🇪🇸 BARCELONA ~ THE CITY OF ART NOUVEAU & DREAMS! : Spain

BARCELONA… WOW! What a city! what a place! what a thrill! Thank you for an awesome Even the taxi rank at Sants station is on full blast steroids! lol this city is 24 hours alive and kicking and I LOVED every second of my 10 days spent here

I walked around and towards the city centre most of the days and really enjoyed walking the streets in this area of Barcelona, usually I stay in the centre but i was glad to experience this side of the city this time

The taxi rank just outside Barcelona Sants station – its like this all day!

Walking toward the centre of the city from Sants train station, the area is mostly residential and the buildings are not as ornate but they are still beautiful!

SAGRADA LA FAMIGLIA

Designed by Antonio Gaudi and is considered “Catalan Modernism” he worked on it for 40 years before he died – he didnt live to see the towers

I bought my skip the line tickets from GET YOUR GUIDE -> https://getyourguide.tpm.lv/oi4aQgOo

Its been more than 135 years since the corner stone was placed

Antoni Gaudi takes over the project in 1883

In 1926 Gaudi dies and Domenec Sugranyes takes over the project

In 1936 – Sagrada Familia is vandalised during the Spanish civil war and the plans and photographs are burnt and plaster models smashed

They have added some modern touches to the outside on all sides

The cross is placed at the top of the pediment of the Passion Facade

Sagrada seen from afar stands out from the city scape of Barcelona

I loved inside of the building as its so obviously inspired by the beauty of nature and looks like a forest of stone and lights!

The greens and blues of the Nativity side and the orange and reds of the Passion side

Gaudi uses tree trunk forms and starry vaults to create a spiritual atmosphere which symbolises faith, nature and organic forms and it feels like an enchanted forest rather than a church or cathedral, its just beautiful!

My favourite part were the colourful lights streaming down the ceiling and all around the inside

Climbing down the tower with quite a few steps (caught the lift up!)

There is so much going on with the building of this amazing basilica

I love how every side is different from the other and its like a mishmash of styles and colours

View from the tower – such a great view from up here of the city below! Not many people in the tower so was a nice break from all the tourists

THE NATIVITY FACADE – work began on the Nativity facade in 1891 – this side is my favourite side with all the details of the nativity scene and decorated with animals and other things, its so amazing!

From the top you can see the intricate details of the mosaic fruit that adorn the top of the spires

The colourful inside of the Basilica – the lights go all over the inside making it so angelic and beautiful!

Found a nice cafe and had a break from exploring – had a nice view of this beautiful and ancient hospital / museum building

CASA BATTLO

Also known as the “House of Bones” – it was built and created by Gaudi to have the appearance of organic shapes and vibrant mosaics with a really cool dragon like roof

I booked my ticket a week before via GET YOUR GUIDE -> https://getyourguide.tpm.lv/a3H9mcGU

I chose the GOLD PACKAGE which is a bit more expensive than the basic package but you get a few extras

GOLD Casa Batlló Entrance Ticket – Choose this option for: – Entrance to Casa Batlló – Audioguide available in 15 languages – Gaudi Cube (360°) – Dragon’s Rooftop – Augmented Reality Tablet – Gaudí Dôme (immersive) – Original Concierge Room – Private residence of the Batllós

I suggest booking as early as possible because this gets booked out in peak times

Standing on the path opposite, you can see how popular this place is with the lines of people waiting to enter in and explore

Said to be built in 1877 – it was refurbished and 2 more levels added and built in a Modernist style

The inside central patio area which was so cool!

Taken from the web, this gives an idea of the colours and the central lift shaft thats circled by the stairs

You can look up from the ground floor, and its all connected to the top with little windows and balconies peaking out here and there

Looking out to the front street – the main window is so original and there is plenty of light shining in and colourful shapes adorn the top of the window – there are interesting shapes mimicking nature all throughout the house

There are so many tourists by the bus loads who come here to explore

There are many different types of designs for the rooms – the front rooms receive natural light – I love the interesting textures and use of curved and flowing lines for the doors and walls

The bedrooms are located at the rear of the property

There is also a lift that connects all the floors

The Attic – This is the interesting more modern part of the place and was planned as a protection chamber and also used as service quarters – the brickwork supports the ceiling vaults where the terrace sits on

The Terrace – Had a cocktail and a rest on the rooftop of Casa Battlo, It was so surreal to sit up here taking in the sun and the interesting history I was experiencing by listening to their audio guide

There are 4 groups of chimneys all covered in bright ceramic tiles

Found a cute little corner cafe and had my first flat white in Barcelona!

Met up with my friend Bill from HPE – awesome catch up!

At the end of the 19th and beginning of 20th c, Barcelona became one of the cities where modernist movement developed with more strength & personality – painters, designers, architects and they left an amazing mark on the city and the beautiful buildings they left in their wake for us lucky people to admire!

Just look at these buildings!!! I was in awe walking around the whole day my mouth wide open it started to hurt! Lol

There is so much history here!!

Meeting some good friends in Barcelona was such a treat!!

Wasnt expecting what I saw when I stepped inside!

