This entry is NOT about the tour of skillsurfers group. It is about my personal trip from skillsurfers to Germany and back to skillsurfers… and especially about one veeeeery nice place I visited (alone!)

Hey guys whats up with that blog, one entry in 3 weeks? Nothing happening in your lifes any more?

It is 3 weeks already that I left the skillsurfers group to go to Germany for… Christmas and stuff like that. I spent 2 days in Berlin at brueckenschlaeger (partner project of skillsurfers), then some days at my family’s place and then went to jukss (a youth environemental congress in Germany, this year in Frankfurt/Main), where I made a skillsurfers presentation, attended some interesting workshops and enjoyed the beautiful German weather

After another 2 days of hitchhiking I came back to Barcelona and am staying now in the occupied university now. Finally got the WLAN on my computer working and when not running round in this crazy city I now sit on layouting stuff most of my time…

Well, one really interesting place I visited (and recommend everybody to do so!): the social centre <a href=”http://canmasdeu.net/”> canmasdeu </a> in Canyelles, Barcelona.

Canmasdeu is a squatted old hospital building on a mountain in some kind of national park next to Barcelona, where people set up a nice “centro social”.

canmasdeu exists since 7 years and about 25 people (most of them male and in their 30s) and 2 children live there - in their own kind of (ecological) luxury: without a lot of money, but having everything they need to live, lots of free time to spend on the centro social and the nicest view down on Barcelona and the sea that you can probably have for paying no rent at all!

The centro social consists of a library with internet and a cafe, a free shop and a Yoga-room, there is concerts sometimes and other events.

For me the most interesting thing to point out about canmasdeu is, that it is not only a political but also a very ecological project (which is not very common so close to the city!):

The people are not only recycling a lot, but also planting own food in the garden, have compost toilets and a solar shower….

As Brian explained to me, they are “trying to pull the people out of the city”, for which reason they also have an info point with the adresses of lots of communities in Catalunya (and also some in whole Spain/Europe)

The people of canmasdeu were very nice and open towards me… invited me to stay for food and workshops… (really nice!)… That place kind of saved my life, really….

after all this stress in Barcelona, city hectics, it was like a tranquilo island to calm down…

When I came there I first felt a little bit lost, but not for long, as I was integrated very quickly.

I helped them a little bit with the woods (would have liked to work on more stuff like that actually but it was time for siesta then… ), then attended a contact improvisation workshop and some massages… and had the best shower ever in that solar shower place…

Also got some fresh clothes in the free shop and nice food from the garden…

and I had some very interesting talks about the society in general, about linguistics and why there are so few women in the alternative scene (in canmasdeu for example)….

So, to put an end to this text:

Canmasdeu is probably the most interesting place I saw in Barcelona, in Spain, maybe in the whole trip. The people are really interesting and -what I really find very important- the place is really well accepted by the local community around, even though it is a squat.

Seems to be paradise in a way..

Of course paradise doesn’t just happen, you have to organise it: and the people here seem to be really well organised!

They have “asamblea” (meetings) and a kitchen plan, working days and people who are responsible of special jobs, like for example making bread (- or beer, yummie ! ) or -like Brian- show visitors around and explain them the social centre, etc…

The social centre also takes guests, who can live there and work there for a while, who are normally supposed to stay for 2-4 weeks. I think it is a really good place to learn about lots of stuff!

Last 5 posts by anja

• Que pasa? - December 15th, 2009
• project update - July 22nd, 2009
• erste Infoveranstaltung in München / first info event in Munich - June 21st, 2009
• back in the land of rain - June 6th, 2009
• game over ... the last day - May 31st, 2009