Wednesday 13 July 2011

exploring barcelona: random weekend occurrences

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A few weekends ago, I spent a Sunday afternoon in the little town/suburb of Sant Cugat, where a few of my friends live. It's about a twenty minute train journey from downtown Barcelona, and I was hoping the temperature would be a few degrees cooler. Was it? Not enough to make a difference. It was great to see my friends, and we had a drink or three in a picturesque square. The beer was bad (damn San Miguel) and the Ice Cream was appallingly bad, but we had fun anyway steadfastly refusing to speak English to our annoying waiter.

Around sunset people started gathering in the main square:

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It was Corpus (I think, I know nothing about religious days) and various places in Barcelona had the "Ou com balla" or the dancing egg:

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And in the courtyard they were making human castles (castells): Note the kid with the helmet climbing up to be the top of the castle.

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It really feels that when you walk around Barcelona or its surroundings on the weekend, any number of strange and wonderful things may present themselves to you!

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I found this handmade dress in a suitcase full of 70s era sweaters in the flat. It's so comfortable on the scorching and humid days we've been having.

dress: vintage, shoes: Catalan menorquines, belt, vintage via mom, Yorkshire Tea bag, sunglasses: Lucky brand via TKMaxx

60 comments:

Xavi said...

OH, nice village Sant Cugat. I agree with you that San Miguen and Damm aren't the best beers. Moritz forever.
Pretty dress and shoes. I'm sure are confortable.

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Xavi: I have no problem with Estrella. I was saying damn as in "puto San Miguel." I actually like Estrella a bit better than Moritz, although I know that's not permitted. I do like Moritz too though!

Xavi said...

My English language problems :(
thanks!!

Thelma Frayne said...

Love your outfit- perfect for exploring x

Penny said...

very pretty dress Emily :)
ps) I am always impressed by those human castles!I think it's a very typical thing for spanish/portuguese celebrations!I think if some greek people tried to do it we'd all collapse!heheh!

2befab said...
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X said...

I love your dress - it has a burnt orange sunset feel :)
Barcelon seems like a really fun, spontaneous city. I had a bad experience there a few years ago when my friend was mugged and it left me a little bitter towards the city but I hear such wonderful things about it from everyone else so I may have to revisit to set the record straight :)

Kelley Anne said...

Its beautiful there and I love your vintage dress. What's on the pattern? Thanks for the comment!

The Semi Sweet said...

That dress is fantastic on you. And human castles are pretty interesting. I'm glad the kid came prepared with a helmet;)

Jul said...

What a lovely dress! Seems perfect for a day out with friends. Those photos are amazing, especially the one with the human castle! So fun!

http://lifeisaromanticpoem.blogspot.com/

Shybiker said...

*squeal!* Oh, I love the color of your dress!

Caitlin Rose said...

Oh you look so cute.

Molly Page said...

Loving the bright orange of that dress! It's super fun.
And what a cool cultural tradition! Human castles? Love it.

A Foreign Land

Louise, For Sentimental Reasons said...

Oh to have a flat where one finds 70s dresses lying about! What an adventure...I love the colour. I don't think I could pull off orange but you have just the right complexion and hair colour for it :)All your recent posts make me yearn to visit Barcelona. I've never been but it seems a city with such a sense of fun !

Deppa said...

Aquel castillo humano se ve impresionante!
se nota que disfrutas tus visitas a donde quiera que vayas :)

Que estés bien.
nos vemos!

Sabrina said...

Human castle? Wow, that's insane! These pictures look amazing- looks like a gorgeous city!

Sincerely,
Sabrina

Amber said...

i remember making pyramids as a kid but nothing on the scale of a human castle. very impressive

Rebecca said...

There is something a bit 1930s about this that I really like, plus you found it? That just makes it a whole lot better! Plus human castles, Barcelona seems like a really interesting place to live.

Lyndsey said...

I love that dress color and print on you! It looks very airy for summer- perfect look!
There is no way I'd do that castle thing with all of those people! You know someone had to have gotten hurt!

xo
lyndsey of hellolyndsey

Anonymous said...

It is always interesting to see what other countries celebrate. I really liked that floating eggs, it looked incredible. Same with your dress. To actually find a 70's dress just lying around is a story itself. Your flat must be a real treasure chest.

Anonymous said...

You look gorgeous :) Such a rich colour!

It's getting so I'll just have to see barcelona some time soon! Be honest, you're secretly employed by the tourism bureau! ;)

dr.antony said...

You look good anywhere,in any dress.
Have wonderful times.

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@HelloLyndsey: People occasionally have gotten hurt, which is why the smallest children, who go at the top, have to wear helmets. But it's a pretty normal tradition, and generally nothing goes wrong.

@Stef: I WISH the Barcelona tourism board employed me! Barcelona Tourism, are you reading this? Take a hint. ; D

Anthea said...

I know you're wishing it could be a cooler, but your posts has really got me wishing for Summer! You look so pretty in your Summer dresses!

Unknown said...

The dress is lovely, Barcelona looks amazing x

Lorelai Sebastian said...

hahahahaha...uma amiga mia que esta estudiando arquitectura en barca me enseno un video en su movil con las personas que intentan hacer el castellito!! impresionante de verdad!
me gustas tus zapatillos!

Anonymous said...

