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Three days before the start of the confinement due to Covid-19, Sergi Poyatos received the keys to what was to be his home and the gastronomic meeting point for all the people of Cervelló. Let's remember how we suffered and the vital and economic consequences that the pandemic had for everyone, but at the same time we saw that the world does not stop and, in July of that same year, El Secret del Vell opened its doors in Cervelló, a municipality that originates with the castle of Cervelló in the early 10th century.However, in 1714, the Catalan defeat in the War of Succession symbolized the end of an era. Among the first consequences of the conflict was the destruction of the castle, ordered by Philip V. The construction of the road between Barcelona and Valencia, in the second half of the 18th century, favored the formation of the grouped nucleus of Cervelló and marked the beginning of the town we know today.But let's leave history for another day and focus on Sergi's cuisine. We begin the meal with a taste of acorn "morcón" elaborated according to Sergi's family's traditional recipe. Originally from Cuenca and Extremadura, every year, for four generations, they return to their starting point to do the slaughter. We continue with "escalivada" aubergines from the Agrarian Park with goat cheese, hazelnuts, and their praline, and a dish of veal tripe with "capipota" and pork trotters. We are faced with a proposal based on good product, curious, and very well cooked.The main courses are house classics: steak tartare of aged Galician beef fillet, the famous cod pil-pil in homage to a centenarian client, and a rice dish with acorn-fed pork ribs, porcini mushrooms, and black sausage from a family slaughter. We ordered the rice after seeing it was a majority dish on many tables. The rib one was sublime, but we were left with the desire to try the seafood rice with squid, clams, and red shrimp. It will be a good excuse to return. The wine that accompanied us was Abadia de Poblet, from Conca de Barberà. A Santa Teresa toast in the Catalan style and a gin and tonic ice cream with Bulldog gelatin, lemon air, and red berries concluded a great lunch.A project to reconcile

After a very demanding service, we sit down with Sergi to talk about family, the town, cooking, and secrets. “I am a thirty-five-year-old family man, I have been living in Cervelló for fifteen years and I have a total family unit. The three things I like most are being a father, being my wife’s partner, and the restaurant business. I created the project ‘El Secret del Vell’ to be able to reconcile everything”, he tells us with the demeanor and tone of a happy guy. The team is very important: Sergi, Annuar, and Àlex in the kitchen, and Danae and José Luis in the dining room. The restaurant is divided into three spaces: a dining room with seven tables, a private room for eight diners, and a very nice interior terrace.Sergi began studying Art History, but his passion was cooking. His family is in the trade and, after studying and working in various renowned kitchens, he decided to start his own project. Cooking is his passion and the house that hosts his restaurant, his devotion. It is one of the first houses that was part of the beginning of Cervelló as a town; it was called the "basket makers' house" and is dated from the year 1793.Hey! We almost forgot to tell you about the secret, but we'll leave that for when you go. Ask Sergi about it: his face lights up when he explains it. A promise: you will eat very well.

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In 2001, Martin Seligman, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, began to notice the emotional burden of decades of research into depression and mental illness. He felt that the professional approach based on trying to cure trauma was imbuing him with a certain sadness. This led him to reflect on psychological therapies, often so focused on repairing harm that they forget to inject us with a good dose of optimism that makes us face life with more enthusiasm and joy. Seligman had just been elected president of the American Psychological Association and paved the way in a new direction: the so-called positive psychology. He wanted to study, scientifically, what the mechanisms are that make us feel that life is worth living. He did not intend to build any abstract theory but to establish effective behaviors that could be tested and measured. In 2005, Seligman and his research team recruited four hundred and eleven volunteers and divided them into five groups. One group would make a list of positive memories, another would identify their personal strengths. A third group would introduce small specified changes in their daily lives and a fourth would limit themselves to describing childhood memories. The fifth group would undertake a more elaborate task: they would write a letter of gratitude to someone important in their life, someone to whom they had not properly thanked. Afterwards, they would call them by phone, arrange to meet without explaining the reason, and once they had the person in front of them, they would read the letter aloud. It could not be a card with a meager “thanks for everything” to get it over with. The letter had to be about three hundred words long and specify the reasons for the gratitude, the details of that event, and how that person's gesture had changed their life. They named this exercise the gratitude visit.

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A sign that says "Welcome to the Gross Happiness CountryIt welcomes you to Paro International Airport in Bhutan. Next to it is a large portrait of the king and queen and a sign reminding you that smoking is prohibited throughout the country and that the speed limit is 50 kilometers per hour.

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Carpanta is an iconic comic strip character created in 1947 by Josep Escobar to depict the essential deprivations suffered by a large part of the population in post-war Spain. Carpanta was starving, and his comics humorously and satirically narrated his attempts to find food. He almost never succeeded, but his vitality allows us to glimpse a very particular kind of happiness that enabled him to survive the misery of his own world. Escobar presents us with a famished character, but never a miserable one. He harshly criticizes a period of hardship and inequality in a space designed primarily to elicit a smile. Happiness involves a very personal perception, and Carpanta's is no exception. Therefore, with the character still present in the collective memory, we will pay tribute to him by indulging in a feast at the restaurant that bears his name.

