Last week was one of the most intense bits of tourist-ing I've done in a fair while. Elisse, Helder and I hired a car and drove down to Valencia for Las Fallas (Les Falles in Valenciana). It's a huge festival which has two parts. The first part is these enormous models that are on display in every town in Valencia as well as lots in the capital itself. Groups of people work on them all year and some of them are incredible feats of art and engineering, you can see photos of some of the more impressive ones in the gallery. Then at the end they burn them, which is an incredible sight in itself.

There's also lots of fireworks shows and a whole bunch of crazy people running around setting off petardos (firecrackers) everywhere. This ranges from groups of adolescence throwing bright spinning firecrackers at one another to little kids walking along the street with their parents dropping lit firecrackers every five metres or so.

I think Valencia hires most of the pyrotechnical experts in Western Europe, as well as the nightly fireworks show and fireworks set around every burning Falla they hold a Mascletà each day, which is a fire cracker sound show - something you've got to hear to believe, even a few streets away.

The second main part is the Pasa Calles (street parades) which go on for the whole three days. All the participants in the parade (except the musicicans) are dressed up in traditional Valencian costumes. The most impressive of which of the Falleras, the women (ranging from the elderly to children who can't yet walk) wearing the most incredible dresses and with their hair done up in a style that reminds everyone who didn't grow up in Valencia of Princess Leia.

I think this post is already too long so you'll have to wait to hear about the rest of the trip.