It was an awesome fireworks display last night. A full 20
minutes non-stop of every type of firework and the most spectacular display we
ever been to. It was amazing being so close – they were let off in the middle
of the rugby pitch with the crowd all around, so the big ones completely
covered the sky overhead. We went round to Ross and Liz’s for a drink
afterwards, not too late as Scott & Suzanne had to catch an early bus to
head on their way back to NZ.
Preparations are continuing apace today for the feria. The
bar below us is fully set up, and a big DJ system has gone in, and the test
music has been a really good mix. There’s British rock, bullfighting music and
heaps more. It’s going to be a massive weekend. Down the main street between
the tourist office corner and the next corner where our Aussie friends live
(some 140m) there are seven new outdoor bars set up, each with maybe 5-15
metres of frontage. There’s going to be some serious drinking.
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| Parade |
We’ve finally won with our scooter insurance. We now have a
new compliance sticker and can plan our trip to the Tour de France on Sunday.
We’ve even picked up a compulsory single-use breath test kit which is required
to be carried in all motor vehicles in France from now onwards.
It is now 11:30pm and the feria celebrations are well
underway. They started with an official opening by the Mayor of Céret, followed
by a short parade of horses and riders (bull-hands?). The bands, DJs and every
other type of music is in full swing around the centre of town. Thousands of
people are out and about, drinking, dancing and socialising.
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| The church square - it was packed later on |
It’s pretty
amazing to be in amongst it and just as amazing to look down from our apartment
into the church square below us and see hundreds dancing and singing, the DJ is
going flat out and we can’t even hear each other speak from about 5m apart in
the living room. The music is due to continue until 4am, both tonight and
tomorrow, so I don’t see us getting much sleep over the next few nights.
We will shut both the shutters and windows and perhaps have earplugs in later
but it’s all really good fun. Everyone is happy dancing away and having a good
time. We miss a bit of the fun not knowing the French popular music which often
has the crowd singing along or responding.
