Sant Jordi

Also known as St. George.

A few days before the holiday our teacher explained that the tradition was for women (not just wives and girlfriends, but also mothers, aunts, and maybe friends) to receive roses and men to receive books. Slowly there is a change and books are given to women, too (or mostly girls), but it seems like men do not receive roses. The language school had a little book swap and I got Born to Run, the one about actual runners, not a rock star.

We were told the holiday is the only day that there are more Catalonians than tourists on La Rambla in Barcelona. Being able to tour city hall was also an unusual event that day, but there were plenty of events in Sant Cugat, too. In the end we decided to try to squeeze everything in.

The lines were long at city hall and people were encouraged to go a few blocks over to a building with a lookout area.

Not what we had planned, but not bad, either.

After walking with the crowds we headed to Sant Cugat, which was also crowded, but not in an uncomfortable way. There were more activities, including drummers, bastoners, and plenty of people in costume (Sant Jordi, the distressed maiden, and the dragon).

There were quite a few political groups selling flowers and books, a group of kids selling their homemade flowers, and local artists selling Sant Jordi-related items. We were surprised to see people with a 3D printer and laser cutter selling things from their facility.

If we had skipped going to Barcelona would it have been enough? It is hard to say. As time zips by there is a feeling of not being able to do everything before we leave.  Better to squeeze in a quick visit than be sitting in California a year later wishing we had!