Exploring Provence (France)

Yes, it is time for yet another vacation.  You have to love Spain and these holidays.  Unlike in the US, here we celebrate the holiday on the actual day and then often times a company will offer a bridge day in between to make a long weekend.  So this past weekend was La Hispanidad, the Spanish version of Columbus Day.  The kids had a Professional Day on Fri and then Mon and Tuesday off so therefore it was time for yet another trip!

We debated back and forth for quite some time on where to go.  Where was going to have the best weather, should we drive or fly, what events are being held this time of year, etc.  I had been dying to get to Provence and even though I know the summer is the best time to go, we decided that the fall would also be a beautiful and (bonus) less crowded time to go.

An additional bonus here is that Jake was able to go with us since we were driving.  Arles, the town where we were staying, was only 4 hrs away by car.  Lucky Jake the dog... I don't know many people that have traveled to Europe much less to several countries!  Of course the downside of that was that the station wagon we had requested was not available thru the rental car company and so while it was a super bonus that we got a double upgrade to a sweet BMW 5 Series, poor Jake had very limited space.  I LOVED this car!!!  Though I will say on the one downside of it, it is not made for tiny European streets or parking spaces.  But it would be perfect in the States!  Josh, I'll expecting a car this lovely when we return to the States, though perhaps in a wagon to accomodate Jake ;) 

Speaking of driving, this was my first time driving in Europe.  Thus far our rentals have been standards of which I'm not super proficient.  Ok, I hyperventilate when I hit a 1% incline and given we live on a mountain, there are lots of inclines here!  But because we didn't have the cost of a kennel for Jake we had decided to upgrade to the automatic.  Josh drove us to Provence and then I drove pretty much the entire time we were there... ah driving again!  Oh how I've missed it!  And it wasn't as intimidating as I imagined it to be thanks to my trusty GPS and even managed to drive with no issue in Barcelona when we came back.  To think that months ago I had said I will NEVER drive here... ha!  Take that BCN! 

The drive into the South of France was beautiful to say the least.  The only disappointment that I can express is that we missed the lavendar fields which were harvested back in August.  To any who are planning a visit to this area, based on pictures I've seen I would definitely suggest going in the summer so you can see this as I hear it's extraordinarily beautiful.  We arrived at our destination in Arles around 3ish (after circling the area for a good 1/2 hr looking for the house).  What's interesting about this part of France and also something we've noticed here in Spain, is how not just the backyards have fences, but the entire property.  You enter the property thru a gate at the bottom of the driveway.  Josh and I have been trying to figure out if this is due to the desire for privacy or if there are issues with safety or even animals.  If you have any insight you want to share with us, please let us know! 

The villa we rented was perfect for us. Three bedrooms so the kids each got not only their own bed (several trips this year have had us in hotels where the kids end up sharing a double bed) but their own rooms for the first time since we moved! And Jake was absolutely ecstatic for a yard to run in and well, the pool which he swam in many times while we were there. The kids loved that Jake was able to go on vacation with us as well. After getting all the info from the owner, the first thing the kids (and Jake) did was jump in the pool. It ended up being the warmest day that we were there so I'm glad they got the chance to play outside for a bit!

The boys excited to be in the pool after a LONG drive!

Jake joins in on the fun!

Dining room / lounge area

View of lounge area with fireplace

Living room - never figured out the nice big tv so had to watch our slingbox from Josh's 17" laptop - not the same!

Loved this kitchen!

Full bath and the master bedroom

Wrestling in the grass and the view from our villa

Liam and Jake taking a stroll in the yard

View of the house from the front of the yard

When it came time for dinner we decided to head into town to see what there was. Unfortunately, as we were on our way into town we received a very sad phone call where found out that a very good friend of ours had passed away from a heart attack that morning at the age of 35.  The news was incredibly shocking and of course, devastating.  He was way too young and should have had a full life ahead of him. Whenever we go on a trip I have an idea of the things I want to put into my blog and often have the entries written in my head before I put them down on paper, constantly jotting notes for when I get back;  as we drove back on Tuesday, I had planned a whole entry on Shane and how much we loved him and will miss him but to be honest, I don't think he would have liked to be published on here so let's just say that his passing was absolutely unexpected and that the world will not be the same without him.  It also certainly opened our eyes as to how fragile life is and how quickly it can pass it by. All the more reason for us to be having this experience living in Europe while we can and doing as much travel as we can. I think Shane would be happy that we are embracing this life and I hope he knows how much we will miss him.

