My visit to Barcelona coincided with a particularly crowded and lively time: Holy Week and Easter. I enjoyed getting a Catalan take on this holiday.
Barcelona is one of the darlings of European tourism lately. It’s the biggest cruise port in Europe and one of the biggest in the world (as a starting or ending point for a huge portion of all Mediterranean cruises). It’s trendy for its Gaudí “Modernisme”— Catalunya’s answer to Art Nouveau. Catalunya is feeling its nationalist spirit. It’s well served by discount airlines. And vacationers — both Spanish and foreign — fill its streets, especially during its many festivals. I happened to be here over Easter weekend, and the boulevards were often human traffic jams.
Easter is a huge deal in Spain, especially in the south. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is one of the busiest and most festive times in Andalucía. But here in Catalunya, I found that Easter isn’t quite such a big deal. Catalans seem less religious, and the main duty of godfathers is to buy their godchildren overpriced decorative chocolate creations that fill shop windows. There was a Semana Santa-style parade, with teams of people trudging slowing down the street in tight formation, hidden under the huge religious floats they carried. But locals told me Catalans would never do this; these celebrants were from Andalucía, and travel each year to Barcelona to share their Easter traditions. While the churches may not have been overwhelmed with crowds, the Easter parade certainly jammed the streets.
This photo plus human “traffic jams” depict exactly what we disliked about Barcelona.
Watching this Barcelona flick and seeing Rick on PBS an hour ago in Dingle, Ireland with his children and wife, Ann, in a show probably recorded about 12 years ago was poignant. Perhaps it would be best for Rick’s marketing staff to take off the old shows with his former wife? Nothing against Ireland but to see that family together versus seeing the new family seems awkward. But of course it’s a different world today and we have to get used to viewing yesterday’s children.
If a person dislikes crowds, then I would recommend that he/she vacation somewhere other than Europe. Barcelona is a delight and the crowds of joyful people are part of that environment. Crowds can be managed better during the shoulder seasons, but do not think that one is to find empty streets and attractions at any time, in Barcelona or in most of Europe. For quiet and secluded vacation spots, try somewhere other than Europe. Additionally comments about Rick’s personal life should be off-limits.