JOSEFINA CASTELLVÍ I PIULACHS, LOVE FOR ANTARCTICA

Today, Claire Fontaine and The Grandma have got up early again to prepare a special and emotional day of diving.

While Tina Picotes has stayed at home having breakfast and reading, Claire and The Grandma have gone to pay tribute to Pepita, who left us last Monday the 2nd after a life full of incredible experiences and leaving a unique and personal scientific legacy. 

So, after checking the state of the sea; planning the entry and exit point; reviewing the equipment and doing the buddy check, they have calmly entered while checking their buoyancy before going down in a sad, but at the same time emotional dive, which has helped them remember the moments shared and, above all, to leave them there so that the sea will take them to new ports, and, if possible, reach her beloved Antarctica.

It has been a dive that they have shared with posidonias, corals, cystoseiras, gorgonians; but also octopuses, breams, rays, cuttlefish, sponges, anemones, small corals and countless starfish. One even has accompanied them to take a photo when they have returned to the shore, and then they have returned it to the sea.

And throughout the dive they have had the company of a manta ray, which they have respected the distance between them, but which has been a pleasure to see swimming and unfolding on this seabed where we all mourn your absence today, from your beloved Barcelona and Castelldefels to the great love of your life: Antarctica.

T'estimem Pepita. 

Has estat una figura clau per al nostre país, per a la ciència mundial, i una divulgadora i mestra que ens ha mostrat a molts de nosaltres el camí a seguir.

No és un adéu perquè ens acompanyaràs sempre en cada immersió.

 

Josefina Castellví i Piulachs (1 July 1935-2 February 2026) was a Catalan oceanographer, biologist and writer. 

Castellvi Peak on Hurd Peninsula, on Livingston Island in Antarctica is named in her honour.

In 1984, she participated in an international expedition to Antarctica. She received her bachelor's degree in 1957 and a PhD in biological sciences at the University of Barcelona in 1969. In 1960 she started working for the Institut de Ciències del Mar in Barcelona. In addition, she conducted research at the CSIC and was a delegate in Catalunya for two years (1984-1986).

Starting in 1984, she participated in the Organization of Research in Antarctica and assisted with the installation of the JCI Antarctic Base on Livingston Island, of which she was the lead oceanographer from 1989 to 1997, replacing Antoni Ballester. From 1989 to 1995 she directed National Program of Antarctic Research, and later, from 1994 to 1995, she directed the Institute of Marine Sciences.

Castellví was awarded, among other prizes like the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalunya in 1994, the Creu de Sant Jordi in 2003, the IEC Environment Prize in 2006 and the CONCA National Award in 2013.

Josefina Castellví was born the daughter of a doctor and housewife in Barcelona during the last few months of the Spanish Republic before the explosive outbreak of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). She studied at the Montserrat Institute and in 1957 graduated with a degree in biology from the University of Barcelona. In 1960 she specialized in oceanography from the Sorbonne. In 1969, Josefina got a doctorate in science from the University of Barcelona.

Castellví and her older sister attended school at an exceptionally young age near Eixample, where their family began. Later, they were transferred to a convent school, where they studied until their second year of high school. Ultimately, they completed their basic studies at the Institute Monsterrat, in the neighbourhood of Sant Gervasi, where Josefina prepared to enter university. In spite of living in a postwar period and the immense poverty the country suffered, Josefina's childhood and adolescence were normal; she lived alternately in Barcelona and Castelldefels, where her parents had a house.

In 1953, around the age of 18, Josefina began studying biology at the University of Barcelona. She completed two tracks in one and graduated in 1957, when she was 22 years old. Only two people finished the degree that year: Josefina and a nun. She continued her studies in order to engage more deeply with her research.

After finishing her degree Josefina Castellví traveled to France to study for two years. By 1960, when she specialized and received her PhD in oceanography at the age of 25, she participated in her first oceanographic expeditions on French ships and taught at the Sorbonne. Also starting that year, she began work at the Institute of Marine Sciences as Council Superior of Scientific Research, where she would later assume the role of director from 1994 to 1995 whilst also being a delegate to Catalunya.

In 1984 she was the first Catalan woman to participate in an international expedition in Antarctica; it ought to be noted that she contributed mainly to those expeditions' research, for which she was awarded recognition alongside Antonio Ballester i Nolla. Ballester was recognized as well for his intervention in the installation of the JCI Antarctic Base on Island Livingston, of which Josefina was chief director from 1989 to 1993.

When she returned to Barcelona, Josefina continued her research at the CSIC. The research in Antarctica was both a great learning experience and emotionally validating for her. Antarctica is a natural laboratory; deep in the ice there is written billions of years of Earth's history and knowing how to analyze these ancient writings allows us to share that vast history.

In 1995, after living a few years in Madrid, where she had commissioned the National Research Program Antarctica, Josefina Castellví returned to Barcelona to lead the Institute of Marine Sciences of the CSIC. Throughout her working life, she combined her research with conference work in order to disseminate her findings and her books, one of which was a book published in 1996 titled I Have lived in Antarctica.

