You will love doing this one thing in Barcelona!

As they do in most European countries, the day started slowly. This is typical in summer when cities are buzzing with dining, theatre and music until the early hours.

We step out of our apartment just a few metres away to find Las Ramblas starting to come alive. The leafy promenade runs from Placa de Catalunya, the point where the old town and new town collide down to the Christopher Columbus monument at the port.  The beautiful plane trees conveniently shelter tourists from the strong summer sun. We hear many different languages being spoken around us, but not English!

Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s vibrant promenade in the heart of the city centre

We are intent on starting our Sunday exploring the back lanes and plazas of the Gothic Quarter before making our way Montjuic Hill for the afternoon. It’s a Sunday and expecting to see the quiet weekend life of the Catalunyian capital, we stroll down an alleyway off Las Ramblas stepping right into the middle of a melee. We see hundreds of people, some clambering on top of each other and while many crowded in groups and others around the perimeter of the square.

We are in Plaza Sant Jaume, the home of City Hall. During the week the plaza is buzzing with town officials going about the business of running this busy seaport city. Weekends, it seems, is for the residents of this vibrant Catalonian capital.

Often the scene for protests, today, residents are using the Plaza for another Catalunyian tradition – building castells or “castles”.

So what is this obsession with building castles?

Unique to the region of Catalunya, forming human castles began in the 18^th century when they were built as part of religious festivities. At the end of the celebrations, people formed towers of three or four layers putting on a show to outdo the dancers.

Since the 1980’s, building human towers has become a sport and have grown so much in popularity that there are now competitions to build 9 or 10 tiers of people. The grand finale is a young child clambering up and over team members to raise his arm and four fingers, symbolising the four stripes in the Catalan flag at the top of the tower.

There are at least four teams competing today. Each team dressed in white with black sashes and colourful bandanas representing their allegiance and comradeship. We stand back to observe.

Some of these towers look fragile and precarious, looking as if they will collapse at any moment. However, none of the towers collapse. It is an example of extreme precision, teamwork and commitment with an element of trust involved.  Everyone contributes to the team’s success, from the heaviest to the lightest of participants. The base “pinya” consists of the strongest team members, they must be strong and powerful to form the firm base for the more agile and lighter team member who form tiers supporting others on their shoulders until the lightest climbs to the top. It is the team that forms the tower the quickest that wins.

With the base in place, the human tower starts to rise

More tiers are added to the human tower!

The atmosphere in the plaza is one of intense concentration coupled with fun and laughter further intensified when the Mayor and his contingent appear on the balcony to watch the proceedings.

Barcelona offers much to the visitor: a colourful history; interesting and amazing architecture; museums and theatres; golden beaches; and a wonderful dining culture. If you want to experience the real Barcelona, do not miss a chance to watch the art of building castells next time you visit.

The human tower is almost complete with the young child making her way to the top.

Looking for something else to do in Barcelona? Read about our day in Palau Guell and why we recommend spending some time there.