Finally, after nearly 3 years of talking about it, we got to Barcelona...

Recently I was lucky enough to take a trip to Barcelona. Its somewhere I've wanted to go for a long time to experience the culture, architecture, interiors, and the food too.

Travel is a great way to experience new places, and to feel inspired to just think about things differently and realise that there can be more to life than what you do on a daily basis so I think it's good to get out there and experience it as often as you can.

I was really inspired by the architect Antoni Gaudi while we visited Barcelona, for obvious reasons that many of his buildings are scattered across the city which are just so different to anything I've ever seen before, I really did wonder how and where he got his inspiration from and how he then interpreted that for his clients. The famous architect lived from 1852 to 1926 and was sadly killed by a tram at the age of 73 after living a quiet and introverted life dedicated to his work and Roman Catholic faith.

Sagrada Familia

Our first stop was the famous Sagrada Familia which is still under construction after being started to be built in 1882. It is the most visited attraction in Spain which is understandable when you see it, it really is the most interesting and detailed building that I think I've ever visited.

Aside from the numerous towers that you can't help but strain your neck by looking up at, the interiors are something else. What struck me as I entered the building was the mass of colourful stained glass which is not obvious from the outside that there is just so much of it inside. It is every colour of the rainbow and in huge quantities. There is so much information to learn about the building, and we used an audio guide to learn a little more on our visit there. Sadly the building has taken so long to be built due to the Spanish Civil war, where revolutionaries broke into the building and destroyed models and plans which took 16 years to redo. It truly is a magnificent building and I would return to see it once it is finally completed.

Park GÜell

On our second day we headed out to Park Güel. It was a beautifully sunny day, so we felt lucky to experience the park in the good weather, and wonder round at our leisure exploring. While we were visiting, I overheard another tourist say that the buildings looked like something out of a Hansel and Gretel book and it really stuck with me. The use of ceramics in the designs lent itself to the look of something out of a fairy tale book along with the bright colours and animals within the designs. The park was constructed between 1900 and 1914 and was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1926.

Despite the park being extremely busy with visitors when we were there, it felt surprisingly calm and relaxing. There was a large span of space to explore, and some of the highest points gave great views back over the Barcelona sky line. I was beginning to learn Gaudi's style now, which to me was that nothing was straight, or plain or boring. Everything was curved, had flow and was colourful and full of texture inspired by nature, animals and religion. Gaudi was one of the pioneers of recycling by using old, unused and unwanted bits of ceramics to make his mosaics which on curved surfaces glimmered and glinted in the Spring sunshine. With live music being played as we explored which was native Catalan inspired sounds, it felt like a fun and relaxing place to be.

Casa Batlló

I found Casa Batlló to be in the most unusual location. I really wasn't expecting it to be in such a busy and prominent place, when in fact it is on a really busy street in central Barcelona. I felt like I literally stumbled across it in the street as I looked up and said 'Oh, we are here, look!' and looked up to see this iconic facade.

We joked about how the conversation would go between Gaudi and his builders or suppliers. Something like, 'I have this idea for a building/ room/ window/ door ... and them him trying to explain his idea which certainly wasn't anything ordinary and they would probably groan in anticipation that it would be hard/ costly/ intricate to design and execute! Nothing was plain, straight or boring in Casa Batlló and nothing was 'off the peg' which made the family home that he created for Josep Batlló in 1903 when he purchased the property for him and his family. But that's what made it so unique and so special to visit and see in real life.

The house is named locally as Casa dels Ossos which means ' House of Bones' which the curved structure from the outside does look like it could be made of bones and gives it a gothic feel to the building. When I first stepped inside the building I felt like I could have been in Alice in Wonderland, with the colours and shapes of the entrance, bringing me back to that fairy tale feeling I experienced at Parc Güell.

You know the saying 'buy the worst house on the best street', well that's what Josep did for his family. Earning his wealth from the textile industry, they moved to the house and undertook the renovation to the house to reflect their status in society as at the time the street the house is on was very fashionable and prestigious. The large windows at the front of the property were not only for the family to see out on to the busy street, and watch the world going by, but also for those on the street to see the Battló family in their home to raise their profile within society.

The audio guide we listened to said that Gaudi was inspired by nature and that was apparent with the colours of the glass and the shapes in the windows which looked like molluscs you might find under the sea. The reflection of the light on the many shades of blue glass felt like you were under the sea while climbing the large internal staircase and the amount of light that was let into the building was a triumph. Another fact given to us on our visit was that Gaudi himself would sometimes make some features in his client's homes. He made all the door handles in the house from ironwork, which I thought was an incredible detail and showed his complete commitment for bespoke and unique pieces in his designs as an outlet for his creativity.

While we were in Barcelona we also visited the exterior of Casa Vincens and Casa Mila which are also Gaudi designed buildings. The former looked more impressive from the outside, down a quiet residential side street, but bright red exterior which I thought felt Moroccan inspired in its design and look. I also really enjoyed experiencing the culture including eating out in Barcelona. It felt like a safe and fun city where the locals were welcoming and pleasant. Our hotel (H10 Marina) was comfortable and had good customer service, and was a little off the beaten track which we liked. Having said that we walked to Sagrada Familia in under 30 minutes and we were 5 minutes from our nearest underground station which gave us really easy access to everything we wanted to see including our transfer from the airport. I felt like where we stayed we experienced the local places to eat and drink (especially breakfast) and that was a good thing as I felt for a short while I was fully immersed in Barcelona culture.

Hope you enjoyed me sharing my trip with you. I"d love to know if you have been to Barcelona and if so what you enjoyed the most about your trip.

Lauren X