Word: catalonia
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...much more practiced in the art of gracious loving. And no less than Vicky and Cristina, Allen is almost starstruck by the Spaniards, and the Mediterranean ease in forming, then releasing, sexual liaisons. The hallmark of his characters is the fumbling confession of furtive love; but in this idealized Catalonia, where nothing romantic is forbidden, everything is beautiful, as natural as breathing in synch with the woman who has fallen asleep in your arms...
...more practiced in the art of gracious loving. And no less than Vicky and Cristina, Allen is almost star struck by the Spaniards, and the Mediterranean ease in forming, then releasing, sexual liaisons. The hallmark of his characters is the fumbling confession of furtive love; but in this idealized Catalonia, where nothing romantic is forbidden, everything is beautiful, as natural as breathing in sync with the woman who has fallen asleep in your arms...
...cite Catalan as their national identity. In conversations across the spectrum - young and old, leftist and right-wing, gay and straight, a retired couple near Tarragona and a Moroccan immigrant in Vic - the upcoming Spanish elections are discussed as if they're taking place in a foreign country. "For Catalonia, it is better if?" was how the typical response began. Here, road signs and restaurant menus are written in Catalan. It's also the language of public education, in schools where the national history of Catalonia is central to the curriculum, while Spanish is taught for two hours a week...
...symbol of dissent to the Franco dictatorship, Real Madrid was the regime's - and the Generalísimo's - favored team. (Santiago Bernabeu, the former club president for whom the Galácticos' stadium is named, even fought with Franco's army during the Nationalist invasion of Catalonia). "For Catalans, who see themselves as a nation that has lost so much politically, economically, and socially" says Salvador, "a win against Real Madrid is especially pleasurable...
...Madrid match is perhaps not the most telling example of Catalan nationalism's strange intermingling of sports and politics. For that, look to a quieter game scheduled a week later. Although international sporting organizations such as UEFA and the IOC have long rejected Catalonia's efforts to field its own sides, the region continues to mount unofficial efforts. And on December 29th, a Catalan selection will take to the San Mamé s stadium in Bilbao for a friendly match against - who else? - Euskadi, the Basques' national soccer team. It won't get the international attention...