Barcelona Part 4: Open spaces

4. OPEN SPACES

The Mediterranean sea beckons with its cool temperatures & shimmering colors.

The harbour of Barcelona, though busy & industrial, still retains a certain charm thanks to those skies & palm trees.

Park Guëll, Gaudi's contribution to the Barcelona public.

Again, the colors just made me smile..

My last view of the city wth the sea in the distance..

All the outfits i wore over the week!

Goodbye my dear Barcelona... I hope I can see you again very soon, once is definitely not enough xx

Barcelona Part 3 : Architecture

Another amazing Gaudi piece of art: the Casa Mila or La Pedrera, also a UNESCO site.

To be honest, I found the entrance fees for the attractions a bit expensive in Barcelona; nothing was below 15 euros. In Paris, a museum ticket rarely sets you back more than 10 euros. But each time, I paid & came out feeling it was totally worth it.

View from the atrium.

The wavy roof of Casa Mila... WOW. No words could describe it. The Spanish have really a treasure in their hands.

The staircase which looked like a painting.

And who could forget the beautiful cathedral in the old town of Barcelona.

The interior was breathtakingly haunting..

And the view from the rooftop.. Amazing!

How I love those skies... x

Barcelona Part 2 : Gaudi's architecture

3. ARCHITECTURE

No one can visit Barcelona & not be moved by Gaudi's creations.. In fact, the soul of this city comes from the famed Spanish architect. I read so many books on him & to see his works in real life is amazing.

The first... La Sagrada Familia.. the famous incomplete masterpiece of Gaudi which has been under construction since 1882 & is a UNESCO site. He died while building it. Despite the hordes of tourists & children, it was still a wonder to see this church.

The interior had been completed based on Gaudi's models; I call it the forest of faith... the spires were made to ressemble trees & branches.

How beautiful... i stayed hours inside, just admiring the curves, the colors, the richness of Gaudi's imagination which was unparalleled.

The amazing ceiling.

Another famous masterpiece: Casa Batllo. Behind its skeletal exterior lies another world.

The ceiling of the main room where the family who hired Gaudi lived. The surprising thing about Casa Batllo is a lack of straight lines in the buidling.

Curves of blue & green took centrestage in the stairwell inspired by the underwater world.

Even the railings were designed to make you feel you were underwater!

And the famous roof with the back of a dragon.

Gaudi used colored mosaic tiles to create a magical world on the roof... it was just amazing to look at... imagine living here at the height of the Industrial Revolution... what a beautiful escape from reality!

Barcelona Part 1 : Food & Design

I absolutely adored Barcelona... it lived up to all my expectations in terms of the food, design & architecture:

1. FOOD

On arrival in the city... the first thing I did was to go & find a fantastic local tapas bar & stuff myself with all the delicacies..

La Tramola became a favorite over the stay with its great service, traditional tapas & delicious paella!

From left to right clockwise: Prawn & salmon with cheese Montadito (smaller than tapas), fried Padron peppers, patatas bravas (fried potatoes with spicy sauce), chorizos, churros with melted chocolate, sauteed mushrooms with garlic & parsley, Spanish omelette (egg with onion & potato), Iberico ham with pepper Montadito... Sigh. I thought i'd died & gone to heaven... I ate a mixture of these EVERYDAY!!!!!!

2. DESIGN

I've always imagined Barcelona as a city where design is alive & I wasn't disappointed. For me, it ranks right up there with Tokyo & Bangkok in creativity.

Everywhere I went, my eyes were treated to a delightful feast of colors & ingenuity. This shoe store uses old-style ice-cream boxes.. so cute!

And a lovely sewing & crafts store recommended by a Spanish blogger...

It was one of the most cosy & pretty stores i'd ever seen.

And Barcelona has no lack of designer boutique hotels, the one I stayed in was modern & the lobby bar served a great gin tonic with Spanish gin & basil leaves.. try it at home... its a refreshing twist on regular gin tonic!

Paintings around the hotel all done with 2 smooth pencil strokes.

Of course, when creativity finds its way to city walls, not everyone is happy..

But I heard this funny story, once the wall is washed clean... the graffiti artist paints something new & writes: Wow thanks for giving me another blank canvas! Here's my new signature! :)

Hola ♥

Just got into Barcelona today... I love the energy & laidback vibes of this city.

The weather is such a welcome respite from Paris' relentless cold & i'm staying in a charming boutique hotel next to Plaça de Catalunya.

This week is gonna be a festival for the senses & patatas bravas/tapas/fideuà overload x

Photos from Hotel Pulitzer