Filling the Sink

October 19th is the World Health Organization’s International Day Against Breast Cancer. In 2022, more than 2 million people worldwide were diagnosed with the illness, while the number of diagnoses here in Catalonia last year was around 5,400. Although breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed type of cancer in women, it has one of the highest survival rates, which have improved year after ye...

SEAT is known as one of the largest companies in Catalonia and one of the biggest car manufacturers in Europe, selling over half a million cars in 2023 alone. The classic SEAT 600 was more than just a car - it was the model that democratized driving in Spain, got millions of people on the road, and served as a symbol of a rapidly industrializing country in the mid-20th century. On October 18, 1971...

Last Saturday, around 5,000 people gathered for the 11th edition of the Barcelona International Community Day at the Maritime Museum, just off the famous La Rambla boulevard. The annual event welcomes the international community for a day of talks, workshops,  and networking activities to help newcomers to Catalonia settle in, meet people, and get tips on how to enjoy the Catalan capital. Lorcan D...

While most people were away on vacation this summer, it was announced that the Catalan Socialists had made a deal with the pro-independence Esquerra Republicana to create a new financing model in Catalonia. If approved, it will be implemented in 2026. The deal would, among other things, give Catalonia more economic independence and create what some call a “fairer” system. Other, more critical voic...

The Catalan capital on the Mediterranean coast has always been a city that attracts immigration, whether people come in search of a better job, a better life, or just an adventure. Barcelona inhabitants - old and new -  are also known as people who are always ready to fight for their rights. The latest movie, ‘El 47’, tells one of these stories. Set in the late 1970s in the marginalized neighborho...

This week marks the official back-to-school week in Catalonia. According to official figures, 1.3 million Catalans have started or returned to classrooms, noisy schoolyards, and the routine of heavy backpacks and homework. While the vast majority of Catalan students attend public schools, a growing number are enrolled in private institutions, particularly international schools. Over the past decad...

It’s September - a time that means back to work, school, or the start of something new. This year, the same can be said for Catalan politics, as Salvador Illa has been sworn in as the new president of the Catalan government. For the first time since 2010, the Catalan Socialist Party has taken power, but more importantly, the leadership now rests with a party that opposes Catalan independence. Afte...

Modernism is one of the most important art movements in Catalonia, one that played a crucial role in shaping the cultural identity of Catalonia at the turn of the 20th century. The movement drew clear inspiration from parallel artistic trends throughout Europe, known by different names such as Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, or Modern Style. While the world of painters was very male-dominated, with Catal...

For centuries, Catalans have enjoyed “la hora del vermut,” or in English “the vermouth hour”, a time during the day when people slow down and sip a cool glass of vermouth while catching up on life. But what exactly is vermouth, where does it come from, and is it difficult to make yourself? Cillian Shields joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about all things vermut, and together with the Catalan News...

Catalan literary agent Carmen Balcells considered a revolutionary in the publishing industry, was single-handedly responsible for turning it on its head. She dignified the writing profession by banning lifetime contracts and ensuring writers could make a living from their craft and negotiate their terms. Through her literary agency, which she founded during the Franco dictatorship in Spain, she pl...

Barcelona is the city in the world with the most extensive history of barricade fights. These words come from philosopher Friedrich Engels, and many other thinkers have pointed to Barcelona as the city of revolutions. 115 years ago, on July 25, 1909, the Catalan capital witnessed one of the first popular uprisings of the century, known as the Tragic Week or La Setmana Tràgica in Catalan.  What beg...

Every year in Catalonia, the LGBTI+ community celebrates Pride, an almost month-long celebration of events, talks, demonstrations, and more, culminating in the big Pride demonstration or Parade in Barcelona, on Saturday, July 20th. Barcelona Pride Month is not only a celebration of the freedom to be yourself but also a moment when the community reminds everyone of the work that still needs to be d...

On July 12th, 1984, the first baby was born through assisted reproduction in Barcelona and all of Spain, but the path to motherhood is not always as linear and easy as it is portrayed. Fertility treatment is becoming more and more common throughout the world, and in Spain, one in every ten children in the Spanish state is born thanks to this technology. This is due in particular to three factors:...

