Before leaving for Europe my friend Tammy Johns had mentioned her friend Tori was living near Barcelona and we should visit her. “Near” is a relative term we soon found out after an hour train ride to the country, to the small pueblo of Garriga. Totally worth it! Tori picked us up at the small train station saving us from the floods of confused looks as to why two Americans with giant backpacks were in Garriga. Tori gave us her room and made us a refuge in her home. It was also the eve of St. Joan, a Catalan festival celebrating light. The streets were filled with people, fireworks, and dancing! A procession of the priests was to occur around 9 through limbed streets of sawdust and flower art (similar to the street collages of Semana Sants in Guatemala). We stayed out till late, typical Spain style, and enjoyed local cuisine, dancing with the locals (we picked it up fast), and the procession of “destruction”. We walked home over the trampled flower art and watched the US vs. Portugal World Cup game together.

Thanks Tori for your hospitality
and French pressed coffee!! Hope to see you soon in this wide world.