Filling the Sink
Episodes
Barça's new era begins – The Camp Nou return
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
FC Barcelona are back home. After several false starts, Barça are once again playing their home fixtures at the iconic Spotify Camp Nou. After two an...
From dictatorship to democracy – 50 years after Franco
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cillian Shields joins Lorcan Doherty to look back at life in Catalonia under the Franco dictatorship, the transition to democracy that followed, and t...
Spain's new smoking law – Fair or too far?
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's a familiar scene across Catalonia: someone sitting outside a café, enjoying a coffee and smoking a cigarette. But it could soon be consigned to ...
Quality tourism in Barcelona – promise or illusion?
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
'Tourist, go home!', 'Ban Airbnb', and even 'Stop brunch'. Some of the slogans you'll see graffitied around Barcelona, and on t-shirts and placards at...
Walking through history - Catalonia’s street names
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Street names offer a window into every town's history, culture, and identity. From the structured Eixample grid in Barcelona to the smallest village i...
On the grapevine - The natural wine shift in Catalonia
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Natural wine is a growing movement in Catalonia, rooted in both tradition and innovation. With diverse terroirs and a long winemaking history, regions...
On location - Catalonia’s international film industry
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Catalonia has become a popular location for contemporary international film and TV productions, thanks to its diverse landscapes, strong production in...
The amnesty law one year on - A constitutional debate
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A year after it came into effect, the amnesty law related to Catalonia’s independence push has been upheld by the Spanish Constitutional Court. Whil...
The Sixena frescoes - Heritage on trial
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Sixena murals are late 12th to early 13th-century Romanesque wall paintings from the Monastery of Santa María de Sixena in Aragon. They were move...
Catalonia's wildfire strategy - Insights from a world-class brigade
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Catalonia frequently faces forest fires, which threaten ecosystems, wildlife and communities. This situation has been aggravated in recent years by cl...
New generation Catalans - Mixing cultures, making home
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Raised in Catalonia to international parents, new generation migrants are a growing demographic in Catalonia, however they often navigate dual identit...
Dancing and discovery - Catalonia's 2025 summer festival guide
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every summer, Catalonia hosts a wide range of music festivals, from large international events in Barcelona to smaller coastal concerts. On this week’...
Catalan Week in Japan - Celebrating culture at Osaka World Expo
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This year, Catalonia and Japan are strengthening their ties with a yearlong celebration, including Catalan Week in Japan, taking place from May 27 to ...
Stories of motherhood - Maternity in contemporary Catalonia
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
According to the UN, birth rates have been declining globally since 1963, and Spain has the second-lowest fertility rate in the EU. Economic instabili...
Catalonia calling – Eurovision, identity and song
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Basel, Switzerland. To celebrate, we look back over the history of the compet...
Neus Català - Fighting fascism across borders in WWII
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On May 8, 1945, the second world war came to end in Europe. 80 years on, we reflect on how Catalonia was affected by the conflict and highlight the re...
Pope Francis - The Catalan Church, Gaudí and Messi
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pope Francis was known for his humility, compassion and emphasis on social justice. This week we’ll be dedicating an episode of Filling the Sink to ...
A day in the dark - Catalonia left powerless after blackout
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On April 28, 2025, a massive blackout affected Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and parts of France, leaving over 50 million people without power for up to 1...
In other words - Catalan literature in translation
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sant Jordi is a Catalan cultural celebration held on April 23. It’s Catalonia's Valentine’s Day and it served as the inspiration for World Book Da...
Sweet heritage - Chocolate art and the mona de Pasqua
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At Easter time, bakery windows across Catalonia are filled with the most spectacular chocolate sculptures. These “Mones de Pasqua” are traditional...
City roots - Barcelona’s urban farming movement
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Urban farming is the practice of growing food in cities instead of in rural areas. In this week’s episode of Filling the Sink we investigate the leg...
Small villages, big challenges - A closer look at Catalonia's micropobles
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The term "micropobles" refers to small villages in Catalonia with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants. There are more than 480 micropobles in the territory,...
Depression in focus – Causes, consequences and care
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Depression is a leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. However the stigma surrounding depre...
Global voices, local impact – How expats are shaping Barcelona
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Barcelona has a growing community of international residents, which for better or for worse is changing the face of the city. This week on Filling the...
Pandemic perspectives - Five years of Covid-19 in Catalonia
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On March 14, 2020, Spain entered a state of alarm in the face of the coronavirus health crisis, placing the nation in lockdown and ordering the popula...
Tech tales - Women sparking change at MWC
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the UN's 17 goals for sustainable development is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. To coincide with International Wom...
MareNostrum and quantum computing - bits, qubits and 314 petaflops
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Located at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, MareNostrum 5 is part of a network of European supercomputers and is used to conduct research in field...
