1. Our first trip to Barcelona was five years ago. Five years ago we loved vintage clothes and so when we happened upon Carrer de la Riera Baixa, it was kinda like we had found heaven. I have no idea how much money I spent on that road during that trip. It was literally vintage shop after vintage shop. Le Swing in particular was incredible. So when we were heading back to Barcelona for Primavera I checked up to make sure our favourite shop was still around. Turned out there were two of them now, oh Lord were we excited. We spent a whole day wandering around looking for the mysterious street (were not very good with maps), that's hours of tired leg syndrome, only to find that what was once a vintage haven has turned into an entire street of tat. There was absolutely no selection process on behalf of the shops and the prices were outrageous. There was only one exception, Motel. A shop not filled with crap and very reasonably priced, the only reason to bother to go back down that street.
2. The second thing I learned in Barcelona is something that I've suspected for quite some time. I hate festival fashion. Can we all not remember a time when going to festivals was about going to see bands you like not posing in outfits you spent hours thinking about. It was quite depressing looking about and generally seeing a uniform of bare legs and stripes . It got pretty cold out there, why weren't these girls wearing pants or a jumper? I don't understand at all.
I can't claim I've not become more concerned with how I look at a festival in recent years. Back in the days of Witness I spent the weekend without make up and always caked in mud and there was the glorious week long camping trip to Glastonbury without showers (that's more disgusting than anything else and I really wish I could have showered but its a bit difficult when you cant be bothered to queue for hours in the rain to feel clean for about ten minutes).
RealDublinStreets.blogspot.com
have great pictures of the hipsters of Primavera
-Lil
