Still here in Barcelona! But home tomorrow, thankfully. While it has been very relaxing having some extra holiday, it has also been disruptive. And any of you who are self-employed will know the double whammy of not earning and spending at the same time. But I am not complaining (much).
Curiously, while stuck here, a follower of the blog and fellow shoe nut, Emili Guirao was stuck in Liverpool. He owns a shoe shop here called 2046. He managed to get home via London and Paris, but while he was in St Pancras Station he went to our studio. Unfortunately it was a Sunday and nobody was home. Anyway, he contacted us and I went to see him this week. Lovely shop, well worth a visit.
Now it turns out that he is learning handsewn shoemaking here in Barcelona from an old guy who has made shoes all of his life and still has a shop in the old city. So I went to see them at work which was very interesting.
His name is Josep Cunillera and the shop is at c. Sant Pacia, #3, 08001, Barcelona. Josep is an orthopedic shoemaker, but knows all aspects of the craft. He started at 13 and has done it all his life. He says there is little market now for non orthopedic bespoke shoes here.
His shop and workshop are great, in a medieval building. So much space! Very envious. So we swapped stories, tips and techniques. It is pretty much the same as in England, the main difference being the use of wooden pegs instead of nails.
He told me about all the old makers here who had taught me at the Guild School here.
68 and still going strong. I dont know if that is a good thing or not. Will I have made enough money to retire by then? Somehow I dont think that is how it works. Shoemakers dont retire, their faculties just fail progressively. Ulp!
But it was great to meet a follower of the blog and someone who actually learns from what we write here. So good luck Emili and keep going.
By the way, in the post about making thread wax (Wax Miracle, 09.04.10), there was a video about the final phase of kneading the wax, but it was with a black still so not immediately obvious. So if you didnt see it, take a look because it is quite interesting.
It happens to be St. Georges Day, which has a lovely tradition here. Everyone gives a rose or a book to each other. All the bookshops in the city have stalls outside on the pavement, so the people wander around, perusing books and there is a great atmosphere. The Ramblas are especially busy, so that is where we are off to now for a wander. Life is not so bad really.
So, having confirmed the flight for tomorrow, I will be posting from work next week and normal service will be resumed. Happy making!
