When summer arrives, it seems like we all have to do something extraordinary. Social media fills up with paradisiacal beaches, family trips, activities, unique experiences, and calendars so full that they even need a break.

A couple of months ago, singer Amaia acknowledged in statements to a fashion magazine that she had low self-esteem, because it seems to be fashionable to be too thin, and she likes to eat. Unfortunately, in 2026 we are experiencing the boom of Ozempic and other slimming products. Therefore, it is important to help children learn to accept their bodies. What Elena Crespi, a psychologist, sexologist, and feminist, proposes is to make them understand that the world is diverse regarding bodies, and that even though the models they always show us are a specific type of body, if they look around they will see that it is full of diverse and fantastic bodies, with more or less functionalities: “Even though in series, movies, and social networks there is only room for bodies that fit within a model, they must be made to understand that each one is different and has its own capabilities”.

My friend Alícia told me one day that she would have liked to have a village to spend the summer in. It is a very different concept to have a village than to have a second home on the beach or wherever. In the village you have roots, connections, surely you have relatives there or with a bit of luck your grandparents still live there. Nothing happens in the village, there isn't much and for not having anything, maybe there isn't even a beach. There life stops, the days pass slowly and lazily and the day's work is just waiting for it to be less hot to go out and play in the street.

There is plenty to choose from. This summer, holidays are packed with activities. Cultural heritage is adorned to welcome visitors with a dream program to enjoy with the family too. If you are planning a getaway, for a day or several, be sure to consult the 2026 Summer Program of the Cultural Heritage of the Generalitat de Catalunya.Summer Program 2026 from the Cultural Heritage of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Summer in Catalonia smells of the sea and, above all, of sweet fruit. But, what is the undisputed king of the season? According to the 1st edition of the "Thermometer of Taste" presented by Ametller Origen, the verdict is clear: watermelon (39%) is the fruit with the favorite taste of summer for Catalans.The study, based on a survey of 800 people from across the territory between Ametller Origen and Appinio, places this fruit as the quintessential summer icon. The podium is completed by melon (22.8%) and cherry (18.9%), which also consolidate as some of the most representative fruits of Catalonia, along with yellow peach.Despite the historical rivalry between watermelon and melon on summer tables, watermelon has managed to take first place thanks to its hydration and lightness. Furthermore, respondents highlight that watermelon transports them to moments of their childhood.Regarding the four Catalan provinces, watermelon is the preferred fruit throughout the territory. Tarragona is where it gets the highest support, with 42% of responses, followed by Barcelona (41.2%); in Girona, the choice reaches 38.5%, and in Lleida it is 34.5%. An average of 2.3 pieces of fruit per day

Catalans consume an average of 2.3 pieces of fruit per day, a figure in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), which advises eating between two and three pieces of fruit per day, as part of a diet that includes at least five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. The Ametller Origen study shows that men and women consume practically the same amount. By territory, Barcelona is the province with the highest consumption, while Girona registers the lowest. Furthermore, a clear trend is also observed: the older the respondents are, the more fruit they consume. Regarding consumption habits, 67% of respondents state that the best time to eat fruit is in the morning or at lunchtime. On the other hand, only 8% consider that the evening is the ideal time to consume it.The study also reveals that taste is an increasingly decisive factor. In fact, 90% of respondents say they would be willing to pay more for tastier fruit. When buying it, they also particularly value proximity and ripeness.Furthermore, 95% of participants recognize that visual appearance influences their purchasing decision, which shows that consumers are increasingly selective and demanding. Despite this, 81% admit that it is increasingly difficult for them to find fruit with the same taste they remember from childhood, a fact that reinforces the perception that regaining taste is one of the main demands of consumers today.The Taste is Ours

The presentation of the I Taste Thermometer coincides with the launch of the new Ametller Origen brand, El Gust és Nostre. True to its constant evolution, the Penedès-based company is committed to a narrative focused on taste as a guarantor of product quality and excellence. Ametller Origen, which this year celebrates 25 years, builds its present and future model on taste as a backbone element that articulates all its activity, from the first seed to the table experience. A totally unique model that has made the company the preferred chain by consumers in the fruit and vegetable category in Spain, according to the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU). The launch is part of a new global purpose: “Empower the world to be guided by taste”. “Excellent taste is not a coincidence; it is the direct consequence of our way of doing things and that is what makes us unique,” explains Josep Ametller, CEO and co-founder of Ametller Origen.

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There are many movies I haven't seen. To give you an idea of the magnitude of the tragedy, I didn't see Dirty Dancing until the lockdown (what a marvel) or, as incredible as it may seem, Pretty Woman. For someone born in 1990, turning thirty and never having seen Pretty Woman is like saying you've never heard La Bomba, or like having crossed the square at a brisk pace in the middle of a water fight and having your clothes completely dry. Well, it's possible. Pretty Woman! I like the triangle it traces with the universal Cinderella plot and how Nights of Cabiria (Fellini, 1957) is its dark, fatal, bitter version. And yet, with an ending that illuminates the spirit with the force of a thousand suns.

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As soon as he opened his eyes, Nil felt he had had too much white wine. He also felt a terrible heat. He is sweating profusely. Pol lies unconscious on the cot nearby. Jan and Roc, in the other cabin, are also sleeping.

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Catalonia faces a much better water scenario this summer than in previous years, but this does not mean that the risk of fires is lower. Abundant rains, especially during winter, have allowed water reserves and the territory's water status to be recovered. Reservoirs have been filled, forests have been recovering from the historic drought, and vegetation has grown strongly after months of generous rainfall.

