Sunday, September 25, 2011

Beautiful. Epic. Insane. Correfoc.


Today is one of those days where you have to slap yourself before you go to bed to make sure you haven’t been dreaming.  I just don’t even know where to begin on all the adventures and just pure goodness that went down.  First, Joanne and I went to the International church again which has just been such a blessing with so much life and encouragement every time we visit.   Then the church had a potluck type lunch for the young adults with homemade paella!  It was delicious and the house we ate at was beautiful up in the peaceful hills way out of the city.  So beautiful and so serene.  Once again, we’re seeing a different Spain.

Can someone say PAELLA?! 

The beautiful view from the courtyard of the home.

Then comes the extreme craziness!  This weekend, in Catalunya, there was a festival called La Mercè.  This four day festival occurs throughout the city in every plaza around town.  There are so many events and different things to do and see that you are forced to choose between the best ones ‘cause news flash…we haven’t figured out how to be in two places at once quite yet.  All these events serve to display Catalan and Mediterranean tradition. 

The bunch of events I went to were all great fun, but tonight just was just thrown over the edge.  Here in Spain they close off the festivities with a parade and fireworks.  Sounds normal right?  Nope.  In this parade called the Correfoc, people (dressed as devils) light huge sticks of fire, similar to those 4th of July sparklers times 10, and run through the streets of Barcelona.  Thousands of people show up to watch and participate in this celebration.  The devils run around with the fire as people run and dance underneath the flames.  I can’t even really describe it or do it any justice, but google images or youtube Correfoc and witness the insaneness for yourself.  There is no way anything like this would ever happen in the US.  Just this about the Correfoc, a government sponsored/funded parade where they shoot fire at their citizens.  Yup.  This would just not be an option is the US. 

Before all the action hit

Yup.  That's my silhouette in there right by that fire

 The action on the streets

Post running through fire.  Can you tell it was exhilarating?

After my two friends Leslie and Ally and I ran through the fire and followed a fire breathing dragon the entire parade route, we went on a mission to get to the roof of our RA’s apartment before the fireworks began.  This journey to her house was an adventure by itself running through the streets with people everywhere and taking the jammed packed metro with no room to move an inch.  But we made it all the way to her roof and spent the next hour marveling at the beauty and adventurous city of Barcelona while gazing up at the lit sky just over the Plaza de España.    

Beautiful.  Epic.  Insane.  A night to remember.

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