Forty years ago, on July 12th, 1984, the first baby was born through assisted reproduction in Barcelona and in all of Spain. At the time, the news of a couple seeking help to conceive at the Barcelona Dexeus private hospital made headlines everywhere. But a lot has happened since then: in 2006, assisted reproduction became available for free through the public health system throughout Spain. Later...

For more than 200 years, Catalans have celebrated the sky-reaching tradition of castells, literally castles in Catalan, when groups of people gather to climb on top of each other to build the highest castle. Although the tradition suffered waves of decline up to the point of disappearance, it experienced a renaissance in the 1980s, and in 2010 UNESCO included castells on its list of intangible cul...

This year marks the 74th edition of the world’s largest motor racing event, the Formula One World Championship. Since 1991, the Spanish Grand Prix has been held at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit in Montmeló, half an hour north of the Catalan capital. However, this year could be one of the last times the Spanish race is held in Catalonia, as Madrid has signed a new ten-year deal with Formula One....

Barcelona’s haute cuisine restaurant ‘Disfrutar’ has been named the World’s Best Restaurant in the 22nd edition of the prestigious ranking “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.” With this accolade, head chefs and creators Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro, and Eduard Xatruch have added another star to the Catalan culinary constellation, joining the ranks of renowned establishments such as  El Bulli, el Cell...

For the past four days, EU citizens have been casting their ballots in the European Parliament elections. In Catalonia and the rest of Spain, Sunday, June 9th was the big day. Gerard Escaich Folch joins Lea Beliaeva Bander the morning after for a Filling the Sink post-election special to break down the results in Europe, Spain, and Catalonia. Millions of people have flocked to polling stations acr...

On May 30th, under sun, thunder, and lightning, Primavera Sound, the biggest festival in Spain descended on Barcelona’s Parc del Fòrum for the 22nd time, kicking off this year’s summer festival season in Catalonia. With a solid mix of Catalan summer hits, rock bangers, catchy pop tunes, and international names such as Lana Del Rey, Pulp, Deftones, and Troye Sivan, the 268,000 attendees were in for...

Since 1980, at the end of May, the western Catalan city of Lleida becomes the snail center of Catalonia, where hundreds of people get together to celebrate the annual Catalan Snail Gathering, or l’Aplec del cargol in Catalan. Fans of the tiny molluscs unite for a weekend of gastronomy, but also of competitions, concerts, and the Catalan human towers, castells. For this last edition of the festival...

Finding affordable housing has long been a problem in Catalonia and Spain, and in March, the Spanish government introduced a reference index for rent prices to keep them from rising. But the new rent cap created loopholes and had the opposite effect of increasing prices on short-term leases, while long-term housing became even harder to find. In response, the Catalan government rushed through regu...

The Catalan snap election is over, and the voters gave the Catalan Socialist Party, PSC, a whopping 28% of the vote, which translates into 42 seats. But falling short of an absolute majority of 68 seats, the results mean that the Socialists now have to find new alliances to form a government. This episode of Filling the Sink was recorded bright and early on the first morning of the new political c...

On May 11, we celebrate the 120th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Catalan artist Salvador Dalí, whose influence on the art world continues to captivate audiences worldwide. The surrealist painter was born in the northern Catalan town of Figueres, but spent most of his life in the picturesque coastal towns of Cadaques and Port Lligat, from where he drew much of his inspiration. Although D...

The Catalan election season is in full swing – once again. On March 18th, Catalan President Pere Aragonès announced that he was dissolving the Catalan parliament and calling for a snap election on May 12th. The news came after the government failed to secure a majority to pass the 2024 budget. Calling for early elections in Catalonia is nothing new, as it has been 14 years since a government last...

Sant Jordi or Saint George is the patron saint of Catalonia, and April 23 is the day when Catalans celebrate love, roses, romance, and also books.  This week's episode is recorded from the bookshop Backstory in the heart of Barcelona.  We explain what makes this day special and why people give each other roses and books. We learn about the legend of Sant Jordi and how this day became World Book Da...