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This heatwave, this European hell, has once again made it clear to us – if it was necessary, which it clearly is – that we are not prepared. That if heat doesn't suffocate us, rivers do; if the economy doesn't strangle us, an epidemic does; if corruption doesn't asphyxiate us, cynicism does. Europe is the continent warming up fastest, and down here, luckily, we know what heat is, and even if it's unbearable, we have blinds and trained sweat, but up there they have no idea; in fact, they used to come down to seek this heat that they now have at home and that enters through windows and walls designed to store warmth and get rid of cold. But neither the north nor the south are prepared for this 21st century that advances relentlessly like a conquest burning its ships. Because while the thermometers break records and need new digits, the human world is putting out fires, rescuing lives from the rubble in a country where it rains on the wet and awaits new political earthquakes that spark wars and place more dead lives under the remains of disaster. AI also makes us tremble, and we know that, like heat, it is unstoppable. But, like heat, we do not know, want, or can stop it. The good news is that it is a propitious moment for craftsmanship and calm to return. So that everything is done more slowly again and we stop this haste that only makes us sweat. 

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After the intense heat of recent days and experiencing the warmest spring since records began, the astronomical summer will officially begin this Sunday at 10:24 AM, even though it seems to have set in weeks ago. And it will arrive in grand style, as the first heatwave of the year will also kick off. The anticyclone and the gust of warm air from North Africa will strengthen, driven by southerly winds that will cause a low-pressure system located in the Atlantic.

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Summer arrives and works proliferate (even more) in Barcelona. The City Council and the Generalitat have made the now-classic announcement of mobility disruptions for this summer and have specified that they plan to carry out some forty actions in the Catalan capital. These are 24 works and 18 paving operations that will directly affect the city's mobility. As every year, the administration tries to accumulate many of these tasks in the summer, specifically in August, precisely because it is the period of the year with fewer vehicles and, consequently, with fewer disturbances for residents and less impact.

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Summer is here, mobility in Barcelona decreases and, as every year, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) takes advantage of the downturn to carry out the toughest improvement works on the network. This summer, the most important actions will be carried out on L1, L9 and some interchanges such as Verdaguer and Plaça de Catalunya. Before starting the works, TMB will carry out information campaigns to warn citizens about the changes.

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The season of goodbyes has begun. People say goodbye or are said goodbye to. Stages end because nothing lasts forever. We are creatures of habit, but some people need to break routines more often than others. There are also those who wait for others to break them. It cannot be said to be better or worse. Saying goodbye voluntarily is the result of making decisions,but goodbyes, even if you have thought them over, are not easy. Nor is it easy to digest being told goodbye. It is a time for tears, for gratitude, and for disappointments. It is the season of cherries and bitterness. But beyond the most notable goodbyes, and taking advantage of the fact that the summer season is approaching, although, climatologically speaking, we have already fully entered it, it would be wonderful to be able to say goodbye to the perpetual burdens with which current events constantly assault us. To free ourselves from endemic weights that only serve to sow despair in a world that could be fuller of enthusiasm. To optimize this time of pause and change to clear the air.  

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As we're about to enter the whirlwind of the Christmas festivities, you've probably already started thinking about and dreaming of the trips you want to take in 2026. Every great trip needs careful planning, and that's why Eurovacations Travel It offers the possibility of getting to know countries all over the world with the peace of mind of traveling with everything done for you: flights, hotels, visits, excursions, experiences, all booked, and, in addition, with a guide from Barcelona.

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Which is better, summer time or winter time? The debate is open. If we stick with daylight saving time, the changes would be noticeable during the winter. These would be the most notable effects we would notice, especially around the winter solstice:

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This summer will be remembered for the extreme heat, the fires, and the massacres. But each of us will have our own particular summer, transformed into a refuge for memory. More or less everyone in our first world is now returning to routine. It's noticeable in the streets. We're already connected. Disconnecting, which we did much more when summers were analog, is practically impossible in digital times. Some people tune out the news because it's bad and it affects them. In summer and all year round. Others do it because it doesn't interest them. Everything is permissible. How can you not read books? says a woman who makes videos on social media And it's also news. Because there are those who don't want to know anything but want to know everything about those contemporary gurus who trap them in the social cobwebs. Neither are better at liking to read, nor others worse at spending the day watching TikTok videos. Among other reasons because being better or worse can't be summed up in a weekly article. And I'll leave it here because I prefer to flee, which rhymes with reading, from that topic like I do from the heat.

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I walk up from the cove to get the car after a swim. To follow the path, I have to look up. It's been raining for the past few days. Behind the luminous green tops of the pines, the sky is a massive block of blue glass, perfected by the north wind.

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Reality repeats itself to the point of boredom, and that boredom can be a deterrent when it comes to writing about what's wrong, what's unfair, what's discriminatory. That's why, much to my chagrin, we need to be tiresome.

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We conclude (not astronomically or meteorologically, but in the work calendar) this summer of 2025, which, from my point of view, has been a strange summer. A summer ofheat waves and waves of fires, with the typical news snakes of the time, but mostly negative and with endless and very bitter controversies.

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As teacher And as a mother, I confess that September is my favorite month of the year. We're back at it again. I love choosing a new planner and starting the school year with the excitement of doing everything right. It's like when I was little, I'd open a new notebook, write a pretty title, and write the first two pages in beautiful handwriting. September is like that; it's the month of good intentions, blank pages, and long days that still smell of summer. Even our children are thinking, "This year I'll definitely do everything right and get great grades." We'll talk again in June.

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