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In recent days, the image of Chinese actress Zhang Jingyi on the red carpet at the Beijing International Film Festival has spread like wildfire across social media and various trending outlets. The actress puts on the photocall Dressed in an elegant black dress. So far, nothing out of the ordinary. The reason for the viral video is something else: in her hand she's carrying a simple yellow plastic bag, the kind used for grocery shopping or taking out the trash at home.

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In the early afternoon, the Hikawa Bridge transforms into a small, impromptu film set. A group of young women, dressed in soft-hued kimonos, take photographs while laughing and trying to capture with their eyes the gentle rain of petals falling on the river. Below them, small boats glide calmly along the Shingashi River, amidst white and pink freckles floating on the surface. On the banks, cherry blossoms create an ephemeral tunnel, making Kawagoe a living postcard of Japan's most evocative side.

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In one of the approximately one hundred thousand WhatsApp groups of friends I belong to (and which have so many women, especially those in their later years), we spent quite a while discussing an Instagram post announcing that youth is no longer an age, but an energy. The headline is brilliant, and at first glance, I bought it wholeheartedly. I myself am fifty-six years old and I feel energetically young. And I think about it every Monday, because I like to start the week with a little madness: going to the gym for the seven o'clock weightlifting class. I've always been told I have a lot of energy, and as you can see, it hasn't diminished with age. My hands hurt more (osteoarthritis), I complain from time to time about my hip (that's the trochanteric bursitis trying to come back), I need a mouthguard to avoid straining my jaw at night, I take five hundred supplements to prevent it... However, I feel full of life. And I told myself that perhaps the post was right, and I do belong to what they now call the new young, he midlife expanding.

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In the waiting room of a medical center, I meet a man, around sixty years old, with his arm in a sling. The poor cell phone reception forces us to put our phones away, and we discuss the slow patient care. We start a conversation about our respective ailments, and he tells me that he dislocated his shoulder while unloading a huge table from a truck. He works as a delivery driver for a logistics company. He's anxious because he's been off work for a month and isn't getting any better. He's lost strength in his arm and can't lift anything heavy. He can't drive either because of the pain. He's afraid of losing his job and, at his age, thinks it would be very difficult to find another one. He transports furniture that we buy online: tables, beds, wardrobes, chests of drawers, sofas, and all kinds of large furniture. He rattles off all the brands they sell because he's convinced I know them. And he's right. They're very popular home decor and furniture websites. He says I can't even imagine the sheer number of deliveries that go wrong each workday. Furniture that has traveled such a long way, from countries all over Europe, changing logistics centers and trucks multiple times, that the packaging deteriorates and the merchandise is damaged. Often, they unload very heavy packages, and once they leave it with the customer and the customer checks the condition of the furniture, they ask them to take it back. In fact, a large part of the trips are for returns. They have to go back and pick up what they delivered a few days earlier, either themselves or with their colleagues. He says there are times when he's been to the same house up to three times because of the unsuccessful attempts to get the furniture delivered properly. He also explains how often there aren't enough workers to carry the weight of the furniture. The day he was injured unloading the table, the transport document specified "minimum four workers." To put it on the truck at the warehouse, it took four men with the help of a crane. To deliver it to the customer's home, it took only two, which is the usual number. Every delivery is an adventure, and many end in failure. There are sofas or wardrobes that won't fit through the stairwell or in the elevator. After all the effort, they have to abandon their epic quest. Often, the failure is accompanied by boos and wails from dissatisfied customers. The man admits he doesn't know much about business, but he doesn't understand how these furniture companies survive given the losses he sees, both from damaged goods and failed deliveries. "It's just merchandise being thrown away," he tells me, "who knows where it'll end up." A huge amount of furniture, after being tossed around the city, will never reach the buyer's home. He's gotten used to it, but assures me that I'm not responsible for the number of pieces that are chipped, broken, or have manufacturing and assembly defects. It happens so often each day that when everything goes well, it feels like a miracle, because almost every delivery has a problem. He takes out his phone, opens the photo app, and starts scrolling through the images so I can see the pile of pictures he's accumulated on his phone to document the damage. He's not just doing it to submit the report, but to protect himself from any liability.

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Behind the stone walls of the Pedralbes Monastery, countless generations of women have lived for seven centuries. Each corridor holds many stories, not only of prayer and introspective silence, but also of struggles, conspiracies, survival, and creativity. It is a rare and ancient place because neither the confiscations of church property, nor revolutions, nor dictatorships, nor even the voracious appetite for real estate, have been able to swallow it up. Those who entered were required to take vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, but for a long time it was a space where patriarchal power could be transcended. This year it celebrates its 700th anniversary with exhibitions, panel discussions, and the revelation of many of the secrets hidden within the tombs of a queen and the ladies who accompanied her. We invite you to explore all the spaces of the monastery through the lives of seven women, some powerful, others very humble.