In 1994, she received the Gold Medal of Generalitat of Catalunya and in 2003 she received the Creu de Sant Jordi. The Gold Medal is an honourary distinction awarded annually by the Generalitat of Catalunya to those persons or social entities who on their merits, have provided outstanding services to Catalunya in the defense of her identity, especially at the civic and cultural level.  Moreover, it is considered, together with the International Prize of Catalunya, to be one of the most prestigious distinctions granted in Catalunya. From 2010, she was the president of the Summer University of Andorra.

On 8 October 2013, she won the Culture of the Generalitat of Catalunya Award, which distinguishes those people, entities, or institutions in any field that are worthy of institutional recognition for his or her contribution to Catalan culture, with preference for excellence, innovation, trajectory and projection, and bearing in mind their contribution during the year before of the concession. In addition, on 13 May 2013 she received the Catalan of the year Award.

In 2014, she was appointed vice-president of the Consell Assessor per al Desenvolupament Sostenible de Catalunya  (Advisory Council for the Sustainable Development of Catalonia) (CADS).

On 5 March 2015, she received the August Pi i Sunyer Medal from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona, in commemoration of International Women's Day. Researcher Josefina Castellví was the first woman to receive this medal. Despite her retirement in 2000, Castellví remained active; she continued to collaborate with the Consell Assessor per al Desenvolupament Sostenible de Catalunya. She also continued to give lectures on her work in Antarctica, during which she testified to the importance of this frozen desert. As the coldest place on Earth, she said, it is ideal for studying the capacity to adapt inherent in all organisms, which must change to survive, since, if they do not, they will disappear like the trees and plants that have disappeared from Antarctica.

She was the first Catalan female oceanographer and received many awards in recognition of her research. The difficult part is to receive first prize, here she quoted the scientist Ramon Margalef, because others come such as mimetic actions. Of all the awards that she had, Josefina especially valued two: the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalunya (1994) and the Creu de Sant Jordi (2003), because they represent the homage of her city and country.

Castellví continued to live on the same floor where she was born, a testament to her devotion to origins. She died on 2 February 2026.

More information: Ara 

 Antarctica is the windiest, highest, brightest, 
most brilliant, driest, and most remote continent 
on this misnamed Earth, which should be called Ocean, 
as the writer Arthur C. Clarke requested.

Josefina Castellví i Piulachs

MEETING UP WITH TINA PICOTES AT EL PORT DE LA SELVA

Today, Claire Fontaine and The Grandma have got up early to drive to El Port de la Selva where they will meet Tina Picotes this evening. 

They have taken their bicycles and their diving wetsuits to enjoy three days of relaxation in a beautiful town that at times like this does not have large crowds, where you can practice different sports in peace and where it seems that time stands still. 

On the other hand, Joseph de Ca'th Lon who had planned to return to Basel yesterday Thursday has decided to stay a few more days in Lyon enjoying the cultural and sports offer. 

El Port de la Selva and the Empordà hide unexpected treasures. A century ago, this fishing village on the Cap de Creus became an important meeting point for Catalan poets, writers, artists and intellectuals, often from Barcelona. An important part of the Catalan artistic creations of the last hundred years have been written, conceived and produced here, such as the famous poem Ho sap tothom, i és profecia, by the poet from Sarrià, J.V. Foix, whom The Grandma knows well and whose work she greatly appreciates. 

Ho sap tothom, i és profecia.
La meva mare ho va dir un dia
Quan m’acotxava amb blats lleugers;
Enllà del somni ho repetia
L’aigua dels astres mitjancers
I els vidres balbs d'una establia
Tot d'arrels, al fosc d’un prat:
A cal fuster hi ha novetat.

Els nois que ronden per les cales
Hi cullen plomes per les ales
I algues de sol, i amb veu d'albat,
Criden per l'ull de les escales
Que a cal fuster hi ha novetat.
Els qui ballaven per les sales
Surten i guaiten, des del moll,
Un estel nou que passa el coll.

El coraller ho sap pel pirata
Que amaga els tints en bucs d'escata
Quan crema l'arbre dels escrits;
Al capità d'una fragata
Li ho diu la rosa de les nits.
L'or i l'escuma d'una mata
Clamen, somnàmbuls, pel serrat:
A cal fuster hi ha novetat.

El plor dels rics salpa pels aires,
I les rialles dels captaires
Solquen els glaços del teulat.
Un pastor ho conta als vinyataires:
A cal fuster hi ha novetat.
El roc dels cims escampa flaires,
I al Port mateix, amb roig roent,
Pinten, pallards, l’Ajuntament.

El jutge crema paperassa
Dels anys revolts, a un cap de plaça,
I el mestre d'aixa riu tot sol.
El fum dels recs ja no escridassa
I els pescadors faran un bol.
Tot és silenci al ras de raça
Quan els ho diu l'autoritat:
A cal fuster hi ha novetat.

Els de la Vall i els de Colera
Salten contents, a llur manera,
I els de la Selva s'han mudat;
Amb flors de fenc calquen a l’era:
A cal fuster hi ha novetat.
De Pau i Palau-saverdera
Porten les mels de llur cinglera
I omplen els dolls de vi moscat.

Els de Banyuls i els de Portvendres
Entren amb llanes de mars tendres
I un raig de mots de bon copsar
Pels qui, entre vents, saben comprendre's.
Els traginers de Perpinyà,
Amb sang barrada en drap de cendres,
Clamen dels dalts del pic nevat:
A cal fuster hi ha novetat.

