Festival de Sant Joan

Let's try the title card thing for a while. I think it looks pretty cool. I'm not a graphic designer so it takes a while for me to make these. Festival de San Juan (or Sant Joan in Catalan) celebrates the longest day of the year and is like the biggest beach party in Barcelona and many other cities along the coast. This means jumping over bonfires, drinking a lot, and dancing and partying until the sun comes up. Pretty much a usual day in Barcelona actually. All along the beach there were different stands with sound systems bumping different music. Everyone was in the best of spirits and were drinking and dancing the night away. It gets the highest recommendation.



this super charismatic donut vendor sold all his wares in like 30 minutes while spinning the tray around on his head, running with it on his head, and playing one of those brazilian triangles. and yes that girl is topless but this is a pg-13 rated blog.



Nublowski's last request before he died was to eat the CBO chicken burger at Mcdonald's. we were late to meet people for this huge beach party so we had no choice. I am not a Mcdonald's hater, I will admit that this CBO thing was good. I would later pay the penultimate price though. (the ultimate would be dying, or needing surgery or getting diabetes from it or something).



used nublowski's tripod to get some long exposures.



our base camp on the beach. by the end of the night it was just a pile of empty bottles of various alchohol, garbage, sand, and nublowski's. But it was out pile of bottles, sand and Nublowskis. what? nublowski's? you'll see if you keep scrolling.



Mr. cool guy albert palen.



and Jonathan the dancing machine from Tel Aviv



the tradition of San Juan is that you jump over bon fires at least a certain number of times (maybe 5?) for good luck. in other places in spain they make huge bon fires. They say Alicante is a more authentic San Juan Festival.



taken with a gorilla pod from that lifeguard chair.





I look like such an awesome badass Muy Thai kickboxer and my hand looks huge. Imagine getting slapped with that hand. Well you will find out if don't get in that kitchen and make me a bocadillo now!



Nublowski on the other hand looks a little German.



Albert with his phone, his bag, a cup of wine, and MY CAMERA!





This year we invited Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan to come jump over fires. Sorry Palen but you're Scottie Pippen because I am getting way more air than you. I also like how we are jumping over people making out in every photo.



after a lot of Jager Meister and wine and jumping over fires, lil' nublowski was all tuckered out. And like the good good friend that is always there to take pictures of you at your most embarrassing moment, I was there to take photos of him at his most vulnerable moment. At the time He had his bag on and his arm and hand around his camera so I let him sleep. In hind sight i should have taken the camera from him because someone could have easily gotten it from the drunk and sleepy German.



The price of eating that huge McDonald's meal before was coming to fruition. For about an hour the biggest nastiest deuce needed to come out. It hurt so bad. Thank god i had pocketed a few McDonald's napkins before. Finally towards the end of the night the line was really short so i went for it. The portapotty was full to the max from a night of partiers using it so it was super disgusting. And what I piled on was the most disgusting thing i can remember to date. I started to sweat imagining the next people waiting on line outside and what gruesomeness they would witness when they went in and how they would beg the lord to strike me down once they witnessed what I had done. I winced and went outside to find absolutely no one in line. I was saved! I seriously want to repent for whoever has to clean that porta potty. I am so ashamed :( After I wrote this i noticed there were a lot of religious references.



the aftermath as the sun comes up.



these police were in a perfect straight line and then they started marching forward telling people to move on so sanitation could clean the beach.





the sun comes up but the party continues! dance battle.



Here is a parting shot for you of an orangutan jumping over a fire. So if you can be in Barcelona for the San Juan festival then do it! It was an awesome beach party. This was nublowski's last night in Barcelona and what a night, and what a way to end it.

A little tidbit for Bob to enjoy: On the walk home someone lit a mini firecracker on the sidewalk and it went off right as i was walking past it so I couldn't really hear out of my left ear for 3 weeks. It still is ringing. enjoy bob.