Barcelona - Take 4; The Hood

We blindly booked our accommodation in what turned out to be a perfect location - the little but lively beachside suburb of Barceloneta. 

We had our priorities straight and sought out a divine little bakery at the end of our street, which was visited often throughout our stay.

Town Square at the end of our street....

The view from our apartment...

Along the waterfront......

Because our stay coincided with the Summer Festival, it meant we had live and LOUD music throughout most of the day and  into the wee hours of the morning.....

An incredible amount of energy and a great festive feel!

Barcelona - Take 3; Siesta

As we wandered through the streets of Barcelona in the early afternoon, many of the shops were closing for Siesta - yes, it really happens! Such a clever bunch!

As the roller doors to the shops began closing up, we were treated to alleyways of fabulous art works that plastered the shop fronts - Here is a small collection of the ones we saw...........

Barcelona - Take 2; A slight obsession - Sagrada Familia

The greatest thing about Barcelona (after the amazing food, naturally) was being able to see a few of the works of Antoni Gaudi! Hints of his work littered the city , whether it was a unique lampshade on the side path, or the tiles that lined the pavements of the city - Barcelona recognized the amazing talent of Gaudi and embraced it!

For those of you who have never been fortunate enough to stumble across Gaudi, he was a Spanish Catalan Architect, whose works were heavily influenced by the aesthetic beauty and forms found in the natural environment, which gives his works a very organic feel. His works are incredibly unique and utterly fascinating. I have drawn much inspiration from him through my studies and couldn't believe that I was finally going to see some of is actual work!

Whilst the whole trip in Barcelona could have easily been occupied solely  with the works of Gaudi - I did have to limit myself to visiting just a few. Our first visit was to Sagrada Familia - Breathtaking! Can you believe that despite construction of this church beginning in 1882, they are still building it, and are  committed to finishing it (Anticpated completion time 2026)! Impressive!

I could rave on forever about the detail of this building and the incredible thought behind every detail of the work, but I will let the following pictures give you a glimpse into the visual feast that it is!

An external view of the church from across the lake - note all the cranes still working on the construction

The entrance on the other side to the previous picture

Detail on the door

And then you get absolutely blown away again when you walk inside!

Everywhere you look, you notice something else 

These columns stand 45m high!

The ceiling was stunning!

The museum at the church showed a great deal of the preliminary work, such as sketches,  models and plans 

This is a very tiny selection of the 500+ photos I took of the church, and I still don't feel like I captured it all! Some of it will have to exist solely as memories!

Hope you enjoy the snippets!

More Gaudi to come! 

Love xoxo

Barcelona - Take 1; Falling in Love

I fell in love with Barcelona!

So far Barcelona has been the highlight of my time over here - from the beautiful people, the georgous weather, the amazing food and wine, the festivals, the music, the beaches, the architecture - I loved it all. 

This place felt full of joy and bursting at the seams!! 

There is so much about this place that I wanted to share with you, that I have decided to do a few posts about it.

Watch this space!! 

Praha

A wee while ago Beck and I made a dash over the Czech border to spend a weekend in Prague! 

As with most places we visit now, it began with a bicycle tour, to gain a quick overall look at the city and get our bearings. 

As we rode through the city it was a feast for your eyes as we passed MANY amazing buildings.......

Including the 'Dancing House', which is supposed to represent Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.....

The John Lennon wall.......

Public art was scattered throughout the city!

Penguins in Prague........

The beautiful Astronomical clock in Old Town 

Old Town Square by night

On our last day we went to see 'The House of the Black Madonna' - Josef Gocar built this house as the first example of cubist architecture in Prague. 

The Black Madonna building now houses the Museum of Cubism which was a must. 

A trip to this building wouldn't be complete without a coffee stop at the Cubist cafe!

After our two days, it was back to the train station for our journey home.