We did a lot of walking around Barcelona. The Gothic quarter (Barri Gótic) is incredible. It's literally like being transported back in time. The walls of the buildings are from Roman times! I really want to take Mike to Barcelona as I cannot image a more romantic city. I know Paris carries that title but I wonder if it could hold a stick to Barcelona.

The last night was the opening night of a grand celebration of the end of summer - the Festes de la Merce - which celebrates the day of the city's patron saint, the Virgin de la Merce. We got to the city square by the city hall where a huge crowd of people had gathered. At first we thought they were letting in groups of people to view the dragon "floats" which we had seen on display a few nights prior. We stood in the "line" and waited.

Then all of a sudden it was like Moses parting the Red Sea - the crowd split and the dragons and various marching bands came pouring out of the city hall. Somehow we ended up with front row viewing! I got some incredible pictures of the dragons. The dragons were about 15 feet tall and were carried by one person who was inside the dragon. It was amazing - the dragons had fireworks connected to their mouths and looked like they were breathing fire. It was a sight and experience I'll never forget!