PICK OF THE WEEK: Sunday, 28th June – Sunday, 5th July, 2020

MUSIC

Wednesday, 1st July – Monday, 31st August throughout the Principality. (Free) ONCA-Carrer: Music takes to the streets. The ONCA Foundation is promoting a music cycle called ON-CARRER which will take place in July and August under the motto “Music takes to the streets” According to Albert Gumí, curator of the ONCA Foundation, “ON-CARRER is a new initiative of the ONCA Foundation that opens the doors and windows of art during the summer. It is a cycle to enjoy street music that prioritizes the country’s artists and musicians linked to the FONCA. A proposal open to everyone and for everyone that aims to collaborate in the recovery and revitalization of the cultural activity of our country and bring art and culture closer to our society ”.
This new summer cycle, which aims to have the complicity of the cultural departments of each parish, will consist of short performances of between 20 and 25 minutes, outdoors, in spaces designed and suitable for each artistic proposal. Each participating group will do 3 sets with breaks of 15 to 30 minutes between sets. The cycle will have a “casual” look to avoid audience concentration and encourage the “surprise” of finding music on the streets.

CINEMA

Sunday 28th June, Wednesday 1st and Thursday, 2nd July at 19.15h at the Cinemes, Illa Carlemany, Escaldes-Engordany. Bohemian Rhapsody. Directed by Bryan Singer, Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee. The Story of the legendary British rock band Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury, leading up to their famous performance at Live Aid (1985). Won four Oscars including best actor, also Golden Globe best actor and best motion picture. https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1451538969?playlistId=tt1727824&ref_=tt_ov_vi
 Sunday 28th June, Wednesday 1st and Thursday, 2nd July at 22.30h at the Cinemes, Illa Carlemany, Escaldes-Engordany. Bohemian Rhapsody Sing Along version. (Not clear if this is also in English.)

FESTIVALS

FESTA MAJOR OF PAS DE LA CASA

Sunday, 28th & Monday 29th June around Pas de la Casa

Programme: (Free)
SUNDAY: 12h Musical Parade through the village with Les Wagonetes. 15h Children’s show: Que peti la plaça. 16.30h Musical Parade through the village with Les Wagonetes. 20h Musical performance with The Soulstorm.
MONDAY: 12h Mass of Saint Peter in the Church of St Peter.13h Musical Parade through the village with Les Pompines. Children’s show Si no vols pols no vagis a l’era. 16.30h Musical Parade through the village with Les Pompines. 20h Musical performance with Manu & Vodk’s. 22.30h Bonfire and fireworks.

CHARITY CAR BOOT SALESALE

Sunday, 5th July from 9h – 14h at the Arinsal Car Park next to the Bike Park. COVID CHARITY CAR BOOT SALE. Plots: Single 20€, Double 30€ (Organised by the Tourism Association of Arinsal, headed by the British Honorary Consul, Fiona Dean MBE. The plot money goes in total to those in the village hardest hit by Covid-19 and unemployment.) Want to take a stand, clear out your attic and earn yourself some money? Book your stall with [email protected] (Or why not join me in organizing, or donating things to, a stand where all the money raised can go to the same cause? Maybe we could take another stand for homemade cakes etc? If interested in helping to organize please contact me at [email protected].

EXHIBITIONS

Until Sunday, 5th July (Free) at the Art Centre, Escaldes-Engordany Exhibition of photographs by Narcís Darder and Ricard Duran with photographs of Barcelona and Andorra.

MUSEUMS OPEN AND MOSTLY FREE!

Andorra has some excellent small museums. Especially, don’t miss the private, Microminiature Museum in Ordino. Exceptional.

Open daily, the Micro-miniature Museum of Ordino contains miniatures by the extraordinarily talented Ukrainian artist Nikolaï Siadristyi. My favourite is the picture of a woman standing on the shore watching as her husband’s fishing boat sails towards the horizon, with a seagull overhead. You feel her pain – and it is all created on a single grain of rice! He has also written his signature in gold on a cross section of a single hair. And so it goes on. Quite mindboggling. And now there is a whole new section of Chinese, painted glass snuff bottles with Andorran themes (noted people, monuments, landscapes) created for the museum by Liu Shouben, First Master of Beijing who paints the pictures inside the bottles using a long, fine brush.

There are also Orthodox Icons, beautiful Russian Matrioshkas, or nesting dolls, Papier mâché lacquer boxes all of very high quality and done in miniature, plus a video on Siadristyi and another on how the Matrioshkas are made. Open from Monday to Saturday from 9.30h until 19h. And Sunday from 9h30 until 13h30. Price: 7€

Until Tuesday, 30th June, from Tuesday to Saturday, 12h – 18h Sunday, 11h – 14h. One Museum in Ordino, one in Andorra la Vella and one in Santa Coloma have reopened their doors to visitors: the Casa d’Areny-Plandolit, the Casa de la Vall and the Espai Columba. For two months they have brought the museums online to your home. Now you can return the visit!