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His father and grandfather were pilots, and from a young age, he experienced a passion for aviation at home. Over the years, his fascination with airplanes became a vocation; he became a pilot, and now, with more than twenty years of experience soaring through the skies, he tries to help people overcome their fear of flying. He does this from his Instagram account where she has thousands of followers and has just published a book –Fly without fear (Planet) – where he compiles practical advice and the best tricks he's learned to overcome the anxiety many people feel when boarding a plane.

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Xavier is proud of his past, his present, and also the future he is building. Of the past, because he fondly remembers his early days working at the family restaurant. He still cherishes small details from that time, like the stool behind the bar. "It was gray, and I served my first coffees to customers on it when I was just eight years old." He is the second generation of Cal Moreu, in Centelles, a restaurant that his grandparents and parents opened in 1977. "It's a farmhouse dating back to 1700 that my great-grandparents bought to turn into a home and farmhouse," Xavier explains. The origin of the restaurant's name is also curious. "Before, in old Catalan, oxen were called Moreos"And there used to be a lot of them here. We said it so often, the name just stuck," he says, laughing. Today, Can Moreu is thriving: the restaurant is packed every day thanks to the excellence of its cuisine. "100% Catalan. We make stews, escalivadas, calçots... everything Catalan."

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Last week, actor Ryan Gosling, famous for his role as Ken in Barbie, was a guest at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to promote his new film. The interview paused when Gosling mentioned that it was his wife's birthday that day and that she was there at the television studios. The host and the actor wanted to surprise actress Eva Mendes, who was discreetly waiting for her husband in the guest room. An assistant escorted her to the set, and a band was brought out to play for her. Happy birthday With all the fanfare. Eva Mendes, who hasn't participated in film projects since marrying Gosling, was very grateful and affectionate with her partner. The next day, the American media rushed to retrieve the image and announced in headlines something they found unusual: it had been more than ten years since the couple had appeared together in public, not even at red carpet events. Of course, preserving the privacy of the family and their two daughters must be a major reason for this decision. It's a way of trying to protect the marriage and the children as much as possible from the pitfalls of fame. But Hollywood, no matter how many feminist Barbies it creates, hasn't changed that much. The film industry really likes to manage the public's desires. After all, it's an industry that thrives on illusions and the ability to fascinate. Great seducers have always had to appear available to the public, even if only symbolically. It's not that their real lives have to be hidden, but they prefer not to project their own personalities onto the greats. sex symbols The emotional and affective responsibilities of a father committed to domestic routines.

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What is incorrect? Beyond conventional norms, each of us sees the world through our own unique lens. It's true that, in order to coexist, we adapt to certain established codes and stereotypes, but it's equally true that we need to preserve critical thinking and act in accordance with our own beliefs. From this interplay of thought and freedom, the restaurant Incorrecte was born in the upscale area of ​​Barcelona. At the helm is Marcel Pons, a native of Corberó and recently turned thirty, who has taken the plunge to launch his culinary project.

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Those of us who are a bit older will remember one of the iconic couples of the nineties: Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr. A relationship that is being revisited these days, with a marked hyperglycemia, by the Disney+ series Love StoryShe worked at Calvin Klein, the brand that best embodied the minimalist spirit of the late 20th century, in tune with the moderation and introspection imposed by the economic crisis of the time. He was the heir to one of the most powerful surnames in American politics, with an almost mythical allure that opened doors for him, but also forced him to constantly prove his worth.

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The days are getting longer, and on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, at the foot of the Canigou massif, a valley welcomes spring with the white and pink of cherry blossoms. Watered by the pure waters of the Tec River, which rises near the border, Vallespir is a northern Catalan region of contrasts and cultural riches that remains relatively unknown. A thermal valley, in bloom and, above all, not overcrowded, just two hours by car from Barcelona, ​​with ancient traditions and monuments: from the Bear Festival in Prats de Molló to the Museum of Modern Art in Ceret, a mecca of Cubism, and the Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria de Arles – founded in 1977. The valley offers seven stays to improve health, prescribed by the French Social Security system, for some 20,000 pensioners. Vallespir is divided into two sub-regions, Alt and Baix, primarily due to its topography. Descending from the Ares pass, where thousands of Catalans crossed the border during the Retirada (the Catalan retreat) fleeing Franco's regime, Prats de Molló marks the entrance to the more mountainous region. Céret and its cherry orchards are the capital of the Baix Vallespir, at the gateway to the Roussillon plain. Much of the route can easily be cycled along a greenway with spectacular, ancient metal bridges, such as the 14th-century Devil's Bridge of Céret, one of the largest single-arch medieval bridges in the world. This is the old railway line that connected the Baths of Arles (Arles-sur-Tech in French) with Elna, which opened in 1898 and operated until the 1930s.

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The American professional women's hockey league, the PWHL, founded in January 2024, has quickly become one of the most significant phenomena in women's sports. The first game, broadcast simultaneously on all three Canadian national networks, drew nearly three million viewers. Since then, audiences and arena attendance have steadily increased. In the second season, average attendance doubled compared to the inaugural season, and the league has consistently broken attendance records. Merchandise sales have also been remarkable. Furthermore, the gold and silver medals at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics were won by the United States and Canada, respectively. Most of their players compete in the PWHL, further enhancing the league's prestige.

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