Today I've spent the whole day reading books in both Spanish and Catalan, as well as buying a newspaper El Periódico which is available in BOTH languages... I wonder in how many other places around the world one can buy a bilingual newspaper? Apart from the history of the languages, which can be at times quite controversial, it's interesting to see the differences and similarities which they share. Catalan, for example, has a beautiful past tense which is unique to it, whereby Spanish has some very interesting Arabic influences. As a student of Spanish History it can be dispiriting to read of the continuing misunderstanding and rancour between the two pueblos/pobles, it would be good for a moment if everyone could step back and appreciate both histories, both languages, both realities...