The idea of not doing the Palisades 5k in at 8am meeting outside the local library this year to start my 4th of July was almost depressing, minus the fact I didn't have to wake up at 6:30am on the 4th of July to run, which I hate doing. But there is nothing like meeting your perky friends, seeing your 3rd grade teachers, and Ben Afflect running with a stroller while touring my hometown.
This year, no Palisades, just Barcelona. It is hard to celebrate blatantly American holidays in foreign countries. But I definitely made the best of it.
I started the night before and made it home at about 6:30am when I passed by favorite bakery and the French baker was outside and asked if I wanted a fresh croissant. I dropped my bike and cried out...SIIIIII! (of course the day we celebrate independence from Britain a French guy would be my ally) We sat and had breakfast til about 7 when I went home to get a few hours of sleep in prep for what would be another 24 hours of 4th of July celebrating.
I woke up craving a greasy hamburger.
Barcelona is not known for its hamburgers so i spent a good amount of time online researching...seriously....the best burgers in the city. This is the 4th, it's no joke to me. I came up with Betty Fords al final, based on a surprisingly large supply of American bloggers who are the only legit source for this project obvi. I never made it there as my boy Suji has a roof with views of Montjuic, Tibidabo and the rest of the city...and a BBQ. We hit the boqueria for fresh patties to grill up and invited a few friends. There are so many Sweedish people in Barcelona, it is incredible how much they travel by the way... two of them graced us at our little rooftop shindig.
The perfect relaxing day, way too hot, resident dj put on tunes, we had water falls and cootercoolers, and burgers! The sun is out til 10 here so i had to force myself to leave at 830pm because Mataro is havina a music festival this week and I went to see Manu Chao with my friend Jace.
When in a foreign country put on your red white and blue and go to a show or do something to celebrate that is different. Manu Chao puts on a show! His guitarist is a straight up genuine musician. He played punk guitar, rock n roll, classic spanish guitar on an acoustic, rumba... it was non stop.
I obviously pushed my way up to the front of the crowd, which always means ditching friends and making a meeting place for after because there was a good 10,000 people there. A big outdoor space, I had actually randomly been there before not realizing when I rode my bike with Jace from Barcelona to Costa Brava and we stopped there to check out the fresh graffiti art. Comparable to that of Granada, which for anyone who has been knows that is saying a lot. Pushing to the front, my second favorite thing to do after pretending I am Spanish when I go out and meet people at night, worked out about as well as I can hear today... not well. I landed in the mosh pit, never a good idea without closed toed shoes and being so drunk you can feel yourself being trampled Pamplona style...so I gave in and took it a few feet back.
It must be amazing to look out and see and hear thousands of people singing your lyrics with you, jumping, smiling, waving their hands, dancing and enjoying your art, your creations. The moon was gorgeous, it was already after midnight when he even went on and he went til 3am. That is how they roll here....concerts at the Staples center in LA end by midnight. Here, there was another act starting at 3am after Manu chao.
The best part is when this guy gets on stage and starts "grooving" with him. I am calling it that cause he had some old school dance moves. Anyway, the cops let him dance a little then come on stage to kick the guy off and Manu Chao straight up puts his guitar in the way of the cop and tells the cop to get of the stage and let the guy to do his thing.
Look who is in charge tonight. FOURTH OF JUUUU --- LY
Baller night. Too bad the bus, that arrived at 4am to take us back to BCN got over taken by the people, someone pryed open the back door and about 75 people packed in and only one person had paid and and entire bus was full. Bus driver panic. uh uh...you have to pay. You can not do that. Yeah try getting a bunch of Catalans to get off the bus when you are but one small man.
Duh call the cops. It took an hour to get everyone off the bus, three cops, the front door was jammed.... drama drama we left an hour later for what should have been a 20 minute ride to Barcelona. The reality is.... I pushed my way to the front and got on as one of the first and never left the bus... and made friends with all the crazies squeezed in.
Great, Epic 4th
