fills in a weary-eyed Cillian Shields back in Barcelona. Lorcan Doherty joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about Catalonia's Oscars history and the two nominated films. And "Robot dreams" lead character designer, Daniel Fernández Casas, explains the secret of the movie's success. This week's Catalan phrase is "somiar truites". Literally, "to dream omelettes", it means to dream big, perhaps unrealistically so!
To mark International Women's Day 2024, Filling the Sink pays homage to ten women who changed Catalonia. Writer Caterina Albert (aka Victor Català), educator Francesca Bonnemaison, anarcho-syndicalist Teresa Claramunt, trans activist Silvia Reyes, flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya, operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé, singer and songwriter Rosalía, chef Carme Ruscalleda, middle-distance runner Carmen Valero, and footballer Alèxia Putellas. This week's Catalan phrase is "Visca la lluita feminista" - "Long live the feminist struggle". Presented by Lorcan Doherty with Lea Beliaeva Bander.
The world's biggest mobile tech fair is taking place in Barcelona, but MWC goes way beyond phones, showcasing all kinds of emerging technology from tech giants such as Samsung, Google, Huawei and Microsoft. Artificial intelligence is the buzzword on everyone's lips. Lorcan Doherty finds out more from Mobileum's Avnish Chauhan, Dell's Warren Jackson, and IMA's Eyal Reshef. Lea Beliaeva Bander talks to two Catalan companies at startup space 4YFN (Four Years from Now): Envjoy Nature and WindowSight. Oriol Escudé Macià checks out Alef Aeronautics' flying car prototype and other aviation innovations: SK Telecom's urban air mobility (UAM) aircraft, an AI-assisted drone used by the Mossos d'Esquadra, and Aalto's High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS). Cillian Shields heads to a session called 'Quantum Industry: A Bird's-Eye View' to discover more about how this cutting-edge technology is evolving. This week's Catalan phrase is 'A camí llarg, passa curta' - 'On a long path, short steps'.
All across Europe, farmers are protesting, stopping traffic with their tractors to sound the alarm on what many feel is the slow death of the agricultural sector. On February 6, Catalan farmers drove their tractors out of the fields, draped them with slogans such as "La nostra fi, la vostra fam", or "Our end, your hunger" and marched slowly but determinedly toward Barcelona in one of the largest coordinated protests in years. We hear from 12 farmers who took part in the protests about the disappointments, demands, and dreams of a sector that feels neglected as it deals with everything from environmental regulations to rising production costs, excessive red tape, and a lack of drought relief. Lea Beliaeva Bander is joined by Oriol Escudé Macià, who sheds light on the farmers' protests and explains what lies ahead. This week's Catalan phrase is 'picar pedra'. Literally, 'to crush stone', it means to work hard at something without necessarily achieving a gain in the end.
Viquipèdia, the Catalan version of the free, collaborative online encyclopedia, is a real success story, with almost 750,000 articles and over 1,000 active editors. Wikipedians Xavier Dengra and Àlex Hinojo explain what drives them to volunteer their free time and contribute their knowledge to the project. Lea Beliaeva chats to Núria Ribas, president of Amical Wikipedia, and Carme Fenoll, a wikipedian and librarian, about gender bias on the website and how Viquipèdia is trying to increase diversity, both in terms of contributors and content. This week's Catalan phrase is 'ser un setciències'. Literally, 'to be a seven-sciences', it means 'to be a know-it-all'. Presented by Lorcan Doherty.
Record stores and listening bars are popping up everywhere in Barcelona, and vinyl sales in Catalonia surpassed CD sales in 2023 for the first time since the 1980s. But why has this old, impractical way of listening to music gained popularity at a time when everyone can access whatever music they want on their phones? Lorcan Doherty joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about the vinyl revival. Carlos from Surco and Marc from Wah Wah explain how it is affecting two of the city's older record stores. David Ayllón from the cultural association Salvadiscos talks about the social side of sharing music. This week's Catalan phrase is 'com un disc ratllat'. Literally, 'like a scratched record', it's used like the English phrase 'like a broken record'.
Catalonia's number one football team has always been FC Barcelona, until now! Tiny Girona FC are making it big, battling it out at the top of La Liga in just their fourth season ever in Spain's top division. Cillian Shields joins Lorcan Doherty to chat about the players and manager making the miracles happen. Pepe Sierra, a Girona fanatic and president of the federation of Girona supporters' clubs, and Eduard Solà, a journalist at Catalunya Ràdio who has covered Girona for many years, talk about what the club and this season means to them. This week's Catalan phrase is 'deixar-hi la pell' - you could say Girona FC are playing out of their skin.
Filling the Sink turns the spotlight on education after Catalonia finished almost bottom of the class in Spain in the latest PISA international tests, sat by students around the world in reading, maths, and science. The results have raised questions for Catalan schools: what's behind the decline, and what can be done about it? Have changes in education gone too far, or not far enough? Oriol Escudé joins Lorcan Doherty to discuss the issues and hear the views of Mònica Nadal, research director of the Fundació Bofill, Xavier Massó, a secondary school teacher and general secretary of the Professors de Secundària union, and Toni Pedragosa, a secondary school teacher and member of the Clam Educatiu platform. This week's Catalan phrase is 'Fer mans i mànigues'. It means to make a big effort to achieve something.
