Sitting in a sidewalk café, I heard flutes and drums playing dance music. Investigating, I found women dancing.

They were performing traditional Basque dances as part of a cultural program taking place on or near the Barcelona Cathedral Plaza. I was reminded of folk dancing exhibitions in the Jardín, the ones that are put on by people from the cultural center.

Music was provided by three recorder-like instruments and a drummer.

The notes, all of them, are produced by fingering with the left hand only. The musician on the far left is using his right index finger over the end hole of his flute to produce a vibrato.

The men are wearing those wide floppy Basque berets—wide enough to act as an umbrella in the rain. They were for sale in shops here and there, but I couldn't imagine wearing one, as much as I would have liked one. They're just too un-Mexico.

Following the female dancers, a group of men emerged, dressed as sailors, carrying oars and a seaman's chest on their shoulders. Another man leapt on top of the chest and performed a kind of jig.

An odd performance; six guys straining and grimacing while one dancer jumped and spun, took bows and garnered applause.

While basques have never had a navy, they are avid and skilled seamen. Basque fishermen probably beat Columbus to America, while catching codfish and salting and drying them on shore in Newfoundland.

The crossed keys on the dancer's banner aren't related to the Basque flag or coat of arms. I would guess they are the keys of Simon Peter, loved by fishermen because he was a fisherman too. Does one of you have a better explanation?

As is the case with so many folk festivals, this one had an ad-hoc feel to it. Among last-minute items overlooked were dressing rooms.

A little public semi-nudity wasn't gonna get in their way. The program called for swapping the blue sailor suits for white ones, so they just went ahead and got the job done without worrying about appearances. We could use guys like this in the Administration, if you ask me.