Phil's tours

Barcelona was never a place we’d think of to visit. Let alone the festival of La Mercè.
But the tradition of La Mercè will be something we’ll cherish. The festival of the Virgin of the Mercy, shortened to La Mercè is named for the lady that saved Barcelona from famine in the 1600’s. You’ll get caught up in the rush of the experience as you walk through the streets, giants towering above you as they make their impromptu parades, the crush of a crowd as something happens in a square just up the street and you get dragged along, trying to see what you can. Then the noise and subsequent smells of the fireworks, just adds to the inescapable feeling of it all. There are a number of events around the city subsequent to the festival, but the old events remain the most interesting.
It starts and ends with gunfire, a sense of formality, but organised chaos in the centre. The giants are gigantic. Up to 5metres high, usually they are carried along by one man and a group of helpers who change in and out of the giant to relieve the last man. The Sardana dances and folk music of the Catalan are interesting with their batons and traditional dress, encompassing all ages and genders. Then there are the beasts of night and fire. These are grotesque beasts of all descriptions. All carry fireworks and are accompanied by loud drum bands, creating smells and a cacophony of noise throughout the festival. The Castellers or human tower builders remain our highlight of the experience. The larger groups of Castellers built their towers above the square up to 8 people high. These probably had close to a hundred people in each tower, which wobbled as the final girl with her stack hat clambered to the top raised her arm and slid down as fast she could safely.
The Barrio Gótico or Old District of Barcelona needs no transport to get around. Everything is within a 15 minute stroll. The beach, the main shopping and attractive Las Ramblas, with markets, cafes and bars all within that 15 minute walk from the old centre, Plaça de Sant Jaume. Barcelona has enough to see so you could spend some time here, a week wasn’t quite enough, but there is enough time around the festival to visit some of it. The 25th September is the major day of the festival. Work on this date and you’ll get the experience. The festivities around this date change, so beware if booking too early.
We certainly would love to experience this again. Would I change anything? No. it was fantastic. Why change that?