Res no s'acaba i tot comença.
Vénen mecànics de remença
Amb olis nous de llibertat;
Una Veu canta en recompensa:
Que a cal fuster hi ha novetat.
Des d’Alacant a la Provença
Qui mor no mor, si el son és clar
Quan neix la Llum en el quintar.

La gent s'agleva en la nit dura,
Tots anuncien la ventura,
Les Illes porten el saïm,
I els de l'Urgell, farina pura:
Qui res no té, clarors del cim.
La fe que bull no té captura
I no es fa el Pa sense el Llevat:
A cal fuster hi ha novetat.

Everyone knows, it's a prophecy.
My mother said it one day
as she laid me down with gentle wheat;
beyond dreams it was repeated
by the water of intermediary stars
and the raw panes of a stable
covered in roots, in the darkness of a meadow:
at the carpenter's house there's a new arrival.
 
The kids who roam around the coves
gather feathers for wings
and seaweed of the sun, and with an innocent's voice
proclaim through the holes in their ladders
—at the carpenter's there's a new arrival.
Those who were dancing in the halls
come out and gaze, from the quay,
upon a new star passing over the hill.
 
The coral fisher has been told by the pirate
who hides his dyes in scaly chasms
when the tree of letters burns;
the captain of a frigate is told
by the rose of nights.
The gold and foam of a shrub
announce, somnambulant, through the hills:
at the carpenter's there's a new arrivaL.

The lament of the rich sets sail through the air,
and the laughter of beggars
furrows the ice on the roof.
A shepherd tells the vine growers:
at the carpenter's there's a new arrival.
The summits' rocks scatter scents,
and in the centre of Port de la
Selva, in the brightest red,
strapping lads paint the Town Hall.

The judge burns dossiers
from the insurgent years at one end of the square,
and the adze master laughs alone.
The smoke of the ditches shrieks no more
and the fishermen will cast their nets.
All is silence on the people's level
when they are told by the authority:
at the carpenter's there's a new arrival.

Those from La Vail and those from Colera
leap happily, in their own way,
the people of La Selva have changed;
with hayflower they trace out on the threshing floor:
at the carpenter's there's a new arrival.
From Pau and and Palau-saverdera
they bring the honeys from their cliffs
and fill the springs with muscat wine.
 
Those from Banyuls and those from Portvendres
enter wearing woollen wraps
from gentle seas and a string of words, well received
by those who, amid winds, can understand one another.
The hauliers from Perpinyà,
with blood striped on a sheet of cinders,
exclaim from the heights of the snow-covered peak:
at the carpenter's there's a new arrival.

Nothing ends and all begins.
Mechanics, bondsmen, come along
with new oils of freedom;
a Voice sings in return:
at the carpenter's there's a new arrival.
From Alacant to Provence
Whosoever dies does not die, if sleep is clear
when the light is born in the ploughland.
 
Folk gather together in the hard night,
all announce the good fortune,
the Islands bring lard
and those from Urgell pure flour:
those who have nothing, brightness of the peaks.
The faith that boils cannot be captured
and Bread is not made without Yeast:
at the carpenter's there's a new arrival.

 

 El Port de la Selva, Christmas 1953 

Onze Nadals i un Cap d'Any

More information: El Port de la Selva

Me exalta el nou i m'en airona el vell.

The new exalts me and the old flatters me.

 

J. V. Foix

'COLLAPSE: HOW SOCIETIES CHOOSE TO FAIL OR SUCCEED'

Today, The Grandma has been planning the calendars of her upcoming trainings and between planning and planning she has taken some time to finish reading Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, a very interesting book written by Jared Diamond, the American scientist, historian, and author, that forces you to reflect on our ancient past, on our present, but above all on our future as societies.

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, titled Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive for the British edition, is a 2005 book by academic and popular science author Jared Diamond.

While the bulk of the book is concerned with the demise of these historical civilizations, Diamond also argues that humanity collectively faces, on a much larger scale, many of the same issues, with possibly catastrophic near-future consequences to many of the world's populations.

Diamond identifies five factors that contribute to collapse: climate change, hostile neighbours, collapse of essential trading partners, environmental problems, and the society's response to the foregoing four factors.

The root problem in all but one of Diamond's factors leading to collapse is overpopulation relative to the practicable (as opposed to the ideal theoretical) carrying capacity of the environment. One environmental problem not related to overpopulation is the harmful effect of accidental or intentional introduction of non-native species to a region.

He also lists twelve environmental problems facing humankind today. The first eight have historically contributed to the collapse of past societies:

-Deforestation and habitat destruction

-Soil problems (erosion, salinization, and soil fertility losses)

-Water management problems

-Overhunting

-Overfishing

-Effects of introduced species on native species

-Overpopulation

-Increased per-capita impact of people

Further, he says four new factors may contribute to the weakening and collapse of present and future societies:

-Anthropogenic climate change

-Buildup of toxins in the environment

-Energy shortages

-Full human use of the Earth's photosynthetic capacity

Part One describes the environment of the US state of Montana, focusing on the lives of several individuals to put a human face on the interplay between society and the environment.

