Little by little, our way back home became easier just because of him. It really didn't matter the hour we finished, he was there reigning above the building of Mallorca street. Always with his funny winking like he was saying “good job and good night".
This funny relationship got closer each year and still, we keep the same schedule and he keeps awake. I have to say, that owl became our guardian angel and that's the main reason of this tribute. Well, and it also works as an excuse to tell you a bit about him.
In spite of the obvious visual impact his eyes produce, there was a time in Barcelona where he was one more of the bunch. It was on the 60's, same time he was created by a light company called Rótulos Roura (traduced as Roura's signs). By this time, and not only around Barcelona, luminous advertising was very in fashion. During the 90’s, and as an exception in Europe, some laws about the light pollution in the city began to appear. And so, a lot of those lit signs were moved away. Lucky us, It wasn't completely the case of the owl: the installation kept its structure, his eyes and also the logo of the company were removed. He wasn't really in danger until 2004 when there was a massive got away of this kind of luminescent publicity. But, unexpectedly, this odd animal already had a place as the Diagonal's king and exempted the removing, being also restored and adopted as a cultural Barcelona model of this late 60's and early 70's.
