I’ve been up to Barcelona several times this past week which augurs well for 2013 I think!
We brought in the New Year with friends in Nou Barris – eating 12 grapes not just once but twice. Once for Catalan midnight and once for the UK one.
I have to admit cheating a couple of times and stuffing in two at once. Perhaps this means there will be some months in the coming year that get muddled up together!
Then I went back on Saturday 5th to see the arrival of the Kings – Els Reis.
We stood at the corner of Sant Antoni, knowing that the crowds of people were stretching all the way from the port to Montjuic.
It all began well, with the police on horses leading the way

There were lots of very colourful and spectacular floats


Notice the Xmas lights above this one!

The next one to pass got totally caught up in the wire. Lots of shouting from the crowd – Nooooooo!
Eventually the driver stopped.

They got free but the lights had now descended a few metres and the broken ones were dangling quite low.
Each float that now passed was greeted with sharp intakes of breath and relieved Ohhhhhhhs when they managed to get by. The performers often had to duck!
Eventually a council cherrypicker arrived and removed the middle section

Then the biggest King could continue on his route!

The arrival of the Kings means that children will get presents the next morning so the last floats are meant to encourage sleep and going to bed without a fuss. I thought he looked quite sinister though.


I don’t know what the giraffe and the elephant were about but they were massive and magnificant


Someone said they once had a real elephant for the parade.
Thank God those days are past!
In case, like me you are a lover of elephants here is a wonderful place in Thailand which rescues street elephants and gives them a home back in nature, for ever. Supporters raised money at the beginning of January to rescue a 70 year old female who had been begging on the streets for years. In 30 hours we collected enough to get her and treat her wounds. Wonderful the internet!

And the third time I went to town?  Next post 🙂

I can’t imagine a more inhospitable place for an elephant to walk than through Barcelona on the night when the Kings arrive.