However, despite how sad we were about our friend, we still had to eat and had kids to feed. So we continued on into town to look for a place to eat. I have to say the town of Arles was adorable! A hint of the new mixed in with the old. If it wasn't so far from the beach I'd totally love a country house here! We walked up and down the main street of Arles for a while looking for somewhere to eat but unfortunately most places, like in Spain, didn't open for dinner til at least 7. We ended up going to this place called Buffalo Bills - it reminded me of a TGI Fridays (sort of) type of place that caters to all kinds. And because we've been craving steak so much I got it and yes, it was delicious... was it Capital Grille or Mortons delicious?? No, but after not having had a steak in months, it did the job.

On Saturday, since my book on the South of France never arrived (it arrived today, Oct 13 as I write this), we decided to go to the Tourist info booth that we saw in the center of town in the morning before heading out for the day to destinations unknown. We were incredibly pleasantly surprised to see that there was an open market going on in the center of town - the entire main road closed down to this market that open in the morning and closes around 1PM every Saturday. And I have to say, it puts that markets in Spain to shame. I love the markets here but this one was just amazing! Fresh fruits and vegetables that rivaled the ones here, breads upon breads, cheeses, even a table with just all garlic (vampires watch out!). We saw paella being cooked right in front of us and other delectable goodies. My favorite was the dried spices that were put out on the tables. And after we walked for a bit we saw that this market not only had foods but also material goods - toys, textiles, shoes! What a great bonus this was for our Saturday morning. The boys rode on the carousel in between trips to the different food stalls.

Some of the open food market

Making fresh paella!

I wish we'd gotten one of these chickens - they looked (and smelled) so good!

Eating fresh strawberries and raspberries

Olives (not my thing but they are big here)

More fresh food!

Lots and lots of cheese

A lot of these trucks just opened right up and the food stalls were right there in front of you!

I've never seen so much garlic in my life!

Dried herbs...

Liam on his first (of three) ride on the carousel

Aidan saw how much fun Liam was having and had to jump on too!

Random baby goat...

And next to the goat were random puppies...not sure why they were there...

Scallops so fresh they haven't been shucked yet

Huge pile of lavendar!

For Josh's dad - they even sold textiles here!!  Bolts and bolts of fabric!

Must have slushies...at 10:30AM...

Blue tongue from slushie... he was very proud

While in town for the morning, we also checked out some of the historical things that Arles is known for, including some of the Roman ruins.  The town of Arles actually dates back to the 6th century BC and I think my Time Out South of France book says it best "Today Arles wears its history with ease.  It's ancient monuments are not museum pieces, but part of the urban fabric."  And this is what we saw as we walked thru the streets and saw the Roman arena surrounded by homes, shops and restaurants as if it all had just always been there. 

Place de la Republique

The kids outside of Church Saint-Trophime, said to be one of the most beautiful churches in Provence

Aidan seems to like hanging out in the doorways of buildings... Liam, of course, must join him.

Roman ruins

Roman Arena in the background

Aidan in front of the Roman Arena

More of the Roman Arena

Huge tree stump!

Both boys on the tree stump

Arles is also known for being the home to Van Gogh for 15 months and most notably his most productive time where he produced over 300 canvases.  However, from what I have read, sadly the town does not actually own even one original Van Gogh despite this famed history. 

The area around this statue looked like it was tilled nover every time we walked by this area - as if it was a freshly dug grave.  Kind of spooky if you ask me...

By the time we left the center of town it was after 1PM.  So we decided to head back to our villa and have Liam take his one nap of the weekend (sorry buddy!) before heading back into town for dinner time.  We did some research online and came up with a few places that looked good - we really wanted a good steak (yes again - get it while we can!) since you really can't get good steak here in Spain (or not that we've found).  None of our three choices worked out and after meandering around the streets of Arles (very quaint!) we ended up at Bistrot La Mule Blanche which coincidentally I see is actually in my guidebook that arrived after the fact - so good choice on our behalf!! 

