(Another) Barcelona Itinerary

If you are interested in the Palau de Musica Catalana, I'd suggest to skip the afternoon tour and get tickets for an actual concert instead. It is actually fun to get some of the cheaper tickets higher up as you get a great overview of the place. They´ll have flamenco concerts and Beethoven's 9th symphony during your visit!

http://www.palaumusica.cat/en/programme_314?date=2018-06-01&subset=upcoming

@Beatrix - fantastic idea! We will look into that.

For ease of logistics, I’d lean to organising your days into groupings similar to this ...

Wednesday
•Park Guell (BOOK a late visit)

Thursday
•Sagrada Familia (BOOK a first up visit)
•Hospital Sant Pau
•Eixample - Passeig de Gracia, Casa Mila & Casa Batllo
•Plaça Espanya - Las Arenas & Magic Fountains show

Friday
•Palau de la Musica Catalana (BOOK a first up visit)
•Las Ramblas - La Boqueria, Placa Real
•Bari Gotico - Cathedral
•Montjuic (sunset walk, if you have time)

Saturday
•Picasso Museum (BOOK a first up visit)
•La Ribera - Basilica Santa Maria del Mar
•Parc de la Ciutadella
•Barceloneta

No, no, no, no.... JenLad, you're approaching it wrong :))))

Now I don't have the time, but I promise to come back as soon as I can and "enlighten you" (LOL!) about what you can't miss during La Mercè, the biggest festival of the year in Barcelona in honour to the saint patroness of the city.

In the meantime, read a bit here and see if this modifies your initial thoughts: http://lameva.barcelona.cat/culturapopular/en/festivals-and-traditions/festes-de-la-merce and a peek here: http://infocatalonia.eu/w/coGFA

This was the program for last year's: http://lameva.barcelona.cat/merce/en/programa-per-dia so you can have an idea of the sort of activities that you'll encounter... 600+ of them over 4 days, and all free.

Thanks for the detailed itinerary, David! I really appreciate the suggestions! It seems like @Enric may come back and tell me to scrap what I might normally do in Barcelona in favor of getting in all of La Merce that I can. Decisions, decisions (although these are the best kind of decisions!)

Jen

I’ve been to Barcelona about a dozen times over nearly 30 years, and still finding new things to do.

My one and only trip to Barcelona was in October 2017, so I am no expert on Barcelona. BUT, I absolutely loved the performance we saw at the Palace of Catalan Music. I wish we had gotten there earlier so we could have had a drink in the beautiful bar.

Also, take the 10 minute walk from Sagrada Familia to Saint Pau. You may like Saint Pau better than SF.

We stayed in the Eixample and it was totally to our liking. Lots of good restaurants, and we walked everywhere except to and from Park Guell.

Bill, funny you should mention Casa Vicens. I went looking to walk by whilst it lay idle, perhaps in 2009, and got completely lost. Ended up giving in, so yes, still on my list too.

Ok then JenLad... here it goes, a three-part message:

PART 1

The program of La Mercè is not published until mid-Sep. The festival offers, as I said, 600+ free activities, many open-air ones but also some indoors, and such large number of participating artists, groups and associations makes it quite complex to organize. That's the reason the program is not published until a couple of weeks before it starts. Nevertheless, the "basics" of the program remains constant year after year so taking a look at last year's you can have an idea on the sort of shows and performances -albeit, of course, there'll be new ones as well.

Actually, it has been only since the early 20th century that non-traditional performances/activities have been included, but the heart of the festival -while it has evolved with the times- it maintains the spirit of the initial stages in the 1600s. The Mare de Déu de la Mercè (Virgin of Grace) is one of the two Saint patronesses of Barcelona (the other one is Saint Eulàlia, which festivities are celebrated in February), and she has been venerated since 1687 when Barcelona suffered a plague of locusts. To fight against insects, the Consell de Cent, the government the city, voted to ask the Virgin's assistance. When the city was delivered from the pestilence, she was named patroness of the city of Barcelona— although this was only recognized by the Pope in 1868. Since that time, an annual festival has been celebrated in the city in honor of the Virgin.

Funny enough, we Catalans maintain many religious traditions and festivities, but these have no longer the initial "churchy" sense that once had... and the number of Catalans that declare themselves religious is frankly very low. Nowadays is more about heritage and tradition than religion.