Admiring the shoes you are wearing. Scratching my head over the dancing egg and wondering how many levels high the human castle could grow.

Marisa Noelle said...

My gosh, seems like there's an adventure around every corner there. How fun! Those human castles are something else. Has anybody ever slipped, causing the whole castle to come down? I imagine that would be dreadful and thinking about this would make me a nervous wreck to watch it go up. Oh and your dress is incredibly lovely. It actually looks like it was made just for you:)

Islandia Lane said...

Love that dress!

SOJOURNED IN STYLE said...

orange, my new favourite colour. your shoes are marvelous, have never seen that style before. I love how much culture each post shows, not only an outfit post. I'll remember that barcelona dancing egg.

Unknown said...

I am totally fascinated with you and your life (not at all in a creepy way)
Just love seeing somebody young living an interesting life.
Don't give it up!

Emily, Resplendent Tranquility said...

More Catalan shoes! It noticed that these have a print on the top. Is it specific to Catalan culture or just something random? And speaking of prints, what is on this lovely happened upon dress? I can't tell if it's feathers, fish, or strokes of color. Hehe.

Mackenzie said...

I've never heard of bad ice cream before! ;)
Love the silhouette and print of your dress.

Mackenzie

Abi said...

You globe trotter you! That human castle looks dangerous but extremely exciting and genius at the same time.
And don't you just dislike trying to speak the native language while people are dead set on speaking to you in English? Happens to me all the time in Montreal. Good on you for putting your foot down.

And of course your dress is gorgeous as ever with the colour and cut.

Monique said...

this found dress may very well be my favorite of all your dresses. i love how i get to take a little trip every time i visit your blog.

The Mad Twins said...

Love these pictures! Your dress is fabulous! Love it ;)

Jardin de la Mode said...

Gorgeous! I love your dress ♥

Dus of Cuddly Cacti said...

This town looks so cute, the main square is lovely! You look amazing in orange, I am extremely jealous! Good thing that kid's wearing a helmet. I always had a hard time finding bad ice cream in Spain as well & good job not speaking English to the waiter, totally know what you mean on that, so annoying!

Ashley said...

Love the dress choice (as usual).

Ok, so...dancing egg? Huh?

Barcelona is random and great :) I must visit.

caitlin said...

haha barcelona (+surrounding) definitely sounds like a wacky city. but how can ice cream be bad?? i've never heard of such a thing :p anyway, that's a darling dress and you look lovely in it.

Elise said...

Excellent dress! Love the human tower, looks like a fun day! :)

Raquel said...

I remember my friend who was in BCN for a year going to close villages and loving them. You look so nice and breezy. What a great find that dress is eh?
Oh and your sandals remind me of pictures of the Princes of Asturias that came in portuguese gossip magazines talking about where they went for the summer vacations, hehe.

Jenny said...

It is disappointing to hear that the beer AND ice cream were bad. But the human pyramid looks amazing to me, especially since I am so entertained by human feats such as this. And I adore this orange dress! So simple and perfect for the warm weather and exploring. xx

Marissa said...

What a lovely scene to stumble upon! I can just imagine a bunch of parents in the US suburbs making all those kids put on helmets. :)

ana said...

I love the vintage look

SomeoneLikeYou said...

You look just to die for in this beautiful, orange dress... What a find!

...And I just adore that 'human castle picture.' Too funny and cool!

Amber Schmidt said...

That's so interesting! Then again, with your journeys you must have seen quite a bit. :)

The Mad Twins said...

Adore your dress!

and wow! Such an amazing banner :D

xxx

ladydazy said...

Good for you for not speaking English to the annoying waiter. What languages can you speak, unfortunately, I only speak English. I want to learn Spanish!

Unknown said...

love your floral dress! your sandals are super cute too.

http://www.diyainherstilettos.com/

dahhlayne said...

Oh gosh!! That human castle is putting the "mommy" mode in me on full blast!! Even though I am not a mommy at all...I am still feeling the same paranoia as any mother would. haha Anyways, that is crazy. Usually don't see people doing that on a regular basis in my hometowon. Good thing that kid is wearing a helmet.
Such vibrant culture you are immersing yourself in. :)

forte-espressivo.blogspot.com

Annebeth said...

everything about this is stunning, I really want that dress and the orange is so JUICY! :D love your pictures of authentic spain, as always :)

Diana said...

that human castle is insane! i hope you didn't jump up there too ;) lovely dress! its the best when you find something great that is lying around your place :) xo

http://dressedupallligators.blogspot.com/

Idée Géniale said...

I love everything about this outfit! that dress is stunning. and those shoe!! gah. love.

Kristin said...

That dress is beautiful!

thegirlhassparke said...

gorgeous photos love the orange dress!

Closet Fashionista said...

Oooh love that dress! Sooo pretty!!!
and that human castle looks scary...haha...not sure I would want to do it in the street :p
http://www.closet-fashionista.com/

eagle-eye-cherry said...

the dress is very nice, hope you have sunny days in London

Jazzy E (Hivenn) said...

You look lovely in orange! What a beautiful place. x hivenn

Dus of Cuddly Cacti said...

Oh, I meant I had a hard time finding NOT bad ice cream in Spain! It all just seemed so average to me. & are you moving soon? You mentioned you had to pack up everything in only one suitcase in your comment.