When we booked our trip to Barcelona, we had NO idea we were booking over La Merce weekend. So we…read morestarted reading about it and....wait...there are human towers? Bands all over the city? Art shows? Dance? A DEVIL FIRE parade? Papier-mache giants? There's no question that Barcelona is an incredible city and the highlight of my visit was La Merce. It's traditional culture, crazy parties, parades and music all at once. We watched the entry parade and the giants parade and were just in awe. The castellans were incredible - human towers 7 or 8 high, with little kids scrambling up to the top! The closing fireworks were beautiful & synchronized to music. I mean, tens of thousands of people singing along to "Imagine" is something I won't forget. This isn't a spectacle for the tourists (though there are plenty of us!), it's an expression of local pride and traditional culture. I loved seeing little kids participating in the parades, dressing up and playing in the bands, hopefully carrying the traditions on. My only regret was missing the correfoc run, but that means I have to come back!

Every year, Barcelona holds a week long festival to commemorate their local patron Saint's day…read more This festival always falls in the week with 24 September. We were fortunate enough to be in Barcelona for most of the festival this year. You'll find: Castellers (human towers) Giant puppety type things Big street food event Light shows Art installations Concerts Gymnast/circus shows Loads of family events It. Was. Awesome! Can't wait for next year!

Notes to musicians. There are many reasons that people clap…read more They are amazed that you had the courage to get on that stage. They are greedy and want more, no matter how bad it is they just want more value for their $. Everyone else is clapping, or standing and they don't want to be the only one not doing it. This is what I felt happened last night. The first part of the gig was like a testosterone/ pissing contest. The pieces chosen were chosen so that each of the three performers could demonstrate their proficiency, not to be played to bring together a beautiful piece. At times it felt as though I was at a punk concert where the louder the music is the more people will drink and the better it will sound. Well, there were no drinks there and it did not sound better. Speaking of sound. This was in a basilica. Why was this gig plugged in? I can only assume so that they could add reverb and delay etc. Which is lovely for a recording but horrible if I am paying to hear guitar. I actually want to hear what the artist is playing. The guy in the middle was great the other 2 were strictly about technicality and left passion completely out of the game. If a person speaks well without passion people will quickly fall asleep. Bravo for your proficiency and technicality, without Manuel Gonzales there I would have fallen asleep.

From the owner: Travel around Spain through its music and culture, played by some of the greatest masters of…read moreSpanish and flamenco guitar.