Above is Txell. We met last year at the Velo-city conference in Bruxelles and have kept touch ever since, as good friends do. She arranged the 3rd Catalan Bicycle Congress in Lleida, where I was invited to speak last week. She also started Barcelona Cycle Chic on the side.
We had a brilliant time in Barcelona after the conference. We're not bike geeks so there was only talk of the aesthetic aspects of Barcelona's blossoming bicycle culture and the occasional "cool bike" when one was spotted - usually a beat up but still graceful upright vintage ride. We do, however, share a passion for cinema. Her thesis was about visual and thematic comparisons between the cinematic works of Wong kar-wai and Fassbinder. A concept which was/is for me enough to make my head spin.
Anyway, we rode around the city day and night. She loaned me her Bicing card so I could use the city's bike share programme which isn't available to tourists. And, we made a little cineaste film about Barcelona Cycle Chic and the fantastic mood in that cycling city.
Le film. I can now say that I've doubled and been doubled on a pale-blue Brompton. By night. After lots of red wine.
True and pure Cycle Chic.
Et ca, c'est moi.
27 comments:
MORE Bromptons! OMG this is the BEST blog ever!
That's a nice blue color too.
WOW, i really like the first pictre! and i love the video...merci jeune realisateur ;)
you're always welcome in BCN!
I thought you were smarter Mika. I've been following your whole trip to Spain and i've noticed you make a difference between Spaniards and Catalans, like if they were from a different country, starting from your comment on the high speed train (http://twitter.com/copenhagenize/status/12163934156) and following with any other comments on your twitter or Facebook.
By the way, Barca is not Barcelona. And Catalonia IS Spain, not the whole country obviously, but a part of it, therefore Catalans are Spaniards. Just to clarify.
Moving to the topic, BCN is doing great with bikes and we probably have the most important bike use habit and culture in Spain, but I don't see that in the video. It's a shame you couldn't show more apart from your friend Txell but I hope next time you'll do better.
Cheers,
Alex
Mmm. If i were your wife, i would be jealous. Very jealous.
I have lusted for the city of Barcelona for years now, the Whit Stillman file of the same name, the construction of the Guggenheim in nearby Bilbao, even the silly Disney movie, "Cheeta Girls, 3". and now, you get stuck there, and dangle this in front of me, I'm like an addict. Ahhhh! Thank you.
"film", Whit Stillman FILM...uggh.
Lovely video. I live in BCN, yet it's videos like yours that make me realize how cool can it be!
Just in case anyone else is wondering, the song is called Irresistiblement by Vanessa Paradis
Visca Catalunya.
Alex, look at the photos on the other posts for the richness of Catalonian bicycle culture in the capital of Catalunya, Barcelona. :-) Whether or not I do 'better' next time is not for me to judge. I make the films I wish to make.
I disagree with Alex. Please, MORE of TxelL.
I'm surprised you claim to know even better than us about our nationality and culture... Keep being wrong fella
And yep, Barcelona is the capital of Catalunya as Sevilla is the capital of Andalucía and Madrid the capital of Madrid and the whole country.
Whether or not I do 'better' next time is not for you to judge but for the audience. I love my city (BCN) more than any other city in the world, but being neutral, the quality of this movie is very low compared to the other movies you made in your hometown CPH and in the rest of the cities you've visited. But that of course, is an opinion.
The pictures are really nice but it would have been great it you could have showed that also in the movie.
Alex
I second adam! :-)
Alex, you're clearly missing the point of the video. This is Cycle Chic, not a blog that focuses on infrastructure but people. And there's nothing wrong on stating that this is Catalonia. In my opinion, criticism (mostly) based on political views is out of place.
I know Ramón, I've been following this blog and Mikael since the beginning :) and nope, I don't pretend the videos focuses on infrastructures but on the people. He's free to record whatever he wants, of course, but just recording Txell at night he's missing a lot of the cyclist movement in our city, though it's been already pictured in other posts. I was suggesting more of daylight and more people in motion apart from her.
I don't pretend any political views either, but by distinguishing Catalans and Spaniards he may confuse the audience and the visitors of this blog making them believe Catalonia is a separate country, which by now, it is not.
And yes, I'm proud to be Catalan and I'm proud to be a Spaniard because I'm both things at the same time.
Visca Catalunya i Visca España!!
what a lovely heart warming piece. thank you for sharing such a light hearted & fun glimpse of your trip to BCN.
Xos
eva
I love this video. The blue Brompton is cute and fun, and her shoes and coat are so chic. A glimpse at the back streets of the city set to cool music. All very very nice and kind of inspiring.
Hey!!!
Cool video... but the picture is really incredible... We have to thank Iceland for this don´t we?
Hope we meet again Mr. Mikael
Luisa O.
Love the video and the Brompton! I've been toying with the idea of a third bike (that's not excessive) that I could use exclusively for travel and the Brompton is so chic it would definitely fit the bill.
Nice moment. Thanks for the visit, Txell. And for the video, Mikael.
Screw you Alex. Whether or not Catalonia should become a sovereign state, it is a nation. I live in Québec, which is very different from English Canada. Visca Catalunya, vive le Québec! And saying someone isn't smart because you don't share his outlook just ... isn't. I guess Franco is alive and well, hein?
Leaving national oppression aside for the much more pleasant topic of cycle chic, these pics are just lovely.
Great video, so Chic, so cool...
Well I'm off topic too, but for a different reason, and I aim to be polite...I want to read Txell's thesis! I watched a lot of Fassbinder in my 20s, have been watching a lot of Wong in my 40s and would love to read a comparative analysis!
beck, i'd like to send you my thesis but i did it just in...ejem...catalan ;)
Pretty lame what lagatta á montreal says. The comparison between the French and English Canada and Spain/Catalonia is out of line. It's like comparing oranges and potatoes.
Catalonia has never been independent, our language is used in Valencia, Alicante, Castellon, Mallorca, Andorra -which is a country- and many other places. Why are we a nation and Mallorca or Valencia can't be a nation?? They also have a different culture and language, so?
Those who claim an independent Catalonia are very few people but they make a lot of noise acting in public media. Actually there was a public voting yesterday claiming for indepenence which took place in small towns (not the big cities) and even allowing citizens over 16 (the minimun age for voting is 18) and immigrants, only 300k people out of a total population of more than 7 Million voted. Where's the rest? Why didn't this voting take place e.g. in Barcelona?
FYI people from all over Spain specially from Andalucia and Extremadura moved and built Barcelona. Even the president of the Generalitat (regional Government) comes from Andalucia. You should ask them if they feel they're a nation. Ask them if they want to become independent.
You'd rather not talk about it unless you live here and know the situation with our stupid politicians and the manipulation present in most programmes and media, but one thing is clear: don't get confused.
Cheers,
Alex
And I don't see the point of Franco here. He was a dictator and a criminal who fortunately died for our good before I was born.
I'm still surprised you know more about our culture and history overseas than even us. En fin...
Fins demà.
Great video... what is the name of the song that you used?
ps... I've been following your blog for awhile now, it's one of my all time favorites!
Txell, thanks...I ain't going there! ;D
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