23rd July 2019 ~ Summer Getaways

This September I am travelling to Barcelona with its architectural heritage and Gaudi influences where I am meeting my girlfriend’s for a cheeky 4 day break. With an apartment booked in Las Ramblas, the food markets and street vendors will have us salivating at their delicacies while looking for a bargain or two in the shops! It is our intention to not spend the whole time overindulging on tapas, paella and Rioja (well that’s the theory!) instead we will be doing a little bit of sightseeing.

So, for me the Casa Batlló is definitely on my list. A house re-designed by Gaudi using mosaic tiles to represent the back of a dragon with a turret and cross acting as the lance that was driven into its back.  The vivid colours with protruding shapes and abstract windows make this a spectacle to be seen along with the Placa Reial. A fabulous lively square planted with towering palm trees housing bars & restaurants in the style made famous by Gaudi.

With the narrow medieval streets of the Gothic Quarter filled with trendy bars, and Catalan restaurants that date back over 2000 years, this is a neighbourhood full of charm and captivating history. It was where Picasso, who as a 14 year old lived when he arrived in Barcelona. It was where he attended the Fine Arts School, located in a busy street with questionable morals which inspired his later work.