23rd June

Today was the first day of the festival of Sant Joan. The first event, at 2pm, was the parade of horses. We set off for the main square which was pretty empty. We were directed across town to where the event took place. We battled against crowds going in the opposite direction only to find we had missed it. Never mind; back to the boat for gin and lemon. We returned to the main square in plenty of time for the evening festivities. The horses and riders circled the square rearing and swirling through the middle of the crowd. The band played a short catchy song over and over and the crowds leaped in the air, arms raised, yelling Olé. We had time for a drink before going to watch the hazelnut throwing. The street was strewn with the nuts, teenagers were clutching their big plastic bottles of iced gin and lemon, and random girls were being flung high into the air while sackfuls of nuts were being hurled over the heaving mass of the crowd. Many were wearing maroon coloured Sant Joan T shirts. We then had some delightful Tapas before returning to the centre. This time the riders raced up the narrow central street rearing over some of the more foolhardy spectators while we stood inches away on the pavement. The horses then gathered in the main square and we found ourselves corralled in the middle of a circling herd. Eventually things settled down and we headed back to the dinghy through the swaying packs of girls and boys.