Dinner at La Mule Blanche and Liam getting a ride back to the car

Sunday we awoke to rain!!  What a bummer!  We had been hoping to head down to the Camargue to see the wild horses and wild bulls but alas it ended up not being meant to be this trip (so I guess we'll have to go again!) since we ended up with 2 days of the wet stuff :( 

In the end we decided to take a trip to Aix-en-Provence which is the capital of the Provence area.  It's really too bad my three passengers slept the entire trip because they missed out on absolutely beautiful scenery - if only we'd been able to see those lavendar fields, my day would have been complete despite the rain.  Tree lined country roads that went on for miles - seriously the trees went on forever - and if I could have found a place to pull over (the trees were right along the road and there was no breakdown lane type area to stop) I would have taken many pictures of this sight!  Unfortunately it was still a bit rainy when we arrived in Aix-en-Provence and the temps had dropped dramatically and was probably only around 50 out.  Aidan and Josh were both in shorts but at least we had jackets.  So sadly, we literally just had lunch there and headed back to Arles.  However, I will say that what I saw of the town, it was a place I definitely would want to go back to and explore again.  Just another great place that incorporates the old and the new. 

Lunch in Aix-en-Provence

Streets in Aix-en-Provence...aren't my kids fashion statements today?

Goofy Aidan suddenly loves having his picture taken these days

Mini fountain

Monday we were met yet again with rain. Grrrr... it rains 60 days a year in this area and of course 2 of them have to be when we are visiting. We decided to head south to Marseille. We had wanted to see the city that dates back to 600 BC though the Camargue would have won out had it not rained. I'd not only read that this is a city that takes more than one visit to appeal to people but others had told me this from first hand experience. And given what I had read the previous week about terrorists being arrested there in recent days, I was slightly ambivilent about going. However, I was not disappointed. This is a city, not a town and so my expectations were not that of looking for a quaint medieval town - the city was a bit more modern than I would have hoped for given its history dating back thousands of years but honestly we really only spent time down at the waterfront and that area was beautiful and there were TONS of restaurants (yes everything in my life revolves around food) waiting to be explored!!

 

Found the Irish bar!

Walking around looking for a place to eat... both kids MUST jump on anything they possibly can jump on/off.

View of marina

We ate a great little seafood restaurant which we all thoroughly enjoyed - Josh having boulebaisse which is what the area is known for. And I enjoyed some delicious scallops - again the first I've had in a very long time! Because we were limited by little 3 year old legs (and how far we were willing to carry the body that goes with those legs) we just kind of hung out in the waterfront area by the port. What a beautiful stroll it was too! Apparently the Vieux Port as it is called has been the emotional center of life in Marseille for more than 26 centuries. We were able to view both forts that mark the entrance to the port - we walked around Fort St. Jean and were able to see across the port to Fort St. Nicholas. From this location we were also able to see the Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. A friend of mine had suggested we climb to the top... sorry Dave, it didn't happen. Liam barely made it around the waterfront much less climbing up there - next visit!

At the head of the port - and yes, I was waiting for Liam to fall in... this was a very quick picture!

Being a choo choo train...

You can imagine how thrilled Josh was to be the front of the train...

Not sure what this building was but I thought it was pretty...

Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde on top of the mountain

Fort St. Jean

Fort St. Nicholas

Walking around Fort St. Jean

Still walking around the Fort

View of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde and Fort St. Nicholas from Fort St. Jean

Liam at Fort St. Jean

Aidan on a rock behind Fort St. Jean

And as always, if one climbs, the other must climb...

When they weren't beating the crap out of each other or wrestling in the middle of the walkway, they were actually pretty cute :)

Sadly, Tuesday was our last day in Provence and I feel like we still had so much to see and do.  Damn that rain!  We took a quick trip back into the center of Arles to walk around some more. The kids were fascinated with the colosseum there and enjoyed running up and down the stairs. 

We got into the center of town just in time for them to shut down the main road for a protest. 

