When you first approach La Rambla in Barcelona you are immediately struck by the throngs of people walking to and fro. It’s almost too intimidating to even consider entering into the flow of this human river.
But everyone says it’s something to see so you take a deep breath and you wade in…
It’s not so bad when you get going. This time of year there’s elbow room and you can move about pretty easily.
After you pass the booths selling birds and other small animals you start to notice the human statues. If you’ve travelled to any big city, you’ve seen them. Usually someone who paints themselves silver and stands perfectly still until someone gives them money. When that happens they spring to life, usually moving in a robotic manner.
Here in Barcelona they have taken it to a whole new level. It’s not uncommon to see three or four human statues setup side by side. The amount of competition has raised the bar, so to speak, for the human statue. They have to compete with each other for the attention of the masses and some of them have gotten VERY creative.
First of all, they don’t all paint themselves silver.
And they’ve added props…
I’m not sure what Mr. Blue Sleeping Smurf does when you give him a euro, but I bet I find out at someone else’s expense before I leave.
I’ve collected a few shots of some of the more interesting characters. Just click on any thumbnail to see a larger version.
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Them’s cool lookin’ Rennies, Hoyt!
THERE’s the job for my son! The perfect thing for an ADD person. He/she could stand there all day forgetting where they were supposed to go and be perfectly happy.