On the street, their footfalls echoed quietly on the cobblestones, but as soon as they left their narrow side street the tranquility exploded into the light, colour and confusion of Barcelona at five minutes to midnight on a Saturday night. Cafe terraces were packed, with extra people hovering anxiously to dash for any table that became available. Occasional men with guitars could be found in doorways, immediately attracting groups of friends. Hordes of British and German tourists poured in noisy and disorganized lines down the street, leaving a trail of frazzled locals and beer cans. Pakistani beer sellers stood openly on street corners trying to attract every passer-by and potential buyer. A city cleaning service truck rumbled by, not yet ready to douse the streets with water until they became rivers as they did every night, but definitely warming up to the thought. Despite the late hour, Barcelona pumped and heaved and roiled in the night, and the air was still shimmering, warm, and fully bright in one of the most light-polluted cities in Europe. Amanda jumped to one side as a girl on a bike and a mission swished silently by her, late to meet friends.
“Come on!” Rob was calling back to her and Luke from the corner. “Let’s head to Las Ramblas and get a cab.”
The cabs were everywhere when they reached the main tourist thoroughfare, but to get one headed in the ride direction they had to cross the ten meter strong wall of tourists that passed for a pedestrian road on a summers night, people jostling one another, shrieking out for sangria, staring up at the illuminated hotels and museums, while foreign students renting apartments on the main road smoked cigarettes on their balconies above, and surveyed the chaos knowingly.