Kids running thru the park

So cute!!  Love pictures of them holding hands.

Aidan in front of the Roman Arena

Both boys in front of one of the arches

Boys on the stairs in front of the arena.  Aidan really wanted to go in but we were pressed for time since the owner of the villa we were staying in was meeting us shortly.

Aidan looking out over the streets of Arles

Absolutely adorable street!!!

Even better view of the street

Amazing view... you can see a castle way in the background

You can see how the old meshes with the "new"

Church Saint-Trophime

Aidan took this picture of me while Liam was torturing other tourists and trying to knock people down!

After that we jumped back into the car for our 4 hour journey back to reality!

Next stop... London!!

Julie

It's A Crazy World Out There!

This is a subject that I normally don't like to talk about - terrorism.  Simply said, these days we live in a dangerous world. 

There has recently been an increase in terrorist warnings in Europe.  Normally I don't blink much of an eye about these warnings especially because often I believe that the media makes mountains out of molehills which tend to freak the general public out - though that doesn't mean there isn't a threat out there.  However, that being said, I do think as Americans we've been "trained" to be more hypervigilant ever since 9/11 and so an increase in security no longer phases us, sad but true, it's just a part of everyday life and you can be paralyzed by it or you can move on with your everyday life.  I choose the latter - I can't live my life wondering what if today is the day that I go to Boston/New York/anywhere and something bad happens.  I just can't live like that. 

But there is something about this alert, maybe it's because I'm not in the States and not in my comfort zone here in my new world - I'm used to being more aware of my surroundings in the States but here in Spain I had not really given terrorism much thought.  That's not to I say that I'm naive and think that terrorism only happens in the Middle East or in the States.  I remember the London bombing and Madrid on their public transit systems - I know that something can happen anywhere in the world.

And I guess that is why yesterday I realized just how vigilant I've actually been here without being fully aware til something actually caught my attention.  And that's why I felt the need for this entry.  By choice, we do not have a car here in Barcelona.  We've decided that when we need one, we will rent one.  So in my daily life I rely on the fabulous transit system here - and I have to say, it is a fantastic system - Boston you should take note!  Most days of the week I hop on the metro (subway) or the FGC (commuter rail) to get to my destination.  So it's not like I'm not used to riding on the train here.  But yesterday something happened that made me more vigilant.

First off it was probably nothing.  But it freaked me out, absolutely had me almost gasping for air.  I'm sure that I brought on some of the panic unnecessarily.  But I was on the train heading out of the city to meet up with a friend.  When I got into the car of the train I noticed a granny bag (you know, one of those push cart things for your groceries) that was unattended.  A woman that got on the train with me just walked up right next to it and stood there as though it wasn't out of the ordinary.  However, I just sat there and stared at it.  The realistic thoughts going thru my head were, well, it looks like a homeless person's bag - it's tattered and it has one of those trash picking hooks going thru it...there is probably a homeless guy on the train looking for money.  I looked around but no homeless guy.  My friend (whom I told this story after I got off the train) suggested it could have belonged to an elderly woman who was then sitting down and left her bag near the door so as not to block the aisles of the train.  However, it looked too old and tattered and the whole trash picking hook thru me off.  Anyways, that's besides the point, it's my reaction that is what I'm here to talk about.

I immediately start thinking, oh my god, what if these terrorist warnings are true?  They haven't said anything about Spain but that doesn't mean we couldn't be a target.  What if someone is actually planning on doing something to this train?  Realistically, yes I understand that this was unlikely.  But you are talking to someone who's brain is racing out of control at this particular moment in time.  I look around the train and notice that no one else seems to think this is out of the ordinary.  I don't know how to ask anyone if they are concerned about it... my Spanish doesn't take me that far.  I get thru one stop on the train and then think, I need to get off of here.  I email Josh to let him know where I am - yes, I was that panicked that I was worried that something could actually happen and I needed him to know where I was. 

And so what did I do?  I got off the train.  The next stop, which was at least 7 from my destination and waited for the next train.  I got off that train because I couldn't bear the thought of what if I was right about this bag?  Obviously I was not, since I've not heard anything, thank god, about any explosions yesterday.  And then there is the guilt - what if something had happened and I didn't (couldn't) say anything?  I need to step up those Spanish studies apparently. 

