Current MRes Catalan Studies student Lucy Taylor, who also studied BA French and Hispanic Studies, writes of her time spent in Catalonia, as Catalan Studies at the University of Liverpool marks a 100-year milestone:
The first day I arrived in Girona it was raining; not the kind of rain I am used to as a Mancunian but rather a torrential, almost tropical, downpour. As I sat in my new flat, contemplating what was awaiting me over the next semester studying at the city’s university, I wondered how I would be welcomed to this new place, having only studied Catalan for one year at that point. My mum, who had helped me move my belongings from Lyon (the French city where I had been living prior), suggested we avoid the rain by shopping for new bedding.
In a small homeware shop five minutes from my flat, we met an elderly shopkeeper. As soon as I opened my mouth to ask where the pillowcases were, the shopkeeper’s eyes lit up: “Where are you from?”, she enquired, “Why… how do you speak Catalan?”. As I explained my story, studying languages at the University of Liverpool and coming to Girona as part of my year abroad, the woman gently squoze my mum’s hand as if to reassure her that I was safe here. As we left the shop, new pillowcases in hand, the woman slipped me a note, on it was written her name and phone number, “Just in case you need any help whilst you live here”, she smiled.
Little did I know that that first day of rain would be followed by months of sun and that I would never need the shopkeeper’s help, not in Girona nor in any other Catalan-speaking area I visited, as the same warmth she met me with awaited me with every Catalan I met.
Marvelling at new experiences
My semester in Girona was filled with ‘newness’… new experiences, new friends, new language. Every day brought me something new, whether it was studying an author I had never heard of before in my literature class, being invited to a classmate’s home for lunch, riding my bike over to the beaches of the Costa Brava or exploring the incredible architecture around the city (so beautiful that it was used as part of the Game of Thrones set). One of my favourite experiences was attending the university’s Calçotada (one of Catalonia’s most renowned gastronomic celebrations); as I ate the traditional grilled spring onions (or Calçots), my friends and I marvelled at the student team of Castellers, building the famous Catalan human towers all around us.
Off the beaten track
Following my six months living in Girona, I had the opportunity to attend a summer school in Palma, Mallorca with the Institut Ramon Llull. Upon arriving at the hotel on the first day of the summer school, I was amazed by the group of people I was met with- from Germany, Italy, China, Mexico and beyond- all passionate Catalan learners. Through the two-week stay we explored the island, guided by a local student (Pere Carbonell), often heading off the beaten-track and seeing sides of Mallorca’s beautiful landscape and culture not always seen by tourists. We attended traditional music workshops, cooking classes, toured the Balearic Island’s parliament and even joined the famous Palma city water fight!
Catalan in Andorra and France
Fuelled by the amazing cultural and linguistic experiences I had encountered in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, I was itching to discover more! Following my graduation from the University of Liverpool in July 2024, I took a trip to Andorra (a small, mountainous country between Spain and France). Over the long weekend I stayed in Andorra, I took in some of the most beautiful nature I have ever seen and marvelled at the unique landscape of this Catalan-speaking country. One of my favourite experiences from the trip was visiting the Caldea spa, which is home to a swim-out pool from which you can see all the mountains of Europe’s highest capital.
A year later, whilst working in northern France, I planned a trip to Perpignan (the capital of North Catalonia, France’s Catalan-speaking area) with a friend. Through the window of our train from Paris to Perpignan, as we entered into North Catalonia, we were in awe of the long, sandy beaches and open nature reserves that foreground the mountainous Pyrenees. Our trip centred very much around hopping between coastal towns and exploring the diverse nature on offer in this region. Two of my favourite days were visiting the town of Illa de Riberal (or Ille-sur-Têt in French), where the Francocatalan writer, Simona Gay, is from and where is home to an impressive set of gorges and rock formations unlike anything I have seen before. Then, on our last day, we decided to follow the Littoral coastal path, walking for over five hours along the coastline, through the hills of North Catalonia and across the border into Catalonia at Portbou.