The Museum of Forbidden Art is the first of its kind in the world, displaying art pieces that were censored or banned at some point in history and in various different countries. Whether the reason was political, social or religious, these works have now found a new home in Barcelona. In this episode, we'll hear from the people behind the museum and look back at the history of censorship under Francisco Franco's dictatorship. The Catalan phrase of the week is: "Caure la cara de vergonya," which translates to "Shame on you." Presented by Lucía Benavides with Lea Beliaeva and Oriol Escudé.
Romani is the main language of the Roma community, and one of the biggest minority languages in Europe - estimated to be spoken by millions of people. But because the Roma people have been persecuted for centuries, their language and culture have suffered tremendously. In this episode, we're going to talk about the origins of the Romani language and where it stands today. We're also going to hear from two Roma activists, who are spreading awareness about their history, culture and language. The phrase of the week is in Romani: "Ma krisaren i pustik Katar o ucharni," which translates to "Don't judge a book by its cover." Presented by Lucía Benavides with Lea Beliaeva.
Reporter Lorcan Doherty joins Lucía Benavides to take a look back at this year's top Catalan news. There were local and national elections, a new amnesty law for Catalan pro-independence leaders, the ongoing drought that's left reservoirs at 18 percent full. And there were also big-name celebrity break-ups and cultural heritage celebrations across the territory. The Catalan phrase of the week is: "Fer campana," which translates literally to "Do a bell," and is used when referring to skipping school or work.
Lluís Domènech i Montaner is best known for designing Barcelona's famous Palau de la Música Catalana and the Sant Pau Hospital, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. But he was also a renowned professor, with big-name students like Antoni Gaudí, and a key figure in Catalan politics. This week marks a hundred years since his death on December 27, 1923. The Catalan phrase of the week is: "Alt com un Sant Pau," which translates literally to "Tall like Saint Paul," and is used when referring to a very tall person. Presented by Lucía Benavides with Lea Beliaeva.
This week marks 100 years since the birth of one of Catalonia's most renowned artists of the 20th century: Antoni Tàpies. He's best known for his abstract art and avant-garde works, which experimented with materials such as wood, marble dust, chairs and socks. In this episode, we'll hear from museum curators on why Tàpies' work is still relevant today and get an intimate look into the artist's home life from Tàpies' very own son. The Catalan quote of the week was said by Antoni Tàpies in 1990: "My illusion is to have something to transmit. If I can't change the world, at least I want to change the way people look at it." Presented by Lucía Benavides with Cillian Shields.
Catalonia is experiencing the worst drought on record, with reservoirs as low as 18 percent and local governments preparing for drastic measures - such as shipping in fresh water. And this is due, in large part, to climate change. For years, the territory has been getting hotter and drier weather, leading to drained reservoirs, wildfires and lost harvests. In this episode, we'll talk to an environmental organization about what more should be done and to a farmer's union on how the agriculture industry is affected. The Catalan phrase of the week is: "El peix que es mossega la cua," which translates literally to "The fish that bites its own tail," and is used when talking about a vicious cycle. Presented by Lucía Benavides with Lea Beliaeva and Oriol Escudé.
Catalonia has the most Michelin stars in all of Spain - with a whopping 70 in all. The last three stars were added just this week, at a gala held in Barcelona to announce the restaurants that would be included in the 2024 Michelin Guide to Spain. One of them is a Barcelona joint, Disfrutar, that was given its third star - the highest achievement in the guide's ranking. In this episode, we'll talk about Catalonia's world-renowned cuisine and visit a restaurant in Igualada, Somiatruites, that has a Green Michelin star for its focus on sustainability. The Catalan phrase of the week is: "Descobrir la sopa d'all," which translates literally to "Discover garlic soup," and is used when someone claims to do something new but is actually recycling an old idea. Presented by Lucía Benavides with Lorcan Doherty.
These days, going grocery shopping is making more of a dent in our wallets than usual. The cost of many basic food products - including olive oil, milk and eggs - has risen more than thirty percent in just two years. That's due to several factors; among them, the ongoing inflation across much of Europe. But shoppers aren't the only ones affected by price increases - farmers are just as fazed. In this episode, we'll hear from the Catalan Farmers Union and talk to Barcelona residents about how they've changed their shopping habits. The Catalan phrase of the week is: "Mitja figa, mig raïm," which translates literally to "half fig, half grape," and is used when someone is undecided. Presented by Lucía Benavides with Oriol Escudé and Lea Beliaeva.
Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez was sworn in as prime minister on Friday, bringing an end to a four-month long saga of inconclusive results from the July general elections. The new coalition government with left-wing Sumar was made possible by the support of smaller parties like Catalan pro-independence Esquerra Republicana and Junts, securing Sánchez a total of 179 votes in the 350-member chamber. But the re-election comes with a controversial amnesty deal that would benefit those involved in the Catalan pro-independence push of the last decade, including exiled political leaders. The Catalan phrase of the week is: "Tarda d'hora," which means "sooner or later." Presented by Lucía Benavides with Gerard Escaich Folch.