As I debated writing this blog entry this morning due to its sensitive nature, I came across an article on http://www.drudgereport.com/ about these recent warnings (which I have been following in part because we have some upcoming travel planned) and found out that a number of arrests were made yesterday in Marseille, France.  This is a great thing of course!  However, what put me over the edge on this is the fact that on Friday, we are heading to the Marseille area for vacation!  With all these warnings about airports and public transit my thoughts have been, well, we're driving to Marseille, we're fine and I'm not going to worry.  We're not going to an airport, we're not going to a huge city... it's all fine.  Then I read this article - these people were in Marseille!  They can be anywhere.  Do I think we won't be safe in Marseille?  No, I think we will be fine because I think given what's happened this week, security will be stepped up and we will actually be staying outside the city in a small town, however we were planning to do some day trips there.  But now, it's made me realize that sadly, these things are all around us in this day and age. 

I'm not 100% sure of my goal for this entry. I think it was more of a need to express my concerns and fears that while I feel safe in general, it's a scary world out there sometimes no matter where we live.  Josh is probably going to read this entry and roll his eyes at me and tell me that there is no use in worrying about things that I can't do anything about - that I'm not focusing on the right box (Seven Highly Effective Habits - see Josh I do listen).  And Josh, I'm not sitting here in constant worry... I just think we need to be more aware.  And I hope all of you are too!!

Julie

Have Mercy on us La Merce!!

There is no doubt about in my mind, the Spanish know how to throw a mean fiesta!  They are organized, they are festive and they are beyond full of energy.  And at times, they can even be dangerous!  But mostly they are happy and festive :)

This weekend was the La Merce festival, the largest festival of the year here in Barcelona.  The opening ceremonies were Thursday night, Friday was a state holiday and the events continue on thru Monday.  According to my trusty Barcelona Yellow website that keeps me up to date on these events, there were actually over 600 events planned over this long weekend with over 2000 artists performing.  So what you will read below is really only a smattering of the things that we had the option of doing this weekend.

So what are we celebrating you ask?  We are celebrating the Patron Saint of Barcelona - the Virgin Mary, also known here as La Merce.  The words "Merce" in Catalan and "Merced" in Spanish mean mercy in English.   Barcelona Yellow states that "According to legend, on the night of 2nd August 1218, the Virgin appeared to the Catalan knight and later Saint Pere Nolasc telling him to form a sacred order of monks in her name, the Order of Merced, dedicated to ransoming ordinary and poor Christians imprisoned by the Saracen pirates during the wars of the crusades, who could not afford their ransoms... Centuries later in 1687 the Virgin of La Mercè is also accredited with banishing a plague of locusts....After the locust plaque disappeared the Council of the City named her patron saint of. she was canonised as a saint in 1868 by the Pope Pius IX."

THURSDAY - OPENING CEREMONY

On Thursday, Josh left work a little early and we all headed down to Placa Jaume for the opening ceremonies.  Here we were met by huge crowds (and I hate crowds) to watch the parade enter into the Placa.  The parade consisted of all of the primary characters we would witness during the next few days - the Gegantes (the giants), the devils, the Eagle, the Dragon and the Lion.  This event also has traditional dances and uses several instruments that are used only for the La Merce Festival so it is a sight to witness. 

Aidan waiting for the parade to start

However, Aidan and Liam being 6 and 3, were bored after about an hour, mainly because we weren't in a great viewing position to watch their entrance into city hall.  But we did get the opportunity to see the giants make their way thru the City Hall!  Click here for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYJ901z6xew

The gegants entering the back of City Hall - they actually had to duck and at one point they had to remove the costume and lay the gegante down to fit him in!

Watching from Daddy's shoulders

At the end as we were walking out of City Hall we hearding a lot of banging - turned out they were doing fireworks above City Hall Plaza which was fantastic to see!  Glad we didn't miss that!

FRIDAY - CASTELLERS, CREPES & THE ICE BAR! 

