"After the blackout, they want to party": Barcelona recovers, but 300 people are sleeping in shelters.

BarcelonaThe power returned (partially) while it was still daylight, and people applauded and excitedly photographed streetlights. At dusk, Barcelona became a mixture of darkness and light. Some streets were illuminated; in others, nothing could be seen beyond a few balconies with their bulbs on and cell phone flashlights on for orientation. Why has electricity been restored to the homes and not the streets? It's a question municipal sources haven't been able to answer. As the hours passed and dawn arrived, the center of Barcelona returned to what it was, with an artificial light (almost without dark spots) that revealed drunken tourists zigzagging with bottles in their hands, cleaning crews, and police officers (today twice as many as on other nights) patrolling.

All this is happening as dozens of people arrive at the designated sports centers. They've been stranded by the transport strike. It's two in the morning when a nightclub on Balmes Street starts to fill up. "After the blackout, they're in the mood to party," says the owner. It's also two in the morning when about twenty passengers arrive at the España Industrial sports center from a train from Seville to sleep on the floor, between the lines for free kicks and penalties. The power has been back on for barely an hour, when in other parts of Barcelona it has been out since five in the afternoon.

The España Industrial sports center is the one that has welcomed the largest number of people in the Catalan capital, with nearly 160 unable to return home because of the massive blackout. Mostly, they're people who had to catch a train at Sants station and ended up spending the night on the sports center's court, with a mattress and a Red Cross blanket, and their suitcases ready to return home as soon as possible.

A hundred more slept in the Municipal Sports Center at Gare du Nord, and around twenty more at Can Dragó. In total, almost 300 people spent the night in Barcelona's sports centers. The City Council has made these spaces available because they are strategically located near major stations, where it was anticipated that many people could be trapped. Initially, it also made the Can Ricart pavilion in the Raval area available, but it finally closed it because there weren't enough people, who have been relocated to one of the other sports centers. Breakfast is ready; the lights are dimmed as the night progresses. And there are people who are already snoring. Some are crippled from having waited and waited at Sants station, hoping the train would leave, which it hasn't.

Aside from the sports centers, the Catalan capital's city council has also kept the metro running all night so everyone can get home regardless of the time. However, at the Plaça Catalunya station, no one is lost or stalling because there are no trains or buses. The users taking advantage of this extraordinary service are mainly tourists going to or returning from parties, intoxicated and completely unaware of the blackout that has shaken the lives of thousands of Catalans. They celebrate, surprised and happy, that they don't have to pay for it. A worker isn't complaining about working at night. Today it's time to make sacrifices.

In fact, with the return of power, nightlife has returned to normal in the city center, and some venues have even opened as if nothing had happened. In the Eixample district, for example, there are about twenty people dancing to the music at the Belive venue. The owner believes tonight will be a good night, that they'll make more money than usual simply because most of the competition has closed. Some kebab shops are selling hot sandwiches, the pharmacy crosses are dazzling, and the cans offered on the street are already cold.