Traveblog Barcelona: Catalunya Day

We were blessed today--for the whole day there was not a mention of 9/11. Actually, no mention of 9/11 made in USA, but plenty of things happening connected to Sept. 11 Catalunya's way. Today was the Catalunya Day, a public holiday, which meant that most of the stores were closed, all the tourists and the locals mingled together along La Ramblas and the sea shore, with nothing to do but eat, drink and wonder aimlessly around. There was a brief but noisy demonstration of sort, with hordes of young people wrapped in Catalunya's flags marching on the Parliament building and shouting slogans in Catalan, which I could not understand. Other than that, it was blessedly free of pathetic commemorations and somber ceremonies. I understand that over 2000 American lives were lost on this day 7 years ago in the attack on World Trade Center, but that terrible event was used by the American leaders to justify two wars--Afghanistan and Iraq--in which many more thousands lives were lost. I simply can't feel for the Americans and not feel for their victims.