Barcelona, 5 a.m. Upon hearing it, many say: “When the city Raise”. Whoever walks the streets at that hour immediately thinks: “And lie down. Or the monkey goes to sleep & rdquor ;.
Barcelona, 5 a.m. queen the doze in the city. The torpor of those who have gotten up at impossible hours to earn a living. Hotel employees, supermarket employees, cleaning employees (in buildings or on the streets)… Little enthusiasm in his eyes. Most of them walk slowly. At that time it is impossible to be late. They enter the meter and get carried away.
But at that same time, they close the discos. And the walker meets the other torpor. The ethyl torpor of those who return home after strike night. The one who goes to sleep… or whatever comes up.
EL PERIÓDICO has toured Barcelona at 5 am following different routes, without looking for anything in particular but without avoiding anything. This is how the city is when it gets up and when it goes to bed.
Today it is the turn of a route whose flying goal is a nightlife temple: the Apolo del Paral.lel room. The video shows the accelerated bicycle route from the surroundings of Poblenou and Vila Olímpica to Plaza de Espanya.
The early riser cyclist is already beginning to find signs of what he is going to find in the Icaria avenue. It is rare to see alone passers-by. Pairs or trios. Young people, already back at the hotel or the tourist apartment. Buses, taxis and some van. Laughter and some isolated scream that returns the echo of the buildings.
Jaume Collboni was right. Very few of the pedicabs that before were legion and returned enthusiastic tourists like maddened fitipaldis. We have gained something.
Things come to life when crossing the Plaza de los Olympic Volunteers. It seems a kind of meeting point for those who leave the premises of the Olympic Port and of those who leave the leisure area around the ‘Twin Towers’. More screaming, laughing, and on the porches of Salvador Espriusmall groups testing substances that cheer the hard-working cyclist… to put it mildly.
By Doctor Aiguade groups circulate looking for the subway Barceloneta to retire. Little light, a lot of conversation. On the Paseo de Colom and in the Moll de la Fusta The two worlds come together again: the work world and the, shall we say, hedonistic world. Mini bottles on benches, couples chatting and ‘jobs’ on the move.
low cost
Don’t expect crowds. They are like little leisure cluster bombs in retreat. Things change when you get to Drassanes and line up paral.lel up. If the walker guesses right with the day (it’s easy, it happens almost every morning) he will find the advance ‘low cost’ of the Apolo room. The gardens of the Tres Xemeneies. Music, alcohol, screaming… the rawest side of the urban bottles. Mossos and Urban Guard They intervene decisively after a certain time so that the party does not last forever.
The Apolo room closes, but the party does not stop. The mass of partygoers seem not to accept that the thing is coming to an end and swirl on both sides of the Paral.lel
A few meters further, the exit of the Apolo room. The place closes, but the party does not stop. The mass of partygoers seem not to accept that the thing is coming to an end and swirls on both sides of the avenue. Some make plans to follow. Most are looking for life to return home. They have danced with the god Apollo and it is difficult to abandon him.
The Paral.lel acts as a space-time tunnel. From the party you pass, with a certain solution of continuity by the Dominican rhythm and, like someone who does not want the thing, you arrive at the Plaza de Espanya.
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We return to harsh reality. Barcelona, indeed, starts at 5 am. Barely 10 minutes after closing Apolo, dozens of workers crowd in front of the bus stop located just before the Bordeta road or charge batteries in the bar spain before the start of the day.
Barcelona, 5 a.m. Apolo has gone to bed but Paco is going to work.