Part Two describes past societies that have collapsed. Diamond uses a framework when considering the collapse of a society, consisting of five sets of factors that may affect what happens to a society: environmental damage, climate change, hostile neighbors, loss of trading partners, and the society's responses to its environmental problems. A recurrent problem in collapsing societies is a structure that creates a conflict between the short-term interests of those in power, and the long-term interests of the society as a whole.

The societies Diamond describes are:

-The Greenland Norse (climate change, environmental damage, loss of trading partners, hostile neighbors, irrational reluctance to eat fish, chiefs looking after their short-term interests).

-Easter Island (a society that, Diamond contends, collapsed entirely due to environmental damage)

-The Polynesians of Pitcairn Island (environmental damage and loss of trading partners)

-The Anasazi of southwestern North America (environmental damage and climate change)

-The Maya of Central America (environmental damage, climate change, and hostile neighbours)

Finally, Diamond discusses three past success stories:

-The tiny egalitarian Pacific island of Tikopia

-The agricultural success of egalitarian central New Guinea

-The forest management in stratified Japan of the Tokugawa-era, and in Germany.

Part Three examines modern societies, including:

-The collapse into genocide of Rwanda, caused in part by overpopulation

-The failure of Haiti compared with the success of its neighbour on Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic

-The problems facing a developing nation, China

-The problems facing a First World nation, Australia

Part Four concludes the study by considering such subjects as business and globalization, and extracts practical lessons for us today. Specific attention is given to the polder model as a way Dutch society has addressed its challenges and the top-down and most importantly bottom-up approaches that we must take now that our world society is presently on a non-sustainable course in order to avoid the 12 problems of non-sustainability that he expounds throughout the book, and reviews in the final chapter. The results of this survey are perhaps why Diamond sees signs of hope nevertheless and arrives at a position of cautious optimism for all our futures.

The second edition contains an Afterword: Angkor's Rise and Fall.

More information: Medium

 We're uncomfortable about considering

history as a science. 
It's classified as a social science, 
which is considered not quite scientific.

Jared Diamond

ASTÉRIX & THE CAULDRON IN DÉCINES-CHARPIEU, LYON

Today, Joseph de Ca'th Lon is in Décines-Charpieu, Lyon to see the Northern Star, who has an important match this afternoon.

The weather is sunny with some clouds, the temperature does not rise above 10 degrees, and the climate is oceanic to semi-continental, with a breeze that reinforces the feeling of cold.

To avoid this, Joseph has decided that nothing is better than having a good coffee and eating some delicious choux pastry while reading a new Astérix adventure, this time, Astérix and the Cauldron.

Astérix and the Cauldron is the thirteenth volume of the Astérix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). 

It was first serialized in the magazine Pilote, issues 469-491, in 1968, and translated into English in 1976.

When Obélix suggests they get paid by telling people their adventures, Astérix rejects the idea as unlikely to raise any money. The joke is that, by this time, the series had made Goscinny and Uderzo very wealthy.

When Roman dignitaries assemble at the theatre, Uderzo (in Roman costume) is shown talking to the Prefect, while Goscinny, on the right, amuses his neighbours with jokes.

The tax collector in the book appears to be a caricature of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, then the French minister of finance, who later became president.

Two of the actors in the theatre are named Laurensolivius and Alecginus.

This is the first and only volume in which the pirates enjoy a happy ending, and the first of the few rare stories where their ship is not sunk (though they have already taken a beating earlier in this episode).

The fight at the end of the story is one of the rare times Astérix is seen using his sword, although he always carries it with him.

Astérix's unraveling of the plot is a reference to the Roman proverb Pecunia non olet (money does not stink).

In earlier editions, the colour of the breeches of the Roman legionaries changed from white to red.

Key Lessons From Asterix And The Cauldron

Friendship and loyalty. The book showcases the strong bond of friendship and loyalty between Astérix and Obélix. Despite facing challenges and difficulties, they always stand by each other and support one another.

Greed and corruption. The story revolves around the theme of greed and corruption. The Gauls come across a wealthy Roman who is involved in various corrupt practices. The book highlights the negative consequences of greed and the importance of standing up against corruption.

Courage and bravery. Astérix and Obélix display great courage and bravery throughout the book. They take on challenging tasks and face dangerous situations fearlessly. Their determination and bravery inspire others to join their cause and stand up for what is right.

Importance of unity. The book emphasizes the importance of unity and teamwork. The Gauls, despite their differences, come together to overcome obstacles and fight against their common enemy. This highlights the strength that can be achieved when people work together towards a common goal.

The triumph of the underdog. Astérix and Obélix, who are often underestimated due to their small stature, triumph over their enemies and emerge victories. This teaches readers the important lesson that one's size or appearance does not determine their abilities or potential for success.

Download Astérix and The Cauldron by R. Goscinny & A. Uderzo

Nothing brings our village together like a good feast.

Astèrix

'TULPENMANIE', FIRST RECORDED SPECULATIVE BUBBLE

After celebrating Sant Antoni in Mallorca with family and friends and touring Provença and Occitània visiting other friends, The Grandma is now at home working on her new projects.

