La Rambla

We're back in Barcelona! I mean not at this moment. I could only wish. But this post is one of my countless long overdue posts which go back to 2013. I know. I could never be good at this. Taking it slow is the name of this game, I suppose.

So, in that sunshiny afternoon on the 16th of October, 2013, we joined the exodus of people along La Rambla. We just got back from Montserrat and we chose to spend our remaining time of that day, ambling in this long pedestrian-only stretch. I had nothing in mind as I contentedly soaked myself into the bedlam of the various scenes around me, like the pop-up stalls which were more touristy than not, the restaurants, the row of historic buildings on both sides and the other interesting sights that I happened to lay my eyes on. But my cousin had a specific thing in mind. The first time we walked here, we were out of luck because it was already nighttime and what she's looking for could not be found. This time around however, we were constantly on our toes and we almost lost hope after having covered a considerable distance. But we saw the light at the end of the tunnel and in this case, the light at the end of La Rambla. 

Join me in retracing our steps towards our main goal on that fateful day.

A side street which stretches to infinity, lured us momentarily. And there's KFC. No, chicken wasn't our goal.

Then, we came upon street artists that really do good portraits and caricatures. But this is not what we were trying to find either. Although they make a good distraction. Nonetheless, we were somewhat disheartened when we were already nearing the end of La Rambla, the side towards the marina. But my cousin was quick to spot one and two, then there's more.

I am talking about the human statues! Here they are.

Here's one just setting up. Most of them have that identification. I'm not sure if they have to apply for a permit or something. 

Here's me coordinating with this golden girl about the pose we would do for the camera. I'm kidding. I have no idea what I was doing here.

Tadaa! You didn't see that coming, did you? I mean the fan as my prop. The golden girl had her basket of magical goodies. Although, you might have already noticed one of the Mommies holding the fan in the previous photo.

The happiness was all over my cousin's face. Finally, in the flesh! She recalled the human statues from a Taiwanese drama series that became widely popular in the Philippines. The first few episodes of the sequel of the drama was set in Barcelona. I wasn't able to watch the sequel because I might be caught up with college life during that time. After watching clips from You Tube now, gosh, it felt like it was already ages ago! Their clothes! The cheesy scenes! haha The first drama series was in 2001 and the sequel was in 2002. By the way, the name of the drama is Meteor Garden (流星花園), in case you're interested.

There were only a few statues that day and most of them were done in very elaborate details. It was evident how much effort they put into their craft. Not to mention, these living statues need to stand there for a long time! They must be making a decent living out of it, to continue doing this work of art. And La Rambla is a good place for them, because of the endless flow of the tourists crowds.

At the end of La Rambla, there's this guy we hardly noticed. Is that you, Christopher Columbus? You have a non-living statue further ahead, don't you know?

The human statues, a check for my cousin. An accomplishment on our last full day in this sunny city for we would leave for Rome the next day. Oh Barcelona. It was a pleasure.