Come away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o
I plan to post a few photos taken in Barcelona for Becky’s March squares.The theme, is very open, photos can be prickly, spiky, sharp, jagged, pointy etc. as long as they’re square.Barcelona has many architectural offerings but today I have something more ethereal.
The mesmerising Font Màgica, pointing skywards full of colour and light.
Looking for pink and finding blue.
Castelling is an ancient Catalan tradition, first documented in the early 1800’s, it began in Tarragona, but has since spread throughout Catalonia. I first saw it courtesy of the pink trousered one, Michael Portillo, in one of his tv programmes, to which I am addicted. As I was in Barcelona for ‘The Dia’ last September, I knew there was a fair chance of seeing it.
The Centre for Cultura i Memoria in El Born was one of the places it could be seen, the one that was easy to find, and close to a favourite little café!
After a croissant filled with coffee flavoured mascarpone, it was time to go out into the Placa Comercial,
Where preparations were underway.
And then it began.
In the background, you can see the first layer climb on the shoulders of the base level, or Pinya as it’s known. The Pinya is wide and formed by the strongest of the group, to make a base that can support the weight of the rest and be a safety net should anyone fall.
Several more layers are added, the Tronc, and finally, the littlest one scrambles atop, zoom in to see her nearly there, but I didn’t capture her with the camera, I was too entranced!
Once there, she gives a very quick wave, the crowd cheer and she’s back down the six layers beneath her, in just a few moments. Three troups performed that day, in competition, and each time I saw the wave, but my camera didn’t.
Paula asks for a nightscape in black and white and says ‘the absence of colour lets us focus on shapes more’. I agree, clear definition and form seems to work best.
My photo was taken from the Arenas rooftop in Barcelona, which is a circle of restaurants with views over the city.
The Arenas was once the city’s bullring, and is now a smart shopping mall, a much better use, don’t you agree?
Lucid Gypsy 