Miscellany: Street Performers

One thing that was interesting in Spanish cities was the ubiquity of street performers. On the iconic, tourist-choked avenue in Barcelona named La Rambla, and at almost all hours of the day, you could find various people trying to earn money via little shows or tricks. Most of these were of the "living statue" variety - a performer tries to remain very, very still, only to "come alive" when he or she wants to get some attention (and money). Still others performed shows or magic, with most tending to be shady three card monte hustlers.

Madrid's performers were mostly musicians. Much like in the subways of Paris, the Madrid Metro is filled with enterprising musical artists, from accordionists to harpists to full jazz ensembles. Things can get pretty complex - I saw several people used drum machines or recorded backing vocals. The boldest sort of musicians in the Metro were the ones who'd sneak onto Metro cars at the last minute and play in the short transits between stops. Nothing like having a captive audience, I guess.