Sunday 12th February 2017

Parade of Giants : Parc Güell : Plaça Reial

We learnt from a website that one of the main events of the Santa Eulalia Festival would take place this morning – the Parade of Giants. While we both agree that we would love to return to this interesting city, it is doubtful that our visit would coincide with the festival.  So we decided to take the opportunity to see a local celebration.

We believed that the parade would commence at 10.30am, leaving from its starting point in the square named Plaça Reial. We allowed plenty of time and actually followed two giants down Las Ramblas, as they made their way to the square.  They are extremely professionally made and adorned with many minute details. One man carries the effigy on his shoulders.  There is a gap in the giant’s attire for the person to see through and each giant has a team of 4 to 6 people to take a turn at carrying the heavy giant and to support it if it wobbles.  Many of the giants are over 4 metres tall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We followed the giants into the pretty square where many people were already gathered.  At one side of the square was a stamp and coin market; a flea market was in the centre and around the perimeter around 40 giants stood awaiting the start of the procession.

Nobles, kings and queens with fur trimmed costumes stood next to an array of other effigies. They included a Spanish flamenco dancer, an Arab proudly wearing his turban, a rather portly lady wearing a 1920’s Charleston style dress, long beads and a cigarette holder completed this particular giant.

The square was very busy; musicians were practising and tuning their instruments.  Parents and helpers were assisting the many children fasten ankle straps with bells onto their small legs.

The Plaça Reial is a beautiful square with many palm trees and ornamental black lamp posts, some of which were designed by Gaudi.  We soaked up the party atmosphere and then returned to Las Ramblas intending to get a good spot to watch the parade. After standing for quite a while in our ‘good spot’ and seeing no signs of the parade starting we returned back to the square and asked someone what time it would start.  “Not until 11.30am” we were informed, “10.30am is the time for the giants to meet”, the musician added.  We went for a cup of coffee before returning to ‘our spot’.   Shortly before the starting time, people of all ages, tourists and locals quickly lined the streets.

 

 

 

 

 

The giants danced and spun around. Each one stopped periodically so another member of the team could take a turn to carry it, the rest of the team ensured the huge heavy effigy didn’t topple over as the person lifted it onto their shoulders. There were a couple of groups of dancers, similar to Morris dancers who stopped every so often to dance with their wooden sticks.  A small children’s group did the same, carefully imitating their teacher who was demonstrating the movements.  The kid’s faces were serious with concentration but they smiled and laughed again as soon as the routine was completed. They continued happily skipping and shaking the bells on their ankles until their teacher stopped again and then their facial features turned serious once more.  Many groups of musicians interspersed the dancing giants, playing tunes on their various instruments.

After the procession had passed by, we walked to the Plaça de Sant Jaume hoping to see the human castells. Teams climb onto each other’s shoulders to form a human tower; the towers can reach incredible heights.

Unfortunately this event had taken place at 11am. We had therefore missed the opportunity to see this Catalonian tradition. A huge crowd was still in the square and the winning team was parading around in a circle with children (some of whom wore protective helmets) on their shoulders.

We took the No.24 bus (the first time we have used any transport since arriving in the city three days ago) to Parc Güell.  The bus ride took just forty minutes from the Plaça De Catalunya.

Parc Güell, now a public park was originally intended to be a small private housing estate surrounded by gardens.  Antoni Gaudi was the designer for the original project which was high on a hill on the outskirts of the city.  This housing estate intended for the cities affluent families would have had spectacular views to the sea and of the city below, but for a number of reasons including the lack of transport to and from the city the venture failed.

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrived, we immediately purchased our tickets and received our allotted time slot. Only 400 visitors are allowed into the area every 30 minutes.  This is a bit of a farce really, as once you are in, there is no restriction on the time that you can stay.

We wandered the pretty gardens with their interesting curved walls and caverns. From the park area you can look down into the ticketed area and see the meandering stone bench decorated with colourful broken ceramic tiles. We entered at the appropriate time and saw the mosaics more closely.

