Late Photos of Reyes 2013 !

OK, I know I'm really late with this one, and we're well into the new year - hell, some kids' toys have probably already broken or ran out of batteries! It's just that I've never posted photos of the cabalgata dels Reis before, so wanted to at least put up a few pics for those readers who don't live in Barcelona and didn't get the chance to go or watch it on the TV.

It's a huge deal in Barcelona - like the kids' Christmas Eve for the rest of us - and the whole city stops to watch the parade, which starts down at the port with the mayor receiving the Kings (on a boat no less) before they begin their journey through the town preceded by loads of floats representing the different parts of the tale.

Kids write letters to the Kings in a similar way that they do to Santa Claus, and there are people collecting those late-comers with nets and post boxes - there's even a miniature sorting office of the postal service!

Obviously the 3 Kings of the East are accompanied by typical costumes, with some fantastic dancers and models of animals (not all photographed here by a long shot) along with cool toys or coal if you don't go to bed by midnight.

And all along the way, the participants in the floats and those surrounding them are throwing sweets out to everyone. It does get a little manic with sweets literally "raining down" on people - a couple of little babies near us were crying at the shock/emotion of it all!

It's great fun, and some people are so well prepared with stepladders adorning the corners of the streets in Eixample where we were, for example. I remember the first year going, seeing people wandering the streets all the way from Raval with stepladders thinking "what the hell is he doing at half past six on Reyes, with a stepladder?!" only to realise later, they're the best prepared for the little ones!

Happy (belated) New Year everyone and my sincere best wishes to everyone  - I hope this year is better than 2012 in every way, even though it all points to maybe not being the case. Be happy, be healthy, and be good.