On Friday our grande plan was to be in Placa Jaume for the 8AM kickoff.  Yes, we were shocked that anything here would start at 8AM given that most places here don't even open til 10.  8AM is VERY early!  And alas, we have become a bit on the Spanish side and couldn't get our butts out of bed early enough on this public holiday and managed to meander down there around noon.

The Placa, like Thursday night, was already packed full of people.  We started off in a really good location for viewing the Castellers but were over a 1/2 hour early for the event so we decided to walk around for a little while. 

The Gegantes are lined up getting ready to head back into City Hall before the start of the Castellers.

Aidan is not super thrilled to be here though in the end he did like the Castellers.

After showing Josh where the oldest stone in Barcelona resides, we attempted to make our way back to our original position, but it wasn't happening.  The crowds were too thick and getting thru with a stroller was near impossible.  So we got as far as we could, however at this point, I looked back and Josh was no longer with us!  Shit!  At least it was an adult I lost and not a kid, right?  So I decided to push thru the crowd in the hopes to make it to the other side of the barriers. 

We got thru the barriers into wide open space that was set for where the event was going to be held.  We tried to walk towards our original destination but were turned around and the ceremony was about to begin!  So as luck would have it we had to push our way thru the front of the crowd, "earning" ourselves front row seats.  This was all well and fine til about a half hour in when Aidan felt the need to pee badly.  For the next half hour we had some excessive whining (I still didn't know where Josh was - but found that he got lost in the pushing thru the crowd part - we did meet up after the castellers). 

Police pushing the crowds back to make room!

Marching band before the Castellers come out!

Some of the characters in the parade...

More characters ...

Aidan's favorite - the Dragon with boobs!

I believe this is a falcon, another symbol of this event.

The King and Queen do a dance before the Castellers begin...

You might be wondering at this point what the Castellers are, right? Well they are human towers. And the Spanish take it very seriously with competitions of this nature. How high can you go?? And literally topping off the tower is always a small child. Now, I've questioned a few things here about kids - they don't wear bike helmets, they ride in the basket of their parents bikes on occassion, the smallest of children are out til the wee hours of the night with their families, they aren't watched as vigilently as we watch our children at home, etc etc. But over time I've put all those feelings aside (my kids still wear bike helmets regardless) because it's obvious how much they love their children and how much children are a part of the Spanish culture here. However, feelings aside, putting a child on a very high tower like this would warrant a call from DSS at home - it's just not safe no matter how you slice it. Though if I must defend the Spanish, they are all about tradition and this is most definitely a tradition here. From what I understand we did miss the competition between the different Casteller groups in the city when it came time for us to leave (you would not believe how hard it was to leave going thru this huge crowd with two kids and a stroller!).

Some of the Castellers making their way to the City Hall - they not only are towers but they move as well and are essentially pushed forward by a group of people to their destination.

Here is a video of one of the Castellers groups making their way across the Placa.  I'm annoyed that the video won't switch to a vertical position so you'll have to watch it sideways - sorry!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJRqQGMSnT8

After departing Placa Jaume we decided to get some crepes at our favorite crepe place - Creps a Barcelona.  And as we entered the restaurant, who should we run into but the Perssons!  Gina, Jorgen and Adam were checking out the festivities as well and so after much discussion we actually ended up at the ... Ice Bar.  Yes, the Ice Bar had nothing to do whatsoever with La Merce.  But only Josh and I had been there and it was a nice stroll to the beach and so off we went!  And it is not unusual here to take your kids to a bar - and no, the kids didn't drink any adult beverages there either in case you were wondering.  But they all did love the ice!!  In the end it was yet another fabulous day, but the best was yet to come!!!

Aidan, an avid fan of the Simpsons, was ecstatic to see this sand sculpture of Homer Simpson at the beach and had to take a picture of it.  He also requested it go on the blog so here it is!

Aidan obsessed with climbing the jungle gym after seeing the Castellers this morning!

Liam at the Ice Bar - the jacket is bigger than he is!!

Adam and Gina with a little Liam poking his head up next to them!

Josh and Aidan at the ice bar checking out the glass made of what else - ice!