It wasn’t the best day for views as there were heavy clouds but on a clear day I’m sure the view would be superb.  We managed however to spot the famous landmark, the Sagrada Famillia. There was a cold wind too but we considered ourselves to be lucky as the forecast rain had not arrived.

As we took the steps leading downwards to the lower level, we realised that the colourful seated area was built on top of stone pillars.  Over eighty stone columns support the area which was intended to be a meeting place for the residents. A market place was planned for the hypostyle hall. Its ceiling is dramatically decorated with beautiful colourful symbols that represent the sun; these were created by Gaudi’s assistant, Josep M. Julol.

We walked past the colourfully tiled dragon lizard. Many Japanese tourists were taking selfies with it and then posing for further photographs to be taken by friends with imposing digital cameras.

The lower level contained two houses, originally a gatehouse and a porters lodge, both of which looked like they belonged in a children’s fairytale book. A blue and white pattern which reminded me of Wedgewood surrounds one of the windows.

We had a sandwich and a drink sat outside the cafe while enjoying the fairytale like architecture.  Later, we took the bus back to the city.

We left the hotel again around 7ish and headed back into the old town. There were a few sound and light shows taking place; it was the final evening of the Santa Eulalia festival. We watched one that was projected onto an archaeological excavation, and another on the side of one of the many old buildings.

 

As soon as the show had finished, a digital clock was projected counting down to the start of the next show; there was just a four minute wait for the next one.

We wandered into the cathedral square. The artisans who had set up their stalls had just a few hours left to sell their wares. Handmade jewellery and stemmed roses made from leather were just a couple of items on display in front of the illuminated Gothic Cathedral.

Half a dozen homeless folk were laid on the illuminated steps of the Basilica De Santa Maria del Mar.

We could hear the music as we got closer to the Plaça de Sant Jaume.  We just caught a couple of minutes of the giants dancing. They then tentatively made their way through the masses of people and left the square disappearing into one of the many narrow streets twirling around as they went.

 

We made our way to the lovely Plaça Reial.  I love this square with its many beautiful palm trees, the fountain in its centre and the fabulous Gaudi designed lampposts.  There is such a wonderful atmosphere!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lining the perimeter of this large rectangular square are bars and eateries. The smart waiters, most of whom are wearing dicky bows, are attending to their clientele. Above are perhaps six storied buildings, some of which are apartments. I thought how lucky the residents were, especially the ones with the penthouses, with their roof gardens overlooking the scene below.

It is only about 12 degrees Celsius but most diners like ourselves choose to sit outside to eat, still wearing winter coats or waterproofs.  Tall heaters stand at intervals on the dining terraces giving off a little warmth.

Buskers appear at regular intervals, the first arrived on his bicycle, carrying his guitar case (which was covered in colourful stickers) on his back.  Next a duet arrived, one guy played a double bass, and the other played a guitar and sang.  Unfortunately, neither of these acts could be heard very well.

The most entertaining buskers were a team of four young male acrobats who performed daring lifts while supporting each other’s weight and balancing. A couple of them set off doing quick continual back flips from a standing start. A small crowd soon gathered and cheered them on. Another busker arrived carrying his violin case but he just sat and enjoyed the acrobats, knowing that it would be pointless to compete.

We finished eating our meal, paella for Dave and a beef stew for me.  I was rather surprised to find tinned peas and carrots in my stew! We have both enjoyed sitting and taking in the ambience of this wonderful square.

We wandered back down Las Ramblas for the final time this trip and returned to our hotel.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our short stay in Barcelona.  We haven’t managed to tick off all the sights on our list so a return visit is definitely required.

Already on the list for next time are La Boqueria—the city’s famous market, Plaça d’Espanya and perhaps Tibidabo and its jukebox museum!

We have a very early start in the morning; we are off to Tenerife to spend a few days with our friends Tony and Liz…

 

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