PART 2

Barcelona is a "large" (or medium-large) metropolis with 2 million souls (up to five if we count the whole metro area)... but there's no celebration, festivity, concert, congress or anything of the sort that "clogs" the city ever, not even when there are several major events happening at the same time. This is important to understand because when I point that there are nearly 1.8 million attendees (locals and tourists) to the activities of La Mercè -over the four days that it lasts-, by no means it means that "everything" else is not business as usual. In fact, one will find crowds at certain moments only, when the event in question is happening -if it's an open-air/street event. Besides, the activities are spread over different parts of the city. Summarizing: if you want to do other touristy stuff you won't have any problem.

The festivities normally last from Thursday to Sunday, but -as with many other religious festivities- it varies from year to year depending on which day of the week the 24th (La Mercè) falls in. The events in the evening tend to be the most crowded as many more Barcelonians do join after work.

The program can be grouped into 3 areas, HERITAGE AND TRADITION, MUSIC and ARTS. While all three are worthwhile, I tend to recommend focusing on the first because, after all, music and art performances can be seen elsewhere but certain traditions are unique to the Mediterranean cultures thus more "exotic" to someone coming from elsewhere: from castellers (human towers) to ball de bastons, the giants and big heads, the drummers and devils, the fire runs, the beasts parade and a bunch more, all key parts of a typical Catalan Festa Major

If we have any anthropologist in the audience, yes, these traditions are all full of symbolism both Christian and Pagan and -much like Tom Hanks in Angels and Demons- one could delve into thrilling stories about their meaning and their origins.

Btw, the word "cercavila" which you'll see in the program means "street parade".

Also, if you're an adrenaline junkie, don't forget to consider the "Porta de l'Infern" (literally, the Hell's Gate) in Via Laeitana street.

And, of course, on the last night you have the magnificent pyromusical.

THIRD AND LAST PART

A word about correfocs

To those unsuspected visitors out there, no, the "correfocs" (fire runs) are not unsafe. In some parts of the world, dressing as a devil and running up and down the street throwing fireworks would be, to say the least, inadvisable. In Catalonia, it is an act that is celebrated as part of the region’s indelible cultural heritage. Correfocs are commonly found at celebrations such as La Mercè in Barcelona, though each municipality will have its own unique take on the phenomenon, rendering no two Correfoc experiences the same. It is important to understand that this is not a sinister act. The malignant looking centerpiece of the display is not an incarnation of evil; it is a lively, joyful being that dances to the sound of the accompanying drummer band.

Attendees (Correfocaires) are advised to wear hats, gloves and long sleeves to protect themselves from burns produced by sparks and, providing that the necessary safety precautions are taken, a Correfoc offers a marvelous introduction to the vibrant, distinctive culture of the Catalan region. Wear protective clothing that covers all exposed skin. The level of protection depends on how close you want to get to the event. You have the opportunity to actually enter the route on which the Correfoc takes place however if you decide to do this you really do need proper protection. This would include full length sleeved top and trousers a scarf or hood to cover your head made of non-flammable material and protective plastic goggles. You'll see many locals wearing a straw hat, which is ideal against sparks. They can be bought in most dollars shops across town. There are also loud bangs and explosive sounds going off continuously from firecrackers. If you feel nervous about loud noises then bring earplugs as well.

If you decide to stand behind the barriers along the route of the Correfoc -like myself and anyone with a bit of common sense left, LOL!- you would be much safer. However, it is still recommended to wear protective clothing, goggles or glasses if you intend to stand close to the event. This will prevent stray sparklers or debris entering your eyes. Generally, if the sparklers touch your clothes they normally fizzle out quickly, however, sparklers entering your eyes can cause damage.

Having said all that, the number of serious incidents occurring in Correfocs is surprisingly low, very low -we must be doing something well, huh? Note that the "devils" follow very strict guidelines for their own safety and everybody else's around them so while it might seem "chaotic fun", it's not (...err, well, I mean not so much, hahaha!)

So JenLad, what I am trying to say is that I would seriously consider adapting my "other" must-do around La Mercè, and not the other way around because La Sagrada Familia or Casa Batlló, to name a couple, are still there every day of the year, but La Mercè only happens for four days every year.