Catalonia has reached a new population record of 8 million residents. The growth has come quicker than ever before - jumping by 1 million inhabitants in just 17 years. And that's despite having some of the lowest fertility rates in the world. So, how does the math add up? Well, there are two main factors at play: people are living longer and there are more foreign-born residents. In this episode, we'll get reactions from a range of people on the street and talk to Albert Esteve, director of the Center for Demographic Studies. The Catalan phrase of the week is: "Entre poc i massa," which translates literally to "between a little and too much," and is used when someone exaggerates. Presented by Lucía Benavides with Lorcan Doherty, Oriol Escudé and Guifré Jordan.
There are around 1.6 million foreign-born residents in Catalonia, almost 400,000 of whom live in Barcelona. They come from all over the world: Pakistan, China, Venezuela, Senegal, Romania. But the stats don't tell us the full story. Why did they come here? Are they adapting to life in Catalonia? Do they feel at home or completely out of place? In this episode, we'll hear from a number of migrants who spoke to us at the Barcelona International Community Day and talk to cross-cultural management professor Marina Ruiz Tada. The Catalan phrase of the week is "A la tardor, ni fred ni calor," which translates literally to "In autumn, it's neither cold nor hot." Presented by Lucía Benavides with Gerard Escaich Folch and Cillian Shields.
Barcelona has one of the lowest subsidy rates for public housing in all of Europe: only 1.7% of rental properties are designated for social housing. Compared to other EU countries, where the average rate is 18%, the Catalan capital's situation looks pretty grim. In this episode, we'll learn about one of the first social housing projects in Barcelona, the cases barates of the Bon Pastor neighborhood, and talk to grassroots activists from the Platform for Mortgage Victims to understand what can be done today. The Catalan phrase of the week is "com a casa no hi ha res," which translates to "there's no place like home." Presented by Lucía Benavides with Lea Beliaeva and Lorcan Doherty.
This month marks what would have been Catalan biochemist Joan Oró's 100th birthday. His ground-breaking research on the origin of life granted him fame in the 1950s, leading to important collaborations with NASA on the possibility of life on other planets. In this episode, we take a trip back through his extraordinary life to learn about his contributions to science and his investment in academic organizations in Catalonia. The Catalan phrase of the week is "estar a la lluna de València," which means literally to "be on the moon of Valencia," and is used when someone is distracted. Presented by Lucía Benavides with Cillian Shields.
Many of you may have heard the term "Instagrammable," which refers to places that are so beautiful or unique, they'd make for a perfect Instagram photo. As a result, these spots sometimes become famous on social media, drawing hundreds or thousands of travelers - who mostly just want to take a photo there. And Barcelona is no exception. In this episode, we will visit churrerías, bakeries, food markets and hills with panoramic views. The Catalan phrase of the week is "una imatge val més que mil paraules," which translates to "an image is worth more than a thousand words". Presented by Lucía Benavides with Emma Monrós and Lea Beliaeva.
As of September 19, Spanish MPs can address Congress in Catalan for the first time ever - as well as Basque and Galician. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez agreed to pro-independence parties' demands to grant these three languages official parliamentary status. Some see it as a move towards a more plural and multilingual Spain. The next step is the European Union - where Catalan could become the 25th official language there. Oscar Escuder from the Catalan language NGO Plataforma per la Llengua and Vincent Climent Ferrando, translation and language science professor at the Pompeu Fabra University, talk to us about the campaign to get Catalan approved and what this could mean for other minority languages across the European bloc. This week's Catalan phrase is "de mica en mica, s'omple la pica." Literally, it's translated into "little by little, the sink fills up," and it refers to taking things one step at a time. Presented by Lucía Benavides with Lorcan Doherty and Lea Beliaeva.
New animal welfare legislation comes into effect across Spain with increased fines for abuse and new obligations for pet owners, but it hasn't been without controversy. An exemption for hunting dogs divided public opinion and the coalition government, while bullfighting continues to enjoy protected legal status as "cultural heritage." Carlos Sánchez from pro-hunting organization Artemisan Foundation and Brooke Spurling from animal rights group AnimaNaturalis share their thoughts on the new law. This week's Catalan phrase is 'buscar tres peus al gat'. Literally, 'to look for three feet on the cat', it means to make something unnecessarily complicated. Presented by Lorcan Doherty with Cillian Shields.
As the real-life case of the murder of a Barcelona police officer is given the Netflix treatment, Filling the Sink looks at true crime stories in Catalonia. Actors Úrsula Corberó and Quim Gutiérrez from eight-part dramatization 'Burning Body' discuss how they blend fiction and reality. Anna Punsí, content director at True Crime Factory explains the appeal and success of 'Crims', Catalonia's favorite true crime podcast and TV series. This week's Catalan phrase is 'la realitat supera la ficció' - 'life is stranger than fiction'. Presented by Lorcan Doherty with Emma Monrós and Lea Beliaeva.