So we've been hearing about the Fiestas of Gracia for a long time, and now they are just around the corner. Today we were walking around and noticed several streets closed off. Tables were set up and groups of people were busily working on decorations. Each street association decides on a theme and decorates the streets and compete for the best. Close to our building we saw creations of totem poles. Turns out the theme was Route 66! We're still deciding whether we will stick around. It seems that lots of locals actually leave as the streets are filled with non-stop partying. Can't wait to see the streets decorated.
Monday, July 30, 2007
The Fiestas are Coming!
So we've been hearing about the Fiestas of Gracia for a long time, and now they are just around the corner. Today we were walking around and noticed several streets closed off. Tables were set up and groups of people were busily working on decorations. Each street association decides on a theme and decorates the streets and compete for the best. Close to our building we saw creations of totem poles. Turns out the theme was Route 66! We're still deciding whether we will stick around. It seems that lots of locals actually leave as the streets are filled with non-stop partying. Can't wait to see the streets decorated.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Blackout in Barcelona 2
This morning I went to get a cup of coffee and down the block I could hear lots of banging and chanting and I could see a mass of people. Typical Catalan-style, it was a demonstration to protest the power outage, blocking cars and tourist buses. Locals came out with pots and pans to demand power. People are mad at having to pay so much for electricity on low salaries and yet, get so little in service. The Maragall power station is still not estimated to be back up and running for a week. That means ruin for many businesses such as meat shops. Mauricio said that he saw our meat guy, bread gal and more among the protesters.
Oh, and the power just went out again as we were returning home. Shopkeepers were hanging out by the door. Fortunately for us, our building was fine.
Addendum: Later that night, our street started to protest by banging pots and pans from their windows. The owner of the bar down the block led the protest with whistles. It went on for a long time.
Blackout in Barcelona
My sister Linda is in town this week so we're taking the opportunity to visit different beaches. On Monday, we were on the beach in Vilanova i la Geltru (which so far is becoming my favorite) and my friend Annie, who lives in Vilanova, met up with us after running a quick errand in Barcelona. She told us that there had been a short blackout in Barcelona, but somehow she had missed it. Her boyfriend called her about it. I didn't think anything of it as New York City is always having power outages. However, Annie mentioned that it was a big thing as this kind of problem hasn't really happened before.
We forgot about it until we reached our neighborhood on the way home, and I noticed people in shops in the dark with candles lit. I was beginning to worry that we would get home and not find electricity and our food gone bad. At least I knew we had a supply of candles and a flashlight. It seemed that some shops and buildings were back up, but some random ones not.
We got home and all was fine. The story was in the news, including yahoo.com. Apparently some faulty cable caused the grid to go out at 11:01. Some subway trains stalled, and the city had been a mess. I realized how lucky we had been. We were supposed to take the 11:10 train to Vilanova! We got there early to have a cup of coffee at the cafe upstairs, but as they didn't have decaf (which I'm only drinking these days) so they sent us downstairs to the (smoky) cafe by the platform. As we got downstairs at about 10:42, there was the 10:35 train to Vilanova coming in. We jumped on, delaying the coffee until we got there. Had we waited for the 11:01 train, we might not have gotten there in time and would have missed a gorgeous day on the beach.
Yesterday I tried to buy milk, but some supermarkets were completely closed and others only had dried goods. Some stores were open, but had extension cords running across the street to other shops to at least power the cash register. My fruit & vegetable shop could only take cash they said as I offered my bank card as we stood in the darkness. Of course! Our meat store on the corner was doing bad. They were losing a lot of meat. But I was able to buy some sausages they had in a provisional refrigerator. The clerk said that some buildings were on a grid from a power supply that was still out, and may not be fixed for up to a week. Last night, after Mauricio got back from a 3-week trip to the States, we went out to eat. Coming home, I didn't realize how bad the black out was until I saw the streetlights out and lots of shops and restaurants either closed or in candlelight. People were making the most of it.
We forgot about it until we reached our neighborhood on the way home, and I noticed people in shops in the dark with candles lit. I was beginning to worry that we would get home and not find electricity and our food gone bad. At least I knew we had a supply of candles and a flashlight. It seemed that some shops and buildings were back up, but some random ones not.
We got home and all was fine. The story was in the news, including yahoo.com. Apparently some faulty cable caused the grid to go out at 11:01. Some subway trains stalled, and the city had been a mess. I realized how lucky we had been. We were supposed to take the 11:10 train to Vilanova! We got there early to have a cup of coffee at the cafe upstairs, but as they didn't have decaf (which I'm only drinking these days) so they sent us downstairs to the (smoky) cafe by the platform. As we got downstairs at about 10:42, there was the 10:35 train to Vilanova coming in. We jumped on, delaying the coffee until we got there. Had we waited for the 11:01 train, we might not have gotten there in time and would have missed a gorgeous day on the beach.
Yesterday I tried to buy milk, but some supermarkets were completely closed and others only had dried goods. Some stores were open, but had extension cords running across the street to other shops to at least power the cash register. My fruit & vegetable shop could only take cash they said as I offered my bank card as we stood in the darkness. Of course! Our meat store on the corner was doing bad. They were losing a lot of meat. But I was able to buy some sausages they had in a provisional refrigerator. The clerk said that some buildings were on a grid from a power supply that was still out, and may not be fixed for up to a week. Last night, after Mauricio got back from a 3-week trip to the States, we went out to eat. Coming home, I didn't realize how bad the black out was until I saw the streetlights out and lots of shops and restaurants either closed or in candlelight. People were making the most of it.
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