A View of Barcelona from a Hilltop and Fireworks to End the Day

On our second day in Barcelona, we had a tour of the city that took us to many of the popular spots.  We ended the day joining in the celebration and watching the fireworks displays of the Barcelona La Merce Festival.

From a hilltop overlooking Barcelona you can see the Gaudi Cathedral – the Temple of the Sagrada Familia -- arising above the city.  It is still under-construction and according to our guide, Sylvia – who was great -- it is not expected to be completed for about 20 years.

 

Also, arising from the city is an interesting office building that they call the “cucumber,” for obvious reasons.  As we traveled around Barcelona, we also saw other unique and interesting buildings designed by famous architects, including the buildings designed for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Since the entire weekend was focused on celebrating the festival of Mare de Deu de la Merce – the Patron Saint of Barcelona -- we ended the day watching the street parade with lots of dragons and devils breathing fire-like sparklers, and then a major display of fireworks that lit up the entire city night sky.  Their annual festival is always at the end of September and is considered Barcelona’s largest street party.