24/09/2007 Home Time

Trip Start Sep 18, 2007
1
7
Trip End Sep 24, 2007


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Flag of Spain and Canary Islands  ,
Monday, September 24, 2007

This was the final day of the Mercé but also the day we were due to fly home - an unfortunate accident of timing caused by the difficulty of determining the actual dates in advance. However our flight was not until early evening so we had time for a bit more fun.
 
Fotomercé takes place in the Palau de la Virreina on La Rambla each year. It's a free exhibition of photographs taken at the previous year's festival.  It's worth at least half an hour and if you weren't at last year's Mercé you'll wish you had been.
 
There was music outside the Palau and we quickly found a procession of Gegants heading along La Rambla towards the Columbus statue. Each annual festival has a loose theme and in 2007 it was Barcelona's maritime associations. One of the last events is the Cavalcada de La Mercé and the unusual twist this year was that all the giants and beasts taking part in the Cavalcada would arrive by boat at the Portal de la Pau, We wouldn't be able to see the parade but at least we caught the giants heading down to the sea.
 
A stroll around the harbour was followed by a final visit to the food and wine fair where we found a couple more bottles to take home with us, then a last look at some Castellers in Jaume followed by a late lunch in Vendimia. After that it was back to the hotel to pick up our luggage then a quick taxi to the airport and an on time flight back home.
 
Conclusion
 
Barcelona is a fine city to visit at any time but it may be at its best during the festival. We missed one major event, the always brilliant Piromusical which is effectively the grand finale and several musical concerts that might well have been good but were too far out of the city to fit in with the other stuff going on in the centre.
 
The Travelodge is probably a decent enough base for anyone who knows the city and doesn't mind a trip of up to an hour but probably less than ideal for newcomers to Barcelona - however the special offer prices might be so tempting that the extra expense of a night-time taxi is easy to ignore. In our opinion the very best way to enjoy the city is to go with a group of friends and rent a large apartment - which is exactly what we hope to do next time!
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