Celebrate Catalunya, Run La Merce

So it's been another eventful week here in Barcelona, as we celebrated September 11 day- "Catalunya Independence Day" which is confusing because Catalunya is in fact not really an independent country. It is a autonomous region which means something but I don't really know enough about it to explain. But, in actuality, the festival celebrates a major protest that happened during the time of Franco, in which the people of Catalunya marched on the streets, demanding rights to speak their language and have self-governance. These days the festival means a lot of Catalunyan flags and traditional Catalunyan things like building castles out of people and apparently selling lots and lots of books in Catalan. If I haven't said enough already about Catalan-- or if you haven't read my previous posts about it-- the best way to describe Catalan is to say that it really isn't like Spanish at all. If you think that you will come to Barcelona and be able to understand things because you speak Spanish, think again! Catalan is more similar to French or Italian but is fact not really like either of those. When I see it written, I can almost sort of understand some words-- but when I hear it spoken, I really have no idea what is being said.
Anyway. So the festival celebrates Catalan and all things Catalunyan. I've included here some pictures of the Arc de Triompf with the Catalan flag and also a parade that went marching by. Catalan nationalism is a big deal here.
Also this week I ran in the Cursa de la Merce, a huge 10k race that features a brief tour of some of the major streets of the center of the city and also 12,000 people. 12,000 people wearing really bright pink shirts. It was a lot of fun- but the beginning was crazy chaotic as the starting place was weirdly blocked off to runners so we all had to smoosh through a tiny opening in a metal fence.
But it was loads of fun! Not my best 10k time, but my second best. So that's good, considering I haven't been running that much. I've got to start upping the weekly mileage as I start to plan for the marathon on March!
Right now we are being treated to a chorus of the Women Who Shout From Their Balconies Rather Than Call People or Talk to Them in Their Apartments. It's kind of charming, if it wasn't so loud. There are several people in the building across the street who habitually shout to their friends in other apartments or on the street, and then proceed to have lengthy conversations in which they shout every word from one balcony to another. Earlier today one of the woman broke out into an old Spanish song and another man from another balcony shouted down that she is a terrible singer. She protested and continued singing.
I kind of love it and I kind of hate it. At the moment I'm leaning towards loving it. At least I get to practice my Spanish! And it has a wonderful Right Out of A Movie About Barcelona kind of feel to it. Very cinematic.