The weekend was shaping up to be memorable and Saturday night did not disappoint.
Luckily my roommate Alex guilted me into going into Barcelona early on Saturday evening for Correfoc. Thank God!!! It ended up being one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The celebration from my eyes was a mix between Dia de Los Muertos and Lunar New Year. Parade participants dress in red, some as demons, and literally spray you with fireworks from a devil's pitchfork. Let me repeat that. Spray You With Fireworks! The girls and I have decided that the Health and Safety Commission of Barcelona must have been on holiday this weekend. The fireworks for the most part were harmless. I did get a tiny hole or two in my sweater though. What a nice keepsake! Aside from the demons spraying you from their pitchfork, there are also dragons. Firework breathing dragons. In fact one was lit right in front of us and I though I was going to die from sheer excitement. I have never had such a natural rush of adrenaline, anticipation, fear, and utter happiness. I'm surprised my face isn't sore from smiling the whole night.
After Correfoc, the girls and I rushed to the subway so that we could make the FREE Belle and Sebastian show. While on the subway, we ran into this woman and her son that had just been to the fire-run. We told her this was our first time at Correfoc. She said "That doesn't surprise me", with a wink. We chatted some more, and before we left the subway she told us, "Goodbye girls, keep having fun!" For some reason, this really resonated with me. It made me remember that part of the reason I am here is to do just that, have uninhibited, joyous fun. And that is exactly what I did for the rest of the evening.
We made it to the show early, which was held in a large opening outside an old Damm Brewing Factory. Damm is the local brewery, and we were able to get beer tickets for 1 Euro. Yes that needs repeating. That's $1.27 for a beer. At a free concert. Unheard of in the States. So we loaded up on beer tickets and made into the middle of the crowd just in time for one of the most memorable concerts I've ever been too. Belle and Sebastian is such a happy band that they played the perfect music to fit the evening. Thousands of people showed up to enjoy this night, and everyone seemed in as good a mood as me. The city was so alive this weekend with locals out and about, loving their city. It was contageous, and I look forward to many more nights like this. I can't describe the concert in words, since it was more of an unexplainable feeling of joy. So I figure I'll let the music speak for itself. Twice. Ok three times, they're so good I should be listening to them right now.
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