One of the most beautiful things about arriving at home after a few days away is opening the balconies (especially today when it hasn't rained and it has been a fantastic day) and contemplating the plants and flowers that she loves so much. Among them, the tulips that she brought from her last trip to Amsterdam stand out and are beautifully yellow and beautiful. Precisely, tulips have been her daily reading, because on a day like today in 1637, the Tulip Mania collapses within the Dutch Republic.

Tulip mania, in Dutch tulpenmanie, was a period during the Dutch Golden Age when contract prices for some bulbs of the recently introduced and fashionable tulip reached extraordinarily high levels. The major acceleration started in 1634 and then dramatically collapsed in February 1637. It is generally considered to have been the first recorded speculative bubble or asset bubble in history.

In many ways, the tulip mania was more of a then-unknown socio-economic phenomenon than a significant economic crisis. It had no critical influence on the prosperity of the Dutch Republic, which was one of the world's leading economic and financial powers in the 17th century, with the highest per capita income in the world from about 1600 to about 1720. 

The term tulip mania is now often used metaphorically to refer to any large economic bubble when asset prices deviate from intrinsic values.

Forward markets appeared in the Dutch Republic during the 17th century. Among the most notable was one centred on the tulip market. At the peak of tulip mania, in February 1637, certain tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled artisan. Research is difficult because of the limited economic data from the 1630s, much of which comes from biased and speculative sources.

The 1637 event gained attention in 1841 with the publication of the book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, written by Scottish journalist Charles Mackay, who wrote that at one point 5 hectares of land were offered for a Semper Augustus bulb. Mackay claimed that many investors were ruined by the fall in prices, and Dutch commerce suffered a severe shock. Although Mackay's book is often referenced, his account is contested. 

The introduction of the tulip to Europe is often attributed to Ogier de Busbecq, the ambassador of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, to Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who sent the first tulip bulbs and seeds to Vienna in 1554 from the Ottoman Empire. Tulip bulbs, along with other new plant life like potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetables, came to Europe in the 16th century. These bulbs were soon distributed from Vienna to Augsburg, Antwerp, and Amsterdam.

Their popularity and cultivation in the United Provinces (now the Netherlands) started in earnest around 1593 after the Southern Netherlandish botanist Carolus Clusius had taken up a post at the University of Leiden and established the hortus academicus. He planted his collection of tulip bulbs and found that they were able to tolerate the harsher conditions of the Low Countries. Shortly thereafter, the tulip grew in popularity.

The tulip was different from other flowers known to Europe at that time, because of its intense saturated petal colour. The appearance of the nonpareil tulip as a status symbol coincides with the rise of newly independent Holland's trade fortunes. No longer the Spanish Netherlands, its economic resources could now be channelled into commerce and Holland embarked on its Golden Age. Amsterdam merchants were at the centre of the lucrative East Indies trade, where one voyage could yield profits of 400%.

As a result, tulips rapidly became a coveted luxury item, and a profusion of varieties followed. They were classified in groups: the single-hued tulips of red, yellow, or white were known as Couleren; the multicolored Rosen (white streaks on a red or pink background); Violetten (white streaks on a purple or lilac background); and the rarest of all, the Bizarden ('Bizarres') (yellow or white streaks on a red, brown, or purple background). The multicolour effects of intricate lines and flame-like streaks on the petals were vivid and spectacular, making the bulbs that produced these even more exotic-looking plants highly sought after. It is now known that this effect is due to the bulbs being infected with a type of tulip-specific mosaic virus, known as the tulip breaking virus, so called because it breaks the one petal colour into two or more. Less conspicuously, the virus also progressively impairs the tulip's production of daughter bulbs. The historian Philipp Blom theorised in his book, Nature's mutiny, that the mania might also have been driven by the effects of the Little Ice Age, which left most other flowers dry and shrivelled by the temperature, while the tulip was the one which sustained itself.

Growers named their new varieties with exalted titles. Many early forms were prefixed Admirael ('admiral'), often combined with the growers' names: Admirael van der Eijck was perhaps the most highly regarded of about fifty so named. Generael ('general') was another prefix used for around thirty varieties. Later varieties were given even more extravagant names, derived from Alexander the Great or Scipio, or even Admiral of Admirals and General of Generals. Naming could be haphazard and varieties highly variable in quality. Most of these varieties have now died out.

The tulips bloomed in April and May for about one week. During the plant's dormant phase from June to September, bulbs can be uprooted and moved about, so actual purchases (in the spot market) occurred during these months. During the rest of the year, florists, or tulip traders, signed forward contracts before a notary to buy tulips at the end of the season. Thus the Dutch, who developed many of the techniques of modern finance, created a market for tulip bulbs, which were durable goods. Short selling was banned by an edict of 1610, which was reiterated or strengthened in 1621 and 1630, and again in 1636. Short sellers were not prosecuted under these edicts, but forward contracts were deemed unenforceable, so traders could repudiate deals if faced with a loss.

As the flowers grew in popularity, professional growers paid higher and higher prices for bulbs with the virus, and prices rose steadily. By 1634, in part as a result of demand from the French, speculators began to enter the market. The contract price of rare bulbs continued to rise throughout 1636. By November, the price of common, unbroken bulbs also began to increase, so that soon any tulip bulb could fetch hundreds of guilders. Forward contracts were used to buy bulbs at the end of the season.

