¡Barcelona!

I've had a great couple days out wandering around downtown Barcelona. There's a massive traditional festival happening this week called Mercè, so some of what I've come across has been part of that. Here's a pictorial tour for y'all, starting with tonight and working backwards.

On my way home this street parade was happening right by my metro stop, so I waited for a couple hours to see things go past. 

There was lots of drumming...

...and traditional Catalan songs being played on these mini-oboe type instruments, like old fashioned pied piper, dancing-in-the-village-square-in-the-old-days music (stay tuned for yesterday's photo's, because I saw that very thing too)

Many espadrilles were being worn, and scarfs tied around midriffs

It's blurry but I like this one. That's a pig they're chasing. Pigs were common.

Dragons breathing roses were common too. This one's crown matches the street lamps.

There were many giant people puppets in the parade, I'm guessing representing traditional regions or just traditions of Catalonia. These were the surrealist Gaudi ones.

Fuzzy rooster - but look! his espadrilles are in focus.

So that was tonight at metro stop Liceu. Earlier in the day, I wandered the old narrow streets of El Gotic and El Born.

Part of a demolition site near Plaça de la Llana

Graffiti near the crazy Palau de la Música (which I was unable to photograph well enough to put here)

Looking up in the very gothic Santa Maria del Mar

And then there was yesterday.

Maybe the most photographed spot in Barcelona - in the beautiful Gotic area

Looking up - see those crazy gargoyle saints? Barcelona has by far the best gargoyles.

The wall on that street - more gargoyles and mini faces. Hard to photograph...

Further down the street. I've seen a few walls around town with this sort of decoration.

Around the corner and I found the back of the cathedral...

A close up of the wall in the above shot, soooo pretty.
I will be making a flickr album of Barcelona patina & graffiti like I did for Italy soon.

One of many little motifs on those cathedral walls.

That was what I saw on my way to the Picasso Museum (which is free on Sundays after 3pm). The best thing about that visit was seeing a room full of his deconstructed Las Meninas paintings, after the famous Velázquez painting (which is in Madrid so I shall probably not see it this time).

And then on my way home I found dancing in the square.

It started with just a couple of circles, and then after a few songs, the square had transformed into many circles of dancing, and circles within circles. The style reminded me of the little to-and-fro wobble of the chameleon's walk! Probably just me who sees that... I think Catalan's have been doing this dance in this square for a long time.

And then later I went with the housemates to see the amazing light show on La Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece (which is now predicted to be complete in 2026).

This is my crappy shot...

...and this one I found online here, with loads of other amazing shots. This was so Barcelona to me, the crazy colour & patterns, combined with the crazy architecture. A whole sensory overload of crazy.

I haven't gone inside La Sagrada Familia yet, but it's on my list. Tomorrow though, it's Montserrat, for some nature and gregorian chants.

Buenos noches!