Sunday 28th March 2019
On Friday we made the final step of our journey back up to Barcelona to catch the ferry to Italy by returning to Vilanova Park in Vilanova i la Geltrú, a trip of 200km on non-toll autovia. The ferry to Civitavecchia, near Rome, is booked for 22:30 on Tuesday and the docks are only a 45 minute tow from the campsite. We arrived early afternoon and were allocated a large quiet pitch which, as is usual here, had electric hookup, water & waste all on pitch. Too easy! 🙂
Towing Kilometres – Today: 195 Cumulative: 30,523
This morning we were sitting outside having coffee when our only near neighbours wandered by and asked if we were going to see the human towers in town at 12 o’clock. We had no idea what they were talking about but they soon explained that the towers, or Castell, are a Catalan & Valencian tradition and are quite amazing to watch.
We drove into town and found a conveniently close underground car park and made our way over to the rapidly filling town square where the teams were preparing themselves. This involves binding themselves tightly in a cummerbund which we were told was necessary to support there internal organs whilst supporting the weight of the people above.
The exhibitors from each of the surrounding towns teams, wearing different coloured shirts, started their display with impressive displays of strength and balance. The young girls who climb to the top, who must be at least 7 years old, display the utmost confidence whilst balancing 20 feet or more in the air.
Each Castell team is ably supported by it’s own band playing high pitched flute type instruments and drums that increase in pitch and volume as the tower reaches its’ peak.
A Spanish man standing nearby asked Kim where we came from and then, apologising for his limited English, went on to explain all about the Castellers in the finest detail, very fluently, before explaining he had to rush off to join his team as they started another tower.
Very soon the teams started to up the ante and the towers became higher and higher. As the height increased the size of the young girls climbing maybe 30 feet to the top seemed to get smaller. The only concession to health and safety is the requirement of children to wear specially designed helmets.
One can only wonder what would happen in the Health & Safety conscious UK?
I imagined social services rushing up to rescue these poor mites from their evil parents 🙂
The teams travel up and down the Catalan and Valencian areas and are due back in Vilanova i la Geltrú in July.
This was a marvellous piece of street entertainment and demonstration of strength and balance and we were very lucky to have been tipped off about it 🙂