The purchase of Casa Orsola - groundbreaking housing initiative or dangerous precedent?
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Casa Orsola was built in the early 20th century by Italian businessman Joan Orsola; it is a beautiful modernist apartment building, located in the Eix...
Gaudís and Goyas - New golden age for Catalan cinema
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Goya awards ceremony held on February 8 was a testimony to the rising success of Catalan cinema, with prizes, applause and a feeling that Cataloni...
Concentration camp imposter - Enric Marco’s life of lies
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Barcelona-born Enric Marco was celebrated as a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, being awarded Catalonia’s highest civil distinction, the Creu ...
Dragon Ball - the anime that made Catalan cool
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dragon Ball - or Bola de Drac Catalan - was created as a manga, a style of comic or graphic novel, by Akira Toriyama in 1984, and was later made into ...
Trump’s trading tactics - US tax policies threaten Catalan economy
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Donald Trump returns to the White House, new US trading policies are predicted to bring increased tariffs on imports from Europe. On this week’s ...
Els Tres Tombs - Saint Anthony and the feast of the animals
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Saint Anthony, Catalonia’s protector of animals, is honored with a feast day on January 17 every year. The festival is known as Els Tres Tombs, or '...
Cooperative housing - Working together to combat the housing crisis
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A housing cooperative is a property owned by a business or housing association in which the residents gain equity by buying shares. It’s a distincti...
Still on track: Barcelona’s metro celebrates its centenary
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On December 30, 1924, the first section of Barcelona's city metro was inaugurated, running between Plaça Catalunya and Lesseps. Thousands of Barcelon...
Beating the odds: Spain’s Christmas lottery tradition
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Spain’s annual Christmas lottery will take place on December 22; it is the biggest and most popular draw of the year and an event of great cultural ...
2024 in Catalonia: A year in news
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Christmas time approaches and 2024 draws to a close, we’ll be dedicating an episode of Filling the Sink to an annual review, summarizing some of ...
A new language, a new life - Learning Catalan goes viral
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Catalan is currently spoken by more than 10 million people in four different countries: Spain, Andorra, France and Italy. This week on Filling the Si...
Valencia floods one month on - Is Catalonia prepared for extreme weather?
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On October 29, an isolated upper-level depression affected Spain, causing heavy rain and floods. One month on, we discuss the tragedy, explore wheth...
Priced out: Tenants threaten rent strike as housing crisis worsens
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This Saturday November 23 the Tenant’s Union accompanied by dozens of housing activism organizations have planned a protest in Barcelona to demand a...
Battle of the breakfasts - Brunch versus the esmorzar de forquilla
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone loves a good breakfast, and in this week’s episode of Filling the Sink we’ll be investigating two different traditions, the Catalan 'esmo...
The 2014 Catalan self-determination vote - 10 years on
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
November 9 is the tenth anniversary of the 2014 Catalan self-determination vote and to mark the occasion we’ll be looking at the independence push o...
Medical marijuana - New highs for the health industry?
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Despite its popularity as a recreational drug, cannabis has also been used throughout history to relieve pain and aid relaxation. Beth Cohen and Emma ...
Cemeteries and Chestnuts: Tots Sants in Catalonia
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As All Saints Day approaches on November 1, many Catalan families will be visiting the graves of their loved ones, taking flowers and paying their res...
Battling breast cancer - survivors' stories and experts insights
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
October 19th is the World Health Organization’s International Day Against Breast Cancer. In 2022, more than 2 million people worldwide were diagnose...
Taking the wheel - Inside the 1971 SEAT strike in Barcelona
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
SEAT is known as one of the largest companies in Catalonia and one of the biggest car manufacturers in Europe, selling over half a million cars in 202...
The big move to Barcelona - Expectations versus reality
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last Saturday, around 5,000 people gathered for the 11th edition of the Barcelona International Community Day at the Maritime Museum, just off the fam...
Key to the safe? The new Catalan financing model explained
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While most people were away on vacation this summer, it was announced that the Catalan Socialists had made a deal with the pro-independence Esquerra R...
‘El 47’ - Barcelona’s hidden story of resilience and community
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Catalan capital on the Mediterranean coast has always been a city that attracts immigration, whether people come in search of a better job, a bett...
Back to school - the rise of international schools in Catalonia
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week marks the official back-to-school week in Catalonia. According to official figures, 1.3 million Catalans have started or returned to classro...
New Socialist cycle - What’s next for Catalan politics?
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s September - a time that means back to work, school, or the start of something new. This year, the same can be said for Catalan politics, as Sal...
Colors of Catalan modernism - brushstrokes of a new era
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Modernism is one of the most important art movements in Catalonia, one that played a crucial role in shaping the cultural identity of Catalonia at the...
