The native Catalan architect certainly left his mark on this great city and a visit to Barcelona wouldn’t be complete without taking in some of his greatest works. An architect seemingly without contemporaries, Gaudi’s free-flowing post modern creations were decades ahead of his time. The world has taken note of Gaudi and this is reflected in the fact that the properties mentioned below are all UNESCO world heritage sites.

La Pedrera

The real name for this building is in fact, Casa Mila – La Pedrera is a nickname and means “the quarry” in Catalan. When Gaudi built this residence between 1905 and 1907 most Catalan’s at the time lambasted the architect for defacing the city’s skyline, hence the derogatory moniker. Today none of these negative connotations remain and, indeed, city residents view it as one of their proudest landmarks. Standing on the Passeig de Gracia the building does not contain one single straight line, instead following a wave-like, organic form. Highlights include the wild and wonderful wrought iron balconies and the rooftop with its wonderfully original chimney stacks. Read the rest of this entry »

Barcelona is one of those cities where you can enjoy a 10 day vacation or holiday, but also where you can also go for just a long weekend. This coastal city offers easy access to a number of facilities, a lengthy beach and plenty of interesting architecture and sites. So how should you go about finding an area and place to stay in Barcelona; what is a good area to stay in and what kinds of things can you do in 3 days in the city of Barcelona, Spain?

The amazing thing about Barcelona as a city is that you do not need to choose between staying in the beach area or staying in the centre and tourist areas. In Barcelona you can do both. Read the rest of this entry »

Spain may have a somewhat clichéd reputation as a hotspot for holidaymakers seeking sangria and two weeks of fun in the sun. But it has so much more to offer than red-wine cocktails and warm weather. Freddie Mercury described Barcelona as being “a jewel in the sun”, and it’s difficult to find a more apt or poetic description of Spain’s second largest city.

Situated in the north east of Spain on the Mediterranean coast, Barcelona is the capital of one of the constituent autonomous Spanish communities, Catalonia, which speaks Catalan as its primary language as opposed to Spanish.

Needless to say, many tourists arrive with their Spanish phrasebooks in hand, well versed in ordering dos cervezas, only to find that the locals would much rather speak English than Spanish. Read the rest of this entry »