Me Gustan Tus Zapatos...: Sant Joan

This post is waaayyyy overdue. Like over a month. I've been really slacking with my writing lately and I'm not sure what's up with that. But I need to get back on track.

Anyways, there isn't a ton to say about Sant Joan. It's a holiday here where we celebrate the summer solstice. There are festivities all around the city but the largest are held down by the water. However, it's my understanding (never having been to them) that it gets a bit out of control between bonfires, drinking and well, you get the picture - those two just don't mix well. So I'm not bringing the kids down there to add to that.

All around the city for the 2 weeks or so leading up to Sant Joan, little kiosks pop up selling fireworks of all types - firecrackers, roman candles, sparklers and so much more. It is legal here for your average joe to purchase fireworks, unlike in much of the US. And as a matter of fact, I often here firecrackers during fiestas or just when Barça is playing a match. Because it's allowed, it's not abused and I suspect for that reason, there aren't many incidents involved with them - however, that's just a guess.

Josh was away in the US during Sant Joan and I promised the kids we would do something, even if it meant just walking around Gracia to see other people lighting off their fireworks. Many streets take this time to do little barbecues - lining up tables along their streets, bringing out a grill and then doing fireworks with the kids. It's nice to see different parts of the neighborhood come together to celebrate.

The unfortunate part of Sant Joan for us is that Aidan had been sick off and on for the few days leading up til the big day. And so he wasn't really feeling up to celebrating or walking around. Finally when his fever hit 104F, I made the decision to take him over to the ER to get checked out with my friends Eddy and Ricardo coming over to watch Liam.

However, while waiting for my friends to come over, I took the boys for a quick jaunt around the block with some sparklers because when in Rome.... (or in this case Barcelona). I can picture my mom shaking her head and cringing at this one. They both loved the sparklers and I have since hidden the rest of them for future use. Til next year on this one...