The 'vermut' hour - uncovering Catalonia's timeless tradition
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For centuries, Catalans have enjoyed “la hora del vermut,” or in English “the vermouth hour”, a time during the day when people slow down and ...
Carmen Balcells - the woman behind the Latin American literary boom
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Catalan literary agent Carmen Balcells considered a revolutionary in the publishing industry, was single-handedly responsible for turning it on its he...
The Tragic Week of 1909 - the birth of revolutionary Barcelona
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Barcelona is the city in the world with the most extensive history of barricade fights. These words come from philosopher Friedrich Engels, and many o...
Barcelona Pride 2024: Advocating for LGBTI+ education
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Every year in Catalonia, the LGBTI+ community celebrates Pride, an almost month-long celebration of events, talks, demonstrations, and more, culminati...
Forty years of life - the impact of assisted reproduction in Catalonia (part 2)
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On July 12th, 1984, the first baby was born through assisted reproduction in Barcelona and all of Spain, but the path to motherhood is not always as l...
Forty years of life - the impact of assisted reproduction in Catalonia (part 1)
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forty years ago, on July 12th, 1984, the first baby was born through assisted reproduction in Barcelona and in all of Spain. At the time, the news of ...
Castells - the cross-border and gravity-defying spirit of teamwork
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For more than 200 years, Catalans have celebrated the sky-reaching tradition of castells, literally castles in Catalan, when groups of people gather t...
Formula One showdown - will the Spanish Grand Prix remain in Catalonia?
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This year marks the 74th edition of the world’s largest motor racing event, the Formula One World Championship. Since 1991, the Spanish Grand Prix h...
Disfrutar - inside the World’s Best Restaurant
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Barcelona’s haute cuisine restaurant ‘Disfrutar’ has been named the World’s Best Restaurant in the 22nd edition of the prestigious ranking “...
European Election breakdown: What to expect in the next five years
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the past four days, EU citizens have been casting their ballots in the European Parliament elections. In Catalonia and the rest of Spain, Sunday, ...
Summer festivals guide 2024 - Primavera, Sónar, Cruïlla and much more!
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On May 30th, under sun, thunder, and lightning, Primavera Sound, the biggest festival in Spain descended on Barcelona’s Parc del Fòrum for the 22nd...
Snail tales - Celebrating the annual Catalan Snail Gathering
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since 1980, at the end of May, the western Catalan city of Lleida becomes the snail center of Catalonia, where hundreds of people get together to cele...
Catalonia’s renting realities - when laws fall short
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Finding affordable housing has long been a problem in Catalonia and Spain, and in March, the Spanish government introduced a reference index for rent ...
Catalan election - unionist gains, pro-independence losses, and what’s next
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Catalan snap election is over, and the voters gave the Catalan Socialist Party, PSC, a whopping 28% of the vote, which translates into 42 seats. B...
Beyond the mustache - Exploring the surreal world of Salvador Dalí
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On May 11, we celebrate the 120th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Catalan artist Salvador Dalí, whose influence on the art world continues ...
Early endings and future beginnings - 2024 Catalan election preview
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Catalan election season is in full swing – once again. On March 18th, Catalan President Pere Aragonès announced that he was dissolving the Cata...
Books, roses and legends - Celebrating Sant Jordi in Catalonia
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sant Jordi or Saint George is the patron saint of Catalonia, and April 23 is the day when Catalans celebrate love, roses, romance, and also books. T...
Shifting sands - Beneath Catalonia’s coastal changes
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the weather gets warmer, more and more people will want to go to the beach. But lately, some of the beaches in Catalonia have looked quite differen...
Off the runway: exploring sustainability and inclusivity at 080 Barcelona Fashion
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Barcelona’s take on fashion week is the bi-annual event 080 Barcelona Fashion, which this season runs from April 9 to April 12. The event has been h...
Climbing Catalonia: Scaling new heights with indoor and outdoor bouldering
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The number of indoor climbing gyms in Catalonia has multiplied by four in just ten years, making climbing a lifestyle phenomenon and another way of co...
Behind bars: from model prison to overcrowded agony – the story of La Model
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This year marks the 120th anniversary of the opening of the notorious La Model prison, located in the Eixample district of Barcelona. The facility c...
Mobile-free zones: How a parent initiative led to the restriction of phones in Catalan schools
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In January 2024, the Catalan government joined other European countries in the fight to regulate the use of mobile phones by young children. A new ...
And the Oscar goes to... Catalonia's Hollywood adventure
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Society of the Snow and Robot Dreams miss out on coveted Academy Awards, but plenty of fun is had along the way. In Los Angeles, Natàlia Segura cat...