Golden artwork on the altar area and detailed beautiful artwork depicting religious scenes

There was a sermon going on when i was there and i sat and had a bit of a rest, I feel so relaxed and at peace in these old buildings

Look at this beautiful building! The bay windows and the intricately designed balconies

**Statue of Doctor Robert** – Right in the middle of the roundabout I found this amazing monument

The way it was built! Omg the curves of the stone, I don’t know how they made this back then! Looking at the way it’s made just doesn’t make sense how we could have curved the stone back then!?

In the center of the square there is the statue of Dr. Bartomeu Robert i Yarzábal

It’s smack bang right in the middle of 2 main roads but it’s still a peaceful garden with many people sitting around enjoying it

Look at the beautiful apartment buildings! they have their ornate and original facades and inside they have modernised the living space

Everywhere you look there are churches or palaces all with their own unique designs

Esglesia de l’Ecola Mare de Dèu del Roser

A beautiful (small in comparison) church part of a school heading out towards the suburbs

The neighbourhood apartments with such beautiful details from top to bottom!

A lot of people who live in Barcelona have pets… this one just needs its hair dyed pink lol

I really enjoyed walking the suburbs surrounding out the outskirts of the old town tourist area

Would have missed the opening of this pub but I smelt the Guinness 🤣 having lived in Ireland for a while… I am a lover of Guinness now!

Such a cool city! awesome artistry and graffiti scattered all around the city and adds an interesting personality to the city

A cheeky one at George Payne Irish pub for €6

I love just exploring random streets and squares, different buildings built right next to each other, how cool is this!!?

They had so many free water fountains around the city and some of them were more ornate than the others – how cool is this one!?

**Passeig de Garcia** – one of the most famous boulevards in Barcelona filled with amazingly extravagant old world buildings on either side

Its jaw dropping to walk along this road, I felt like a tiny little person in a huge ancient world with these huge well built buildings! Every where I turned I had to get my camera out… it was never ending, I couldnt get over the tiny details in the buildings as well not only the way they were built

The inner garden of the University of Barcelona

The university – an old and beautiful old world building in the middle of the city

I walked around inside and explored, it really is an old building with many different areas and rooms, the inner courtyard with the beautiful orange trees was my favourite

The buildings in Barcelona are awesome! I love the different styles and architecture and how they mesh together so well

EIXAMPLE

Exploring this area around Eixample which is more a residential area also with beautiful old buildings mainly residences and surrounded by small parks and sitting areas with many shops and places to see

This are had sooo many beautiful buildings with residential apartments which had such old style beauty to them

The sky was like this most of the time in Barcelona, clear blue in the morning then the white line streaks from the planes which didnt go away, they instead spread out slowly and then by the afternoon the sky was overcast with smog and ripple-y clouds

What I loved about this city was the amount of bike riders and bicycles and the carefree way everyone rode around as if they owned the streets! 🙂

Again, more modernised apartment buildings thankfully keeping the outside the same – i love how they keep the old style

Another beautiful building…

And another with a commercial space on the ground floor

The detailings on the balcony!
I can just imagine the smile on my face sitting and having a coffee every day on this balcony if I lived here 😉

The buildings speak for themselves every corner you walk you see something unique and beautiful!

Coffee in Barcelona is something else, there are SO many cafes to choose from and they all have outside sitting areas, even in winter time they have heaters outside and locals and tourists love to sit on the street and people watch

Beautifully decorated building with intricate details around the windows and balconies… just breath taking!!! I was speechless walking around and I had heaps of people bumping into me when i had to quickly stop (whoops) and take photos and gawk

Even the modern looking buildings are interesting!

As any other European city, there were free water bubblers around and there is always someone who puts out a bowl for the dogs, as this is a very dog friendly city as well

Every building I came across in the main centre was built like a Palace!

I loved the corner buildings as they had a curving design incorporated into them the buildings seemed to dance and move due to this

I explored the old town quite a few times going back and forth as my accommodation was right near by so I would take walks at all different hours to check out what the buildings looked like and also to enter into the churches at night time masses to experience that as well

A gorgeous medieval gothic palace! Huge in the middle of the plaza in the old town and is one of the most beautiful palaces in Barcelona!

Consists of 3 buildings

The Kings of the Crown of Aragon lived here and made decisions about the kingdom and recieved other leaders from countries here

Located in the gothic area in the old town

The 3 buildings located next to the cathedral and along the old town wall

PALAU GUELL

I actually randomly passed this attraction and I usually check out my online maps of the city in detail so I was surprised I had missed this! (what other things I must have missed!?)

Entry was €12 and I didnt even think about it and im like “TAKE MY MONEY”

I’m just going to say that these photos DO NOT do this palace any justice.. you need to go and see this for yourself

In 1885, Barcelona was caught up in a frenzy of activity in preparation for the Universal Exhibition of 1888, the event that culminated the city’s expansion after the demolishment of its walls. Within this context, industrialist Eusebi Güell, impressed by Gaudí’s work on his summer residence, commissioned the architect, aged 34, with the project of an urban palace on a street adjacent to the Rambla, where the Güell family were residing.

