Catalan exerperiences for last day in Barcelona

We decided to go first to the Palau de la Musica Catalana (Palace of Catalan Music) to see about an English tour. Supposedly they are offered every hour but when we got there we found out that there were no tours today because there was to be a concert at noon. The tickets were 10€ each and the tour is 18€ each so we thought we came out ahead. We went off to check out a couple of shops Sue had told us about in the vicinity, then back in time for the concert. The palace is amazing, designed by a contemporary of Gaudi, very grand in the modernista style, lots of tile mosaics and with a layout a bit like the Opera in Paris.  

A sculpture at the front of the building.

Ceiling shots.

The concert was by three separate Catalan choirs. Our main goal was to get inside to see the interior, but the incredible bonus was the finale - a massed choir (all 3 choirs together - about 100 voices) who finished with "El cant de la senyera" (the song of the flag), the Catalan anthem, with such passion and with audience participation. In reading the history we found that Franco had forbidden the singing of this anthem, as well as use of Catalan language. At a concert in this hall in 1960, it was authorized for the orchestra to play the music, but without any singing. However, several rebels stood up and sang anyway. They were arrested and imprisoned. This is now recognized as the Catalan anthem, and the conductor of the choir led it with fist pumping, not just baton waving. Everyone stood and an amazingly large part of the audience sang loudly in Catalan. 

It was truly an experience of Catalan Independence and their passion for their region. We feel very honoured to have witnessed this in the very hall where it was denied less than 60 years ago. 

Later in the day we headed off to Creu Cobert, just off Plaza d'Espagne to watch a display of castelleres or castlers - who daringly build tall human towers (castles). This is another distinctively Catalan activity. There were 4 teams participating today, with a goal of achieving a tower 9 levels high. 

Party atmosphere on the street

The men at the bottom of the tower wrap a very long wide sash around their middles, and other bandana-like wraps around their wrists. All are in 'team' shirts which climbers grasp during the climb up. 

They begin with a 'knot' of big guys at the bottom, and sometimes members of other teams pitch in to add to the outer layer. The first 2 or 3 levels are men, then women and on top - 2 or 3 young girls, probably ages 6-7. The little ones wear helmets. After they complete the level they are trying to achieve they slide quickly down one level at a time. It's just as important how fast you can deconstruct the tower as it is to build the tower.

It does get a bit stressful watching, I am so worried about those little girls falling but the look of concentration on all the holders and climbers faces shows that they are well practiced and know what they are doing. We did not watch until the end, but one of coaches told us they would go to 9 layers tonight, easy, he said. We started walking home after 8 layers. The top person holds up 4 fingers when they get to the top signifying the 4 stripes of the Catalan flag.

There was music as they performed the castles. A band with drums, horns, cymbals and tambourines. Even this little guy participated. Definitely a family event.

We stopped for dinner on our way home since it was a 3/4 hr walk back home again. We went into this circular brick building, that had been Barcelona's bull ring for many years. In the late 1970s it was converted to a huge shopping mall where we found the lowest level had many restaurants and food courts etc. It was pizza tonight for us. 

And that marked the end of our Spanish holiday. We have many more things on our to do list for Barcelona. So we will be back.

Tomorrow morning we fly to Gatwick then back home the day after. Thank you for travelling with us. We will be off again to Europe on another adventure in the fall.

Marion and Wendy