If I had to describe my perfect Barcelona day in three words, they would be: street art safari, of course!

I’m an early riser, so I’d probably wake up around 7 or so, take a nice run along the Paseo Marítimo before the boardwalk gets crowded, then have a café solo and a glass of water (a habit I picked up while in Italy) and sandwich in a small bar in Barceloneta.

Nowadays in Barcelona, if you want to see some fantastic urban art, you need Google no further than Murs Lliures, which is an initiative that gives artists a space to work, with the blessings of the city council. Most of these spots are concentrated in the old industrial areas of Poblenou, and tend to change quite frequently. I’ve been able to see some really great work there. Read the rest of this article…

View from Park Güell

I have many a perfect day within different landscapes but a typical favourite day in Barcelona would see the sunrise and view over the city from my balcony. I live right next to Park Güell so have a great view down towards the Sagrada Família, across Barcelona rooftops and hopefully to the calm sea in the background! I am always into seeing the city from a different viewpoint too and a good one is up in Vallvidrera (catching the Peu del Funicular up and a walk along to see the best view of the city).

Swimming is a favourite of mine, so usually I run or walk through Park Güell with a full view of the city in the background and head to the gym next to the park and in the summer swim in the outdoor pool. Read the rest of this article…

Steel Donkey Bike Tours

If you’re in Barcelona and you fancy getting out and about on a bike for a few hours then you could do a lot worse than checking out Steel Donkey Bike Tours.

These guys have been around the block and are consistently recommended on TripAdvisor as a great way to see the city on two wheels.

They kindly asked me to join them one morning, and so, feeling like a modern-day Sancho Panza and on a very comfy set of wheels from Green Bikes, we set off from Plaça George Orwell with our guide whose name escapes me.

This lapse in memory is no reflection on the guide himself. He led the tour extremely well and was always ready to answer my questions. The groups are small, usually no more than 4 or 5, so I certainly felt there was opportunity to pick his brain. Read the rest of this article…

“Fantasy comes from ghosts. Fantasy is the people of the North.
 We are concrete. The ideal is from the Mediterranean.
 Orestes knows where he is going, while Hamlet wanders lost in doubt.”
“La fantasia ve dels fantasmes. La fantasia és de la gent del Nord.
 Nosaltres som concrets. La imatge és de la Mediterrània.
 Orestes sap on va, mentre que Hamlet divaga perdut entre dubtes.”
 – Antonio Gaudí

I’m not an urban planner or an architect or even a philosopher. I can’t claim to know exactly why one city feels like an overwhelming mess and the next is as well-balanced as BARCELONA. But after 10 years here (living in 7 of her neighborhoods) I recognise that there are a few elements which I believe make her as close to perfection as a city could hope to be. Here they are in a 24 hour experience on any given Summer’s day in BARCELONA. Read the rest of this article…

Poblenou

After having studied abroad in both Bilbao and Barcelona, Spain during university, I fell in love with the Iberian Peninsula. Hence, I graduated from the University of Nebraska in May 2013 and have been living here in Barcelona since June 2013. There are a lot of aspects of Spanish / Catalan / European culture that I adore – outdoor terraces, being out and about in the streets, and fresh seafood – just to name a few examples. I have developed a love-hate relationship with the Spanish siesta (daily nap), leisurely lunches, and public transportation. The point of this article, though, is to tell you about one of my favorite areas of Barcelona proper, the neighborhood of Poblenou (or Pueblo Nuevo).

Rambla del Poblenou

So quick Poblenou recap – for a long time the area was actually a marshland with many small lagoons. After the various technological revolutions, Poblenou was the largest industrial area of the country and later consequently became a consolidated residential area. More recently, however, Poblenou experienced a complete transformation thanks to the 1992 Olympics, a transformation that aimed to convert the old industrial parts to keep with high-quality working and living conditions of the area at large. I love Poblenou because it’s not packed with tourists, it’s right next to the beach, and the main street (the Rambla) is the place to be no matter the time of day nor the season. Read the rest of this article…