Tag: Europe

October 11, 2025

“The pine tree of Formentor:” more than a nature poem

Translation from Catalan of Miquel Costa i Llobera’s “El pi de Formentor” by Brett Hetherington and Antoni Cardona The pine tree of Formentor Miquel Costa i Llobera (1875)My heart loves a tree! Older than the olive tree,more powerful than the oak, greener than the orange tree,holding onto eternal spring in its leaves,and fighting against the…
September 20, 2025

Where have all the Sad and Angry songs gone?

How mainstream music no longer reflects the temper of our time I heard a French song on the radio the other day. It sounded like one of those lovely ballads from around the time of the Second World War, and it had a melody and lyrics that were sung with just enough melancholy to somehow…
August 31, 2025

Freedom Flotilla to Gaza, left the port of Barcelona this afternoon

Thanks to @DiEM25official Barcelona group
May 4, 2025

“Sunrise from the south” (a new poem with Catalan translation)

Behind the treesAway from the darkIn just one little cornerA patch of childhood blue skyBut each time I looked up from my tea and cakeIn only seconds travelling west fast It accosted meEven shamed meUntil the pale patch in mere minutesHad migrated into a couple of fluffed bars low Down on the horizon madeBy the…
April 6, 2025

The loneliness of the long-distance teacher

March 2020 was just the start… At least the badly-exploited Glovo guys on their bikes get together in the public square. They can have a chat or a moan with each other between deliveries. Unlike them, the average Business English teacher here in Spain is now more than likely to be sitting solo at a…
July 27, 2024

Short video: “Life and culture in Barcelona, Catalonia/Spain:” my opinions

I and three other foreign residents were interviewed by The Movement Hub on their YouTube channel… From their summary: “Experience Spanish & Catalan Culture Through American & Australian Eyes Are you curious about life in Barcelona? In this video, three Americans and an Australian share their experiences with Spanish and Catalan culture, providing unique insights into life in Catalonia.…
January 3, 2024

Barcelona’s cannibal restaurant and murderous barber

Legend has it that a certain inn was known for the quality and cheapness of its meat dishes. (Please note: No AI was used in my translation of this article.) There are two old mansions on a Barcelona street named Pou de la Figuera. They seem to stand somewhat isolated among the many modern buildings…
July 16, 2023

Video: Launching my book “Slow Travels in Unsung Spain” in Barcelona
February 12, 2023

Grabbing Granados

[This article* was first published in Catalonia Today magazine, Feb. 2023.] A huge boat is sinking in The English Channel. A man is clinging on to the side of a tiny raft, only big enough for one woman to kneel on. Soon, both drown in sight of other passengers. According to witness Daniel Sargent, this…
February 7, 2023

Pandemic poem

(30 Jan. 2022) cut down cut down to bone cut off to spite it and cut off from cut away to put away just to stay away cut out cut out your needy cut me down I’m not cut out for it