Palau Guell was Gaudis first commission from Eusebi Guell in 1885 and finished in 1890 – looking from the outside you cant really tell the extravagance you will find on the inside!

This Palace has every conceivable kind of luxury, especially for back then – located in Raval district

The street its located in was called Conde del Asalto and was the first in Barcelona to be built with pavements a drainage system

The stables – built in brickwork and used as stables for the horses and designed as a large single space and accessed by 2 ramps, 1 for people and 1 for horses

Leading out from the stables, I loved the way these arches were built and with the animal detailings where the horses were tied

The dining table all set up for… no one 😦

The Back part of the balcony – such an interesting design

The Facade is 22m high and 23m wide with 3 levels:

– The lower level, with two large catenary arches.
– The middle level, dominated by the large gallery.
– The upper, simpler level, crowned by a balustrade.

On the main floor, this room was designed like an atrium, how they did in Roman and Muslim architecture, and was 3 floors high with a central courtyard

Most of the rooms were then placed around this central courtyard area – the ones facing the front were used for visitors and the ones at the back were for private informal catchups

The designs and artworks were so beautiful and intricate!

The top part of the central atrium – designed in such a way that leaves your mouth agape!

The design of the rooms were so unique and interesting and strong and solid

The Terrace – 20 chimneys were built here with brickwork

covered with ceramic work, glass marble porcelain

I loved the terrace where it was sunny and beautiful

What a gorgeous building! I loved exploring this place and I loved every part and room of this Palace, especially the top floor terrace, if you can check this out please do as it’s worth it

OLD TOWN / Cuitat Vella

These are just SOME of the 100s of photos I took of this amazing area of Barcelona!

Barcelona’s old town is a mishmash of so many different and interesting buildings from Roman foundations under the Crown of Aragon and then Renaissance and Gothic architecture, its so cool to wander around and get lost in these back streets!

This is the oldest area of Barcelona full of winding streets, hidden squares, shops, cafes and restaurants and so many other hidden gems! you could keep going back over and over and still find something brand new!

**The Cathedral of Barcelona** – you must go inside! its fantastic! has a typical Gothic style to it which is so obvious as soon as you set eyes on it – dates back to the 13th c.

There are 4 districts that form the old town – Raval / Barri Gotic / Sant Pere / Santa Caterina I la Ribera

The Gothic quarter starts with the old medieval walls on the left, there is a stark difference in the more modern building on the right

I just loved walking around the town and seeing such gorgeous architecture!

Place del Rei – 14th c Gothic square located in the gothic quarter and the **Palau Reial Major**

The Grand Royal Palace is actually a complex of historic buildings and was once the residence of the Counts of Barcelona and Kings of Aragon

This was one of my favourite buildings in the Gothic quarter, I ended up going into a section of it which was a free museum and they had modernised most of the inside which made me a lil sad tbh 😦 I don’t know how they think it looks good with cemented and painted white walls on the inside… somebody slap me!

VIA LAIETANA

My favourite street in Barcelona! I walked up and down this street so many times during my stay just to find additional little details about each of these buildings, I loved it so much here

Every building is so huge and ornate in its own way

**Via Laietana** – a tonne of history sits on this amazing Street, you can’t help but look up in awe and amazement at the huge towering old school buildings lining both sides of the street

Some back streets in the east side of Barcelona

**Royal Square** – one of my favourites in Barcelona which I love coming back to and people watching in

Located just off the middle part of La Ramblas

Walking down La Ramblas – crowded, noisy, fun, touristy, colourful!

ALERT! Very touristy… but its nice to see that people are enjoying this amazing city and living their lives outside their apartments not just watching TV, so many people out and about enjoying the city!

THE MARKETS ON RAMBLAS

Loved walking through this place, it was colourful and exciting!

MONTJUIC HILL

Means Jewish Mountain (there is a medieval Jewish cemetery here) many historical events took place here, political imprisonments, executions and Spanish Civil war

This hill is said to be the birthplace of this beautiful city

There are many path ways snaking through the park with cycle lanes and roads

Many points of interest including churches and a castle as well as the National Musuem – many beautiful sitting areas in the park to have a picnic of relax with a drink

Since 1934 has been the home to the National Art Museum of Catalonia

Can see the Sagrada La Famiglia from here

MONTJUIC CASTLE

Whoa! what a striking fortress of a building sitting on top of Montjuic hill

Said to be originally built as a military camp in 1640

So, it was a military fortress as its easy to tell by its architecture and angular features and the location is very strategic looking out towards the Mediterranean Sea and at its back is the city in all its glory!

This once masculine and dominant building now is a public park and entertainment area for performances

Similarly shaped as a star fort, its design is very strong and fortified in a strategic position and area of Barcelona

You can get up to the castle in a few different ways, I chose to walk (and it was a long walk from Sants Station) but I got to see a lot along the way and it was a good climb up – there is also the funicular which takes you direct to the castle, its a bit expensive at 15-17euro return, but if you don’t want to walk it… also you can drive into this area as there are a few nearby carparks