Traders met in college at taverns and buyers were required to pay a 2.5% wine money fee, up to a maximum of three guilders per trade. Neither party paid an initial margin, nor a mark-to-market margin, and all contracts were with the individual counter-parties rather than with the Exchange. The Dutch described tulip contract trading as windhandel (literally wind trade), because no bulbs were actually changing hands. The entire business was accomplished on the margins of Dutch economic life, not in the Exchange itself.

Tulip mania reached its peak during the winter of 1636-37, when some contracts were changing hands five times. No deliveries were ever made to fulfill these contracts, because in February 1637, tulip bulb contract prices collapsed abruptly and the trade of tulips ground to a halt. The collapse seems to have occurred by the end of the first week of February 1637, which caused a number of disputes over the extant contracts. On February 7, tulip growers scrambled in Utrecht to elect representatives for a national assembly in Amsterdam. Their situation had become uncertain as the buyers no longer had any interest in honoring the contracts, and there was no legal basis for enforcing them.

By the end of February, the representatives gathered in Amsterdam for deliberations. They decided on a compromise where all contracts entered before December 1636 would be binding, but later contracts could be cancelled by paying a fee amounting to 10% of the price. The matter was brought before the Court of Holland, which declined to rule one way or the other and referred the question back to the city councils. The legislature of Holland decided to cancel all contracts to allow fresh deals to be struck during the summer. In Haarlem the issue dragged on, since the government left it to the parties to solve their issues by arbitration or other means. In May the city ruled that buyers could cancel any extant contracts at a fee of 3.5% of the price. The Dutch court system remained busy with a number of tulip disputes throughout 1639. In the end, most contracts were simply never honored.

More information: Investopedia

What we do know is that speculative episodes 
never come gently to an end. 
The wise, though for most the improbable, 
course is to assume the worst.

John Kenneth Galbraith

PERPINYÀ -> CASTELLDEFELS, FROM CASTLE TO CASTLE

Today, February 2nd, is Candlemas, and therefore, it is a very special day in places like Molins de Rei in Catalunya or Tenerife in the Islas Canarias. It is also a very special day in Ciutat de Palma, because you can see the figure of eight effect in its cathedral, and even in Punxsutawney in western Pennsylvania where they celebrate Groundhog Day.

This morning, Joseph de Ca'th Lon, Claire Fontaine and The Grandma have been having breakfast in front of the Castillet in Perpinyà before saying goodbye to this beautiful city. In fact, it is not a goodbye, but a so far because being in Perpinyà is being home despite the Treaty of the Pyrenees.

 

In Perpinyà, as in the rest of the Catalan Countries, there is a saying that goes:

Si la Candelera plora, l'hivern és fora.
Si la Candelera riu, l'hivern és viu.
 

If Candlemas cries, winter is out.
If Candlemas laughs, winter is alive.

 

Joseph has taken a train back to Lyon where he will stay until Thursday,​​ Claire will continue to manage her business from Barcelona and The Grandma will leave this afternoon for Castelldefels where a new project awaits her. 

 

They have been intense and spectacular days visiting wonderful places and meeting fantastic people in the midst of torrential rain, snowstorms and freezing temperatures, although it seems that the sun has not come out much in Barcelona either.

 

More information: Ajuntament de Barcelona

The Castillet, Castellet in Standard Catalan, is an ancient fortification and city gate located in Perpinyà, Rosselló. 

This monument, a strong symbol of the city and has become a museum: Museu Català de les Arts i Tradicions Populars (La Casa Pairal). He was also called in certain periods Baluard or Bastilla.

The Castillet consists of three parts, namely:

-The Castillet proper built towards 1368 To defend the new door opened at that moment within the precincts of the city;

-The Notre-Dame or Petit Castillet gate, adjacent to the east flank of the previous building and which dates from 1481-1485;

-The polygonal bastion, established in 1542 In front of the Castillet proper to cover the approaches.

It is considered an archaeological monument of the greatest importance for the history of the city, and constitutes a unique type of military architecture. It is also decorative with its coronation of crenellations, consoles and turrets in Moorish style.

The Castillet proper was built around 1368 by the architect Guillaume Gatard on the orders of the Infant Don Joan of Aragon, to replace the door known as the Vernet which allowed to cross the ramparts and to communicate the city with the suburb. The new passage had a drawbridge that no longer exists. The massive construction of the building was that of a defensive castle to resist any offensive coming from the north. The ephemeral occupation of the Rosselló by Louis XI made it possible to change its destination. The fortress became useless, since every conflict with France was over, and it became a state prison. The windows were lined with iron fences, and the passage of the drawbridge was suppressed.

However, it was necessary to ensure an exit of the city towards the Vernet and the Petit Castillet was juxtaposed to the primitive building in 1478. It was the Portal of Nostra Dona del Pont or Gate of Our Lady of the Bridge . 

In 1542, Charles Quint had Castillet covered to the north by means of a polygonal bastion, the tower and the tower of which were advancing towards the Basse (river to the north). The workers used materials from the Portal of Nostra Dona del Pont, which was demolished (and the houses in the faubourg) for strategic reasons. 

Following the destruction of this chapel Castillet was placed under the protection of Nostra Dona del Pont and the statue of the Virgin who adorned it took place in the chapel. Thereafter, the statue was placed on the facade in a simple niche in the wall (the concave niche, visible today, adorned with a Gothic frame dates from 1864). 