10 women who changed Catalonia
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
March 8 is International Women's Day. To mark the occasion, Filling the Sink pays homage to ten women who changed Catalonia. Writer Caterina Albert ...
Inside Mobile World Congress 2024 – AI, quantum tech, aviation innovation and Catalan startups
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The world's biggest mobile technology fair is taking place in Barcelona once again, but Mobile World Congress goes way beyond phones. MWC 2024 showcas...
Catalan farmers' protests: Why are they demonstrating?
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
All across Europe, farmers are protesting, stopping traffic with their tractors to sound the alarm on what many feel is the slow death of the agricult...
Catalan Wikipedia – community, knowledge, language and culture
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Viquipèdia, the Catalan version of the free, collaborative online encyclopedia, is a real success story, with almost 750,000 articles and over 1,000 ...
Record year – Barcelona's booming vinyl scene
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Record stores and listening bars are popping up everywhere in Barcelona. Vinyl sales in Catalonia surpassed CD sales in 2023 for the first time since ...
Girona FC – the tiny Catalan football club making it big
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Catalonia's number one football team has always been FC Barcelona, until now! Tiny Girona FC are making it big, battling it out at the top of La Liga ...
Spotlight on education – Poor PISA results raise questions for Catalan schools
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Filling the Sink turns the spotlight on education after Catalonia finished almost bottom of the class in Spain in the latest PISA international tests,...
Censored, prohibited, vandalized - inside Barcelona’s Museum of Forbidden Art
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Museum of Forbidden Art is the first of its kind in the world, displaying art pieces that were censored or banned at some point in history and in ...
How Catalonia’s Roma community keeps the Romani language alive
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Romani is the main language of the Roma community, and one of the biggest minority languages in Europe - estimated to be spoken by millions of people....
A look back at 2023 - elections, drought and celebrity break-ups
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Reporter Lorcan Doherty joins Lucía Benavides to take a look back at this year's top Catalan news. There were local and national elections, a new amn...
The Father of Catalan Modernism - How Lluís Domènech i Montaner started a movement
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner is best known for designing Barcelona’s famous Palau de la Música Catalana and the Sant Pau Hospital, both of...
Antoni Tàpies’ centenary - Avant garde art that makes you think
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week marks 100 years since the birth of one of Catalonia's most renowned artists of the 20th century: Antoni Tàpies. He's best known for his abs...
All you need is water – Catalonia confronts historic drought
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Catalonia is experiencing the worst drought on record, with reservoirs as low as 18 percent and local governments preparing for drastic measures – s...
Hot plates, haute cuisine - Growing a more sustainable culinary world
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Catalonia has the most Michelin stars in all of Spain - with a whopping 70 in all. The last three stars were added just this week, at a gala held in B...
Olive you at a lower price - what’s behind the high cost of basic food products?
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
These days, going grocery shopping is making more of a dent in our wallets than usual. The cost of many basic food products – including olive oil, m...
Pedro Sánchez reelection – and the amnesty deal that made it possible
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez was sworn in as prime minister on Friday, bringing an end to a four-month long saga of inconclusive results from the J...
We are 8 million - Catalonia’s older, densely-packed and foreign-born population
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Catalonia has reached a new population record of 8 million residents. The growth has come quicker than ever before - jumping by 1 million inhabitants ...
From neither here nor there - what’s it like to integrate in Catalonia?
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are around 1.6 million foreign-born residents in Catalonia, almost 400,000 of whom live in Barcelona. They come from all over the world: Pakista...
No place like home - Barcelona’s social housing shortage
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Barcelona has one of the lowest subsidy rates for public housing in all of Europe: only 1.7% of rental properties are designated for social housing. C...
100 years of Joan Oró - the man who wanted to understand the origin of life
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This month marks what would have been Catalan biochemist Joan Oró’s 100th birthday. His ground-breaking research on the origin of life granted him ...
TikTok sensations - how social media is changing Barcelona
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many of you may have heard the term “Instagrammable,” which refers to places that are so beautiful or unique, they’d make for a perfect Instagra...
Catalan in Congress - now an official language, could the EU be next?
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As of September 19, Spanish MPs can address Congress in Catalan for the first time ever - as well as Basque and Galician. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro...
Animal welfare law – pets protected, hunting dogs and bullfighting exempted
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
New animal welfare legislation comes into effect across Spain with increased fines for abuse and new obligations for pet owners, but it hasn’t been ...
True crime – when life is stranger than fiction
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the real-life case of the murder of a Barcelona police officer is given the Netflix treatment, Filling the Sink looks at true crime stories in Cata...
America’s Cup – Barcelona counts down to sailing’s most prestigious regatta
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Not your typical Sunday regatta – think Formula 1 on water – the America's Cup is coming to Barcelona. Cillian Shields chats to event CEO Grant Da...