Laura Casals: "I "joined" the Premium Club for a year... there will be many more!"

Laura Casals has professionally enjoyed being an infant education teacher, director of the Pràctiques school in the Barcelona neighborhood of Sants, and a trainer of teachers and directors. She has recently retired, but her schedule is very full, especially since last Christmas, when she became a member of the ARA's Club Prèmium. "I have been a subscriber to the newspaper for years and from the beginning the activities of Club Prèmium caught my attention. I was looking at them. 'What if I joined?' I thought. But I kept putting it off,' she explains. 'I like culture, staying up to date with theater listings, film premieres, and especially the world of dance. I doubted if I could fit the Prèmium proposals into my schedule. But finally, I signed up, with the idea of trying it for a year.... I have no doubt that there will be many more!' says Laura.

For half a year, he has participated in forty activities. He has immersed himself in modernism in Reus, in the baroque in Manresa, in the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà to observe a large number of birds, in the vineyards of Penedès, in the streets of Banyoles, in the thermal baths of Caldes... One of the best experiences he has had with Club Prèmium is the route through Cap de Creus with the centenary sloop «Sant Isidre». «We saw from the sea the spectacle of the rocks and the virgin coves with explanations given in a salty dialect», he recalls.Precisely coinciding with this outing, she previously shared with the group an application that allows you to find the paintings that cover the electricity meters located outdoors in Cadaqués. She also shared an application to recognize birds through their song before the route through the Aiguamolls de l'Empordà. And at the end of some days, she creates a photo album that she also shares with the group. Laura is quite active.

Laura Casals particularly values activities guided by professionals involved, such as the person who curated it or the head of the institution. "It was a luxury to visit the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts accompanied by its president," she says, drawing a broad smile. And she enjoys proposals that combine culture and gastronomy, in which long conversations are woven. What we have done this year includes a visit to Casa Navàs in Reus, with a subsequent calçotada, an afternoon at Casa Vicens in Barcelona with a snack in the garden, a visit to the Barcelona Museum of Natural Sciences, with lunch by the sea... "On this last visit, we enjoyed a very special moment: it was the birthday of Marita, one of the members of Club Prèmium. As a surprise, we had her dessert brought out with a candle and we sang "Happy Birthday" to her... The whole restaurant ended up singing with us!".

Laura also highlights as a positive note of the Premium Club the network of relationships that have been created among the members. "We are people who love our land and like to get to know it. When at the beginning of a visit to a museum or an exhibition they ask us “What are you interested in us explaining?” We answer: “We want to know everything.” There are quite a few who go beyond the club's proposals and coordinate to share cars to attend activities. L’ARA continues to organize very diverse proposals for the Club Prèmium. Among the upcoming ones, we highlight a very complete one, which includes a visit to the canònica of Vilabertran and a concert.50% discount offer: if you are a subscriber, take advantage of the summer offer and join the Club Prèmium at half price to enjoy all cultural and journalistic activities and enjoy other advantages such as browsing Ara.cat without advertising or giving an annual digital subscription to whomever you want.