Vauban strengthened the polygonal bastion of Charles V and restored the Castillet to a state of defense. During this century the Guard Corps was also built. It was a rather simple building, demolished in 1843, located on the south side on the ground floor and covered with tiles. It served as its name indicates the place of life of the Body of guard. A courtyard along the wall of Castillet allowed access to the door of the monument. 

In 1904, the fortified walls of Perpinyà were demolished but Castillet was respected. The crutches which connected it to the ramparts disappeared and the bastion and its watch were dynamited. In the twentieth century, the Castillet housed the Municipal Archives of Perpinyà.

More information: Perpignan Tourisme

 I believe very much in a dialogue between buildings 
-I believe it's always been there. 
I think buildings have different identities 
and live very well next to each other. 
We always have the shock of the new, and that's fine. 
The renaissance style is totally different from the medieval, 
and they have a dialogue across time.

Richard Rogers

This afternoon, The Grandma has started a new project in Castelldefels that will keep her busy for six months talking about communication, writing, dialectics, innovation, AI, planning and evaluation in the field of teaching and mental health.

Returning to Castelldefels is always a reason for joy because it means meeting again with the colleagues with whom you share work and with whom you work every day with the aim of improving, through teaching, the lives of people who want to improve their knowledge and skills in their respective jobs.

When you arrive in Castelldefels and cross the train bridge, you have a splendid view of the castle that gives the city its name in honour of the bravery of their ancestors who defended the population from external attacks, especially from Muslims and pirates. The city still preserves many watchtowers which, like the castle, are a must-see cultural visit to understand its history.

Castelldefels Castle is a frontier fortress in the town of Castelldefels, Catalunya, that was built to defend the frontier of the Carolingian Empire against neighbouring Muslim territories, particularly the Caliphate of Córdoba. The fortress was first recorded in the 10th century, as was the former parish church of Santa Maria, contained within its outer wall.

The castle occupies a hilltop to the northeast of the modern town centre and the castle complex includes the castle keep, a church, associated outbuildings, and a cemetery, all contained within a curtain wall. The hill was first occupied in ancient times and archaeologists have excavated remains of a Laietani settlement dating from the 3rd to the 1st century BC, and a Roman villa dating from the 1st to the 6th century AD. The castle was first recorded in AD 967, and by the 14th century a fortified house existed with a strong curtain wall. The church was also fortified in the 14th century. The castle as it stands today was largely built in the 16th century as a response to the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.

The church of Santa Maria was built on the hill in the 10th century by the monastery of Sant Cugat, which had been given instruction to develop the Castelldefels region by Sunyer, Count of Barcelona. The new church was first mentioned in a document dating to AD 967. The first mention of a castle on the hill is an indirect reference to the church of Santa Maria de Castrum Felix (Fortunate Castle in Latin). Archaeologists have not identified any remains of this early castle, suggesting that it may have been just a tower or perishable fortification, or that it stood on the highest part of the hill, located within the present-day castle courtyard, the bedrock of which was levelled during the 16th century.

The church structure visible today is Romanesque in style and dates from the 11th century. The Romanesque church was probably consecrated in 1106. It has a single nave with three apses, a transept, and supports a small belltower.

By the 14th-15th centuries, regional instability led to the increased need for defences, and the church was fortified. Records from the period indicate that the hilltop had been occupied by a fortified house with a strong curtain wall. The earliest known remains of the castle date to the 14th century; a truncated circular tower to the south of the church is of this date. Also in the 14th century, the church was partially fortified, particularly the southern apse, and battlements were added.

Archaeological reconnaissance of the hillside below the castle revealed abundant ancient remains, leading to the conclusion that the hill supported an ancient Iberian settlement and a later Roman villa. The Iberian settlement, inhabited by the Laietani, has been dated from the middle of the 3rd century BC to the end of the 1st century BC. The town of the Laietani covered the hilltop and the adjoining southern and eastern flanks. An Iberian water cistern was found carved from the bedrock under the castle's subsoil. A number of Iberian house remains were excavated under the church, although none have been found under the main area of the castle due to later modifications to the land surface, in order to level the courtyard in the middle of the 16th century.

More information: Patrimoni Generalitat de Catalunya

 But now I have come to believe 
that the whole world is an enigma, 
a harmless enigma that is made terrible 
by our own mad attempt to interpret it 
as though it had an underlying truth.

Umberto Eco

CARCASSONA, THE OCCITAN FORTIFIED CITY IN AUDE

This morning, Joseph de Ca'th Lon, Claire Fontaine and The Grandma have visited Carcassona, one of the most wonderful and mysterious places in Occitània.

It is a visit that all three wanted to do: Joseph for the history of the city and the Cathars, Claire for the role-playing game and the locations of the film Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, and The Grandma for Occitan literature.

They have enjoyed a fantastic breakfast, have walked through historical sites and have been carried away by the magic and mystery that surrounds this walled city.

In the afternoon, the three friends have rested at the hotel while have been watching the Northern Star, who has had a very important match against the biggest rival today. She has done a great job, as always, and it has been a very interesting match for tactical football lovers.

