What a welcome!
Yesterday (Wednesday) I arrived in Barcelona, and what a welcome I received! The weather was beautiful (compared to the grey raininess of Montreal of the past week) — ah, the joys of life with doors and windows open at all times. To top it off, people cheered, chanted and launched fireworks all night(!) to celebrate my arrival.
Well, yes, that all happened but I can’t claim to be the inspiration for it. In fact, last night Barcelona’s football (”soccer”) team Barça won the European Champion’s League final in Paris (Canadian take on it here). I’m not a big fútbol fan but even so it was incredible to be a (small) part of it. In every barrio across the city people launched fireworks; booms echoed through the streets and lasted most of the night (think of the stockpiles each house must have). I could see fireworks in every direction. Close. At times it sounded like a war…except more joyful.
Here’s a snippet to give you a taste — it was recorded from the balcony when El Barça scored their second ¡GOL! (to at last take the lead in this nail-biter!)… Even a poor dog can be heard “celebrating”; the only person oblivious to everything is the guy you hear power-sanding his floor. With doors and windows open all the time, there is no such thing as a “private life” — you hear all and are all-heard. Get used to it.
Here is another snippet from the moment the clock ran out. The subsequent several hours are when the lion’s share of explosives were launched (skyward, I hope, for the most part). There was much hooting and hollering, and yes, some looting and loitering. Then it seemed that everyone hopped on motorcycles and scooters to get down to Las Ramblas for some serious mayhem! As for my jet-lagged self, I went to bed and tried to forgive the noisy welcome.
It’s not over — the gran celebración is scheduled for tonight when the conquering champions return home.