We were lucky enough to be in town when Barcelona's La Merce Festival was on that long weekend. We got to experience the crazy fireworks parade, where paraders would dress up as 'demons' and stalk the streets. Then, the patron saints of Barcelona (Mary and Joseph usually) would chase away these 'demons' with a huge display of firecrackers and fireworks. This was probably one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had. Another catalonian tradition we got to watch was the human towers (castells). About 5 different human tower groups dressed in different colour uniforms performed different combinations of human towers - such a treat! Thankfully, we only saw one team go slightly wrong when they were coming down from their pose. We visited the old gothic quarter, the magic fountain, the famous Barceloneta beach and took a free walking tour of the Gaudi buildings within the city. The political unrest in Catalunya meant we got to experience first hand the locals' passion for independence.
Gaudi-designed houses.
We came across a food truck market with live music and also a silent disco!
The final two days here, we were joined by Trish and Sarah and explored Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia by Gaudi. To this day, La Sagrada Familia is still not complete and workers today are still following the instructions left by Gaudi to complete the external and internal fascades.
La Sagrada Familia from a distance!