After the match, they have left for Perpinyà where they will visit some friends tonight, in which will be the last stage of this trip through Provençal, Occitan and Catalan lands before returning to Barcelona.

Carcassona is an Occitan fortified city in the department of Aude.

Inhabited since the Neolithic Period, Carcassona is located in the plain of the Aude between historic trade routes, linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea and the Massif Central to the Pyrénées. Its strategic importance was quickly recognised by the Romans, who occupied its hilltop until the demise of the Western Roman Empire. In the fifth century, the region of Septimania was taken over by the Visigoths, who founded the city of Carcassona in the newly established Visigothic Kingdom.

Its citadel, known as the Vila de Carcassona, is a medieval fortress dating back to the Gallo-Roman period and restored by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc between 1853 and 1879. It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997 because of the exceptional preservation and restoration of the medieval citadel. Consequently, Carcassona relies heavily on tourism but also counts manufacturing and winemaking as some of its other key economic sectors.

The first signs of settlement in this region have been dated to about 3500 BC, but the hill site of Carsac -a Celtic place-name that has been retained at other sites in the south- became an important trading place in the sixth century BC. The Volcae Tectosages fortified it and made it into an oppidum, a hill fort, which is when it was named Carsac.

The folk etymology -involving a châtelaine named Lady Carcas, a ruse ending a siege, and the joyous ringing of bells (Carcas sona)- though memorialized in a neo-Gothic sculpture of Mme. Carcas on a column near the Narbonna Gate, is a modern reconstruction of a 16th-century depiction. The name can be derived as an augmentative of the name Carcas.

Carcassona became strategically identified when the Romans fortified the hilltop around 100 BC and eventually made it the colonia of Julia Carsaco, later Carcaso, later Carcasum by the process of swapping consonants known as metathesis. The main part of the lower courses of the northern ramparts dates from Gallo-Roman times. In AD 462 the Romans officially ceded Septimania to the Visigothic king Theodoric II who had held Carcassonne since AD 453.

Theodoric is thought to have begun the predecessor of the basilica that is now dedicated to Saint Nazaire. In AD 508 the Visigoths successfully foiled attacks by the Frankish king Clovis I. In Francia, the Arab and Berber Muslim forces invaded the region of Septimania in AD 719 and deposed the local Visigothic Kingdom in AD 720; after the Frankish conquest of Narbona in 759, the Muslim Arabs and Berbers were defeated by the Christian Franks and retreated to Andalusia after 40 years of occupation, and the Carolingian king Pepin the Short came up reinforced.

A medieval fiefdom, the county of Carcassona, controlled the city and its environs. It was often united with the county of Razès. The origins of Carcassona as a county probably lie in local representatives of the Visigoths, but the first count known by name is Bello of the time of Charlemagne. Bello founded a dynasty, the Bellonids, which would rule many honoures in Septimania and Catalonia for three centuries. 

In 1067, Carcassona became the property of Raimond-Bernard Trencavel, viscount of Albi and Nîmes, through his marriage with Ermengard, sister of the last count of Carcassona. In the following centuries, the Trencavel family allied in succession with either the counts of Barcelona or of Tolosa. They built the Château Comtal and the Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus. In 1096, Pope Urban II blessed the foundation stones of the new cathedral.

Carcassona became famous for its role in the Albigensian Crusades when the city was a stronghold of Occitan Cathars. In August 1209 the crusading army of the Papal Legate, abbot Arnaud Amalric, besieged the city. Viscount Raymond-Roger de Trencavel was imprisoned while negotiating his city's surrender and died in mysterious circumstances three months later in his dungeon. The people of Carcassona were allowed to leave -in effect, expelled from their city with nothing more than the shirts on their backs. Simon de Montfort was appointed the new viscount and added to the fortifications.

In 1240, Trencavel's son tried unsuccessfully to reconquer his old domain. The city submitted to the rule of the kingdom of France in 1247. Carcassona became a border fortress between France and the Crown of Aragon under the 1258 Treaty of Corbeil. King Louis IX founded the new part of the town across the river. He and his successor Philip III built the outer ramparts. Contemporary opinion still considered the fortress impregnable. During the Hundred Years' War, Edward the Black Prince failed to take the city in 1355, although his troops destroyed the lower town.

In 1659, the Treaty of the Pyrenees transferred the border province of Rosselló to France, and Carcassona's military significance was reduced. Its fortifications were abandoned and the city became mainly an economic center of the woollen textile industry, for which a 1723 source quoted by Fernand Braudel found it the manufacturing centre of Languedoc. It remained so until the Ottoman market collapsed at the end of the eighteenth century, then reverted to a country town. The town hall, known as Hôtel de Rolland, was completed in 1761.

More information: Remparts Carcassone

On voit la ville de la-haut,
Derrière les montagnes bleues;
Mais, pour y parvenir, il faut,
Il faut faire cinq grandes lieues,
En faire autant pour revenir!
Ah! si la vendange était bonne!
Le raisin ne veut pas jaunir
Je ne verrai pas Carcassonne!

They see the town from up on high,
Behind the range of mountains blue;
But, to arrive there by and by,
Some five great leagues I’ll have to do;
And do as much just to come back!
Ah!  Had the grapes in plenty grown!
They all that yellow ripeness lack:
I never will see Carcassonne!

Gustave Nadaud