Liam reminding me of the Christmas Story movie - thankfully his tongue did not get stuck!

Aidan in front of Sagrada Familia

SATURDAY - CORREFOC (FIRE RUN), FIREWORKS AND PAELLA!!!

This is the event we've been hearing about and waiting for (some more than others I will admit), the Correfoc!!!  You read that correctly, running with fire.  Kind of like putting kids on top of human towers, this is an event that's not for the weak of heart (and there were MANY children in attendence for this event as well).  This is one of the most popular events of the La Merce festival with upwards of 70,000 spectators expected (enough to make my dislike of crowds heart race).  The "run" starts off with the opening of the gates of hell where the devils then run thru.  These devils then spray the crowd with fire.  Yes, again you are reading that correctly, they taunt you and then spray you with these giant sparklers that are on the ends of their pitchforks and coming out of the mouths of dragons and other fire beast type characters (we saw a dinosaur, an iguana, a pig, a horse, etc).  It is said that about 80,000 fireworks are used for this event and I believe them.

Before arriving at the Correfoc I read up on it and saw that it is important to wear clothing that covers you from head to toe - hats, scarves, 100% cotton shirts (synthetics go up in flames faster apparently - yikes!), long pants and full coverage shoes (no flip flops).  When I told this to Josh he laughed at me and attempted to go in shorts and a tee shirt - thankfully I prevailed and he was well protected.  However, that did not stop my semi-psychotic husband from jumping right into the mix once the gates of hell opened and I will say that the most fantastic pictures you will see below, were ones that he took from the center of "hell".  You'll also see some videos below that we took!

Gina, Jorgen and I decided to stay closer to the sidewalk during the "parade" though that didn't stop us from trying to stay out of the devils' reach from their spray of sparks.  Both Gina and I did get hit with some sparks and let's just say, they didn't tickle.  I don't know how those in the brunt of the storm managed... Josh??  At the same time, while freaking out about the fire raining upon us, we also couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all and to know that the only place to experience something of this extreme is here in Barcelona and it is one of the things we love about living here.  This city has character - no doubt about it!!! 

The start of the Correfoc - the Gates of Hell which will open and let the devils thru!

Working our way towards where we want to stand we come upon some of the "devils" getting their gear ready...

Thankfull we've got the Bombers ready to go in case of an emergency - we shall stand relatively close to them!

Gina and Jorgen having a pre-Correfoc drink to get ready!

Let the craziness begin!!

Of the 6 videos we took, 3 are worth posting...

1.  The Gates of Hell opening up and the devils start to come thru: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18WLG6FBVPY&feature=channel

2.  The Devils showering everyone with fire!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lCpPXHR1NQ&feature=channel

3.  Josh jumps into the mix!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTjxDVGP8Bk&feature=channel


We didn't make it to the finale where it is said that the devils are sent back to hell.  After a good hour plus of watching the devils run down the street, we'd had enough.  Instead, we went drinking...oh and to the actual fireworks show at the beach!  Let's not forget, there were still more fireworks to be seen!! 

We arrived at the beach just in time for the start of the fireworks.  But after having been in the thick of our own firey display moments before, we headed right for a bar on the beach to watch them.  We were rather surprised to see that most of the beach restaurants/bars were relatively empty while the fireworks were going on so we managed to secure a great table/couch with a fabulous view of the fireworks.  And our timing was great because the moment they ended, the restaurants all started filling up with people just going for their dinner at 10:30. 

Fireworks in Villa Olimpica

Having a drinkie (or two) before dinner!

But our night was not yet over, at 11 we were expected at La Fonda for paella with more friends.  In the end, we were at a table of 12 and may not be welcome back after the food throwing that was going on (Gina, Josh???).  We laughed a lot and had an absolutely fabulous time.  2 AM came mighty quick and we were the last ones in the restaurant (they couldn't have hated us that much).  I believe most of the gang went on to yet another club / bar but it was time for Josh and I to make our way home, those kids wake up mighty early still! 

This weekend was definitely full of fantastic events and of traditions that we know we can't see living anywhere else.  It really made us thankful for this opportunity to live here and enjoy these experiences! 

Julie