A LITTLE BIT OF BARCELONA THAT IS FOREVER LIVERPOOL (SORT OF)

This is the first August for a very long time when I have not been found propping up the bar in the legendary Cavern Club, swapping stories with like minded fab four fans during the annual Beatles Week festivities.

 So I was delighted to find that the residents of a Beatles themed  street during this year's Festa Major de Sants.

The welcoming crowd felt familar, but karaoke versions of Tie A Yellow Ribbon (in Spanish) are not really in the same league as a spaced-out  teenage virtuoso Argentine  guitarist re-imagining Abbey Road.

The festival takes place in the streets between the Camp Nou stadium and the Sants train station and is noted for its and community oriented nature. 

Like all the Barcelona festivals, you find small chldren happily playing on in the streets late into the night.

In addition to rock and pop bands, choirs, opera singers and folk musicians can all be found performing in the beautifully decorated streets. 

 

THE DRESS CODE

Barcelona may be known for liberal attitude in some respects, in part a reaction to the Franco regime’s authoritarian ways, but it also prides itself on its stylishness. 

Some Catalans feel that things are getting just a little bit too casual out on the streets.

A new law now requires that everyone covers up in the city centre. With the beach so close to the main shopping and historical districts, there has been a rise in the number of people wandering through the streets in their swimsuits.

Now this might be OK if everyone wandering up Rambla de Catalunya in an unclothed state looked like Naomi Campbell or David Beckham, but, frankly, they don’t.

So the off-beach public exposure of beer bellies and unfortunate tattoos have now been legislated against. Forget to cover up the string bikini or budgie smugglers and you could be presented with a fine for €300.

There goes the spending money!