Barcelona

When I made my plans to come to Spain, I decided when to come based on weather (it can get very hot in late July and August), and to be here when my friends Crystal and Ashley from San Francisco would be here. Chalk it up to general ignorance, but I had no idea that I was arriving on Barcelona's biggest holiday of the year, Saint John's Day.

The day before the holiday, which is tied to the summer solstice, businesses start shutting down pretty early, and virtually everyone in the town turns out to set off fireworks and party in the streets and on the beach all night long. The following day is the actual holiday and the whole town is shut down.

So I was lucky to arrive at such a festive time. The beach party was fantastic. However, today I will need to find something to do and eat that doesn't require a business to be open.

It looks like a walking tour day!

From the relatively small amount of Barcelona I have seen so far, my main observation is how similar much of the architecture is to that of Buenos Aires. The little "don't cry for me" terraces, wooden window shutters, the ceramic sidewalks. This shouldn't come as a surprise considering Argentina was settled by the Spanish, but it's cool to see those influences first hand.