Getting all Gaudi in Barcelona

So the jury is back in, and apparently I babble too much and Barcelona is one of the best cities in Europe – well the world really. It is probably one of the most written about cities. It could be the tapas, the endless flow of cava (sparkling wine), the sunshine, the beaches, the friendly people (as long as they are not on the metro), the nightlife (minus the Nigerian commercial sex workers who can get grabby at 5am on your walk home) and, of course, the architecture – but who could say. Despite the droves of tourists and the fact that I can’t work on my laughable Spanish skills as much as I would like, as Catalan – the local dialect – is the spoken language rather than my beloved Spanglish, I still have every intention of coming back here in the near future and showing you the travel job, work abroad, living on Ramen noodles lifestyle that is possible.  I suspect it will involve cava, the beach, faux-Louis Vuitton and sketchy Moroccans – but that is not the point. Rather, the point is that the architecture, is worth a visit in and of itself even if you have no aspirations to travel job with the other illegal aliens here.

Now, before I get all Gaudi on you and attempt to explain anything about it – I thought I would just show you – as several of my friends have pointed out recently that 1- I talk too much and need more pictures 2- I am not that interesting and need more pictures 3-you have the attention span of my 7 year old niece and want more pictures. So, like all great first dates, let’s just skip all the chatty foreplay and skip to the magic instead.

Barcelona Architecture in Pictures

Hotel Casa Fuster

Casa Batllo

Casa Mila

George & the Dragon

Gaudi Up close

Casa Asia Lamp

Casa Mila Roof

Casa Mila Roof

Sagrada La Familia from afar

Casa Batllo again, it’s pretty

In the past, I have pointed out that between the free tourist maps, tours, iPhone applications – that if you want to be self-sufficient (*see guy who doesn’t get laid), you are set. But that can be boring. You came this far, so if you are not in the “I am so cheap I wash my socks and underwear in the sink crowd” or follow anyone nomadic, then I suggest getting a tour by people who know what they are talking about (ie-not me). I had all the Gaudi architecture explained by an architect from ContextTours, who actually knew the architectural history and could pronounce foreign sounding words. So in conclusion, visit Barcelona, if not for the cava, the architecture will more than intoxicate you.

self-obsessed blogger gazes off into Barcelona