Barcelona in September

Back when September 11th was just another date on the calendar, I booked a trip to fly to Barcelona on Wednesday, September 12th, 2001 with a friend. The plan was to celebrate my birthday in Spain. Needless to say, my flight was delayed for several days. My friend did not go, so I ended up going by myself, getting to Spain in time for my birthday, and had an amazing trip abroad. I met people from all over the world, including Mexico, the U.S., Belgium, and of course, Spain.

While I was over there, everyone kept telling me how sorry they were about what happened. I think at that point in time, it was still kind of surreal, and hadn't really sunk in what had happened. I loved Spain. If you've never been I highly recommend it. If you can, go towards the end of September so you can celebrate my birthday there...or Les Festes de la Merce, which ever you prefer.

Barcelona's biggest annual festival is "Les Festes de la Merce." This is the celebration of the Patron Saint of Barcelona, the Virgin Mary. This year it is from Wednesday September 23rd to Sunday September 27th. When I was there in 2001, they turned the entire train station into a dance floor. I remember leaving about 6 a.m., there were people in line to get in. I also saw Manu Chao there, he played a free show in the Plaza de Cataluna. Imagine 100,000 people crammed into one city block...he started playing at around 11 p.m, and I think the show went to at least 2 a.m. It was amazing, words cannot do it justice.

In a way, I like to think I did my civilian part following that horrible day. I lived my life and traveled abroad, not thinking of what might happen to my plane, but rather, thinking what must happen to Americans. We as a country must continue on with our lives and not be afraid to do what we love.