Fire in Valencia then onto Barcelona

This weekend was my first trip out of Madrid. A few classmates and I went to the Los Fallas festival in Valencia and then onto Barcelona. We traveled by bus, which was interesting for me because I do not sleep very well unless in a bed.

On a sidenote I took a graceful fall while walking out of my apartment bruising my rearend and making the bus trips even more enjoyable. After a 4 hour bus ride into Valencia, we arrived and were immediatley greeted by large fireworks and cheering. Basically this is a festival for the coming of spring in which the people of Valencia burn large paper mache floats which represent demons. The citizens also lit off fireworks throughout the city, it lasts for about two weeks and on the last day (March 19 the day we arrived) is when they burn everything. In a nutshell, its modern day anarchy for about a week. 

I was kind of overwhelmed by the fireworks and explosions because there nonstop. People just light fireworks and don't provide the courtesy of saying "Watch out there is an explosive at your feet!" or something to that degree. Hence explosions were occuring left and right unexpectidly, but once my eardrums were fully shot and I threw my safety to the wind the fun came. We ate periodically throughout the day. Valencia is known for it's paella and I have to say it was excellent. I also ate chocolate churros, margerita pizza, and some tapas. We basically just walked the streets lighting fireworks until about 10:00pm when we went to the main center to watch the burning of a statue. This float was over 200 feet tall with sparklers and explosives placed around the structure. My classmates and I ended up having to wait around 4 hours while the square became more and more packed, trying to hold our spot while others elbowed through. Just when our legs were reduced to mere nubs the show started. Picture Disneyland mixed with a 60's riot and you've got what was before our very eyes. The show began with an eloborate fireworks displays followed by flashy sparklers. Then you could hear the crackling of the fire begin although you could not see because of the smoke due to the fireworks. Flames began to emerge and you could feel the heat as they began to detoriate the elaborate mache structure. Towards the end a soundtrack of Spanish opera music backed the large fire. People cheered and the atmosphere was excellent. Once the structure was 3/4 destroyed we fought our way through the crowd (fought is an understandment for how close I got to people's faces and how hard I was shoved at times).

Arriving at the bus stop somewhere around 2:30am (a half an hour before our bus to Barcelona) we sat tired from a day of constant walking. I made a somewhat fatal decision and took only one pair of Urban Outfitters boots for the duration of three days of travel. Overall my feet and body suffered for this weekend, but I learned alot about traveling and Spain itself. Our hostel in Barcelona had an excellent atmosphere and the staff was very helpful. I fell in love with Antonio Gaudi's architecture. We had enough time to see three of his major sites in Barcelona: the Sangrada Familia church, the Casa Mila, and Park Guell.
Gaudi was extremely influenced by nature and this is apparent in his work. The Sangrada familia is a beautiful church constructed partially by him, but was not finished due to his accidental death in 1926. I have to say of all three sights the rooftop of Casa Mila was my favortie. Casa Mila is an apartment complex in which Gaudi was hired to construct. The rooftop is supposed to convey the ocean, this is evident in its wavy structure. Not to mention you get a wonderful view of the city of Barcelona.
Barcelona itself is a wonderful city. Compared to Madrid the people seem to be more relaxed and welcoming to English speakers. We spent the majority of our time at Las Ramblas, which is a major market lined with shops and restaurants. At night we wandered to the port nearby where there is a pier decorated with shops and tapas bars.
On Sunday and our final day, my friend and I went to the Picasso musuem where I learned much about this famous painter. He was born in Spain (which I did not know) and has a wonderful sense of humor compared to the other painter's work I've seen while here. He did a series of paintings based off of Velazquez's "Las Meninas" (which I viewed earlier on in my trip at the Prado Museum). He basically mocked Velazquez's figures with bright colors and disfigured reenactment of the subjects.
This weekend left me exausted but I got to see alot and learn as well. I think I'm beginning to find the perfect balance between going out while learning the history that is embedded into this country.

Here are my photos of the weekend:

This is my video from Las Fallas:

(The song is Whitest boy alive-Golden Cage (fred falke remix)