Wednesday, 1st July – Monday, 31st August throughout the Principality. (Free, except for Santa Coloma/Espai Columba) The Romanesque architecture of Andorra is opening for the summer season. The most representative Andorran Romanesque churches will open their doors for two months so that both residents and visitors can see the art exhibitions that six churches, spread across the country, contain. The painting, sculpture and architecture that has come to us since the Middle Ages are unique samples that each year await the arrival of summer to be explained. These exhibitions will make it possible for the visitors to become aware of the origins of Andorran society from almost a thousand years ago. (Though not mentioned, there is usually a university student in each venue to give a guided tour.)

The chapels of Sant Romà de les Bons, Sant Serni de Nagol, Sant Climent de Pal, Sant Miquel d’Engolasters and Sant Martí de la Cortinada can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday from 10h – 14h and from 15h – 19h and on Sundays from 10h – 14h for free.

As a novelty this year, Sant Climent de Pal will no longer be visited jointly with the old Romanesque Interpretation Centre of Andorra. On the other hand, it will be the church of Santa Coloma, with the video mapping, which will be visited together with the Espai Columba, where you can get to know the original frescoes of the chapel and its digital adaptation in situ.

This last church will be open to the public during the museum’s opening hours ( see above, except on Sunday when it opens at 11h) The Espai Columba rates are; general adult public 7€; reduced 3.5€, and free.
In addition, the casa paroquial of Canillo will open the emblematic church of Sant Joan de Caselles free of charge until October, from Tuesday to Sunday from 10h – 13h and from 16h – 19h.

Along with the churches, you can also enjoy guided tours of the Sanctuary of Meritxell from Monday 1 July during the Sanctuary’s opening hours: from 10h – 13h and from 15h – 19h and on Sunday from 10h – 14h. It is closed on Tuesdays.
And finally, normalcy will be restored at the National Automobile Museum and Casa Rull from Tuesday 2 July at their usual hours.

CHILDREN

Monday, 6th July – Friday, 28th August 28 at La Loopa, Andorra la Vella. Summer Robotics campus for children aged 6 – 14. A campus to enjoy robotics, programming and video game creation.
We will build robots, customize them and program them to overcome challenges. Check the conditions here.

Tuesday, 7th July, at 10h at the Pont de la Plana, Escaldes-Engordany. Children’s butterfly discovery workshop. (5€ Activity recommended for those over 8. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Limited places. Registration at: E- mail : [email protected] Tel 823 000. The use of masks is mandatory. The organization will provide disinfectant gel.) Children’s butterfly discovery workshop We will try to hunt some of them (which we will then release!!!) to explain how they are, what they have in particular and why we are tracking them. The starting point will be the Pont de la Plana, and we will go up to Entremes aigües with the guides of the Comú d’Escaldes-Engordany to investigate these interesting insects. At 13h we will be back at the starting point.

GUIDED TOURS

Every day from Saturday, 27th June to Sunday, 2nd August. A Guided tour of Andorra la Vella in Catalan – a great way to learn about Andorra and to practice your Catalan – all ready for the next bout of Covid-19?) Meeting point next to Dalí’s sculpture in the Plaza de la Rotonda, Andorra la Vella leaving at 10.30h. (Reverse box office – 15€ recommended. Prior registration required at: Whatsapp: +376
384 708 or [email protected] )

We will visit in a relaxed manner the most emblematic and interesting places in Andorra la Vella, including the historic centre. At our meeting point we begin by explaining and analysing the sculpture La noblesse du temps by the genius Salvador Dalí. Most people are unaware of its meaning and history. We refer to the rich cultural, natural and artistic heritage that we find along the route we have carefully chosen.

We tell of curiosities and stories, the meaning of which most people are unaware, despite having gone past them many, many times. We are used to seeing statues, trees and stones, old and modern houses or buildings, but we do not know why they are there or their history. During the interesting guided tour we strive to bring them to life by explaining their meaning which is often very interesting. Our goal is to highlight them and to give them the importance they deserve.

We like to establish a dialogue with the participants who accompany us, exchanging knowledge and, at the same time, to be able to learn from each other.

Our intention is to have a good time together and generate an experience that we hope will become unforgettable.

We like to say that the guided tour is preeminent, and that we do it with pride, passion and love for this land and out of love for its people and the participants who accompany us.

Every day from Saturday, 27th June to Sunday, 2nd August at 18h leaving from Parc de la Mola, Escaldes-Engordany. Guided tour of Escaldes, Caldea and the importance of thermal water to the parish also in in Catalan, We will visit the most emblematic and interesting places of Escaldes, Caldea and discuss the importance that the thermal water has had in the history of the parish. We make special mention of the cultural centres that are close to each other, such as the CAEE (Escaldes-Engordany Art Center), the Carmen Thyssen Museum and the Artalroc. We will see numerous art samples that beautify many spaces in Escaldes. (See above for more detail of the guided tours.)

Culturally yours,

Clare.

_____________

Look for about the author of the blog Clare Allcard

_____________

Look here for the whole blog “Cultural events in Andorra with Clare Allcard”

Read more: What to do today? Cultural events in Andorra with Clare Allcard ...