The last Saturday, 10th of July, more than 1 million zealous Catalans were claiming their independence from Spain. The manifestation was peaceful, yet full of emotion! All the important figures from the Catalan government were leading the march and giving the speech to the nation. People were singing the national anthem of Catalonia, carrying Catalan flags and posters with some fierce slogans and phrases. The march went from Diagonal through Passeig de Gracia, ending in Tetuan. The whole distance, which in fact is around 2, 5-3 km was fully packed! Just for the record for those of you who don’t know Barcelona’s streets very well, Passeig de Gracia together with Gran Via are one of the biggest and widest streets in Barcelona! People seemed very determined to show their attitude and unite with the Catalan spirit of independence, despite the heat and humidity of the Spanish summer weather. Many of you might wonder why on earth they want to separate themselves from Spain so much? Behind the idea of being independent for cultural issues, there are a lot of financial connections that Catalonia has with the Spanish Government that are not really at all convenient for Catalans. And on top of that, there are the different languages and different cultures… But on the other hand, would Barcelona and Catalonia be so attractive to the tourists without the Spanish “background”? Would people be interested in coming to Barcelona as much as they are right now if it was not Spain? Would bars and restaurants withdraw” bocadillos con jamon Serrano” and “tortillas de patatas” from their menus? There are some very fair points speaking for Catalan independence indeed, but independent Catalonia as a separate country raises many more questions…..

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