A street less than six meters wide runs alongside the Portbou riverbank, still carrying water from the recent rains, leading to the only vehicle access point for the second largest rail freight warehouse in Spain. It's 180,000 square meters, long forgotten, near the French border, but these days the paralysis of infrastructure in Catalonia is felt more acutely than ever after the accident in Gelida and the closure of the Rubí tunnel, through which freight passes. 23,000 tons of steel are piled up in the large warehouse in Portbou belonging to the rail logistics operator Railsider, which specializes in the steel industry. And another 8,000 tons are on their way. Operating since 1997, Railsider is the only operator still active in this last town on the Costa Brava, but in almost three decades it has never experienced a situation like this.

In Portbou, the last town on the Costa Brava before crossing the border into Northern Catalonia, stands out one of the most unique and stimulating fine dining experiences in the Girona region. It's Voramar, a small, meticulously maintained restaurant by the sea, entirely managed by the Jamàs i Garbí family. which in 2025 earned its first Michelin starA recognition that They have renewed their contracts for 2026 this week.consolidating their position at the forefront of the Catalan gourmet scene. For all these reasons, they have been one of the winners of the new ARA Girona awards, named the 25 people from Girona who have scored in 2025, Delivered on November 12th.

On Monday afternoon, in downtown Barcelona, people circled cars with their radios blaring to find out what was happening. Everything had gone out, and there was no electricity, no coverage, and no internet. The radio stations' offices—which brought loudspeakers out onto the streets—were filled with people seeking answers; several people also approached the ARA newsroom in the Raval neighborhood, asking what was happening. In other, much less populated towns, however, municipal officials invented measures to try to reach everyone, and even revived old traditions that technology has, over the years, obscured.