Barcelona is a phenomenal city, one of my favourite cities in the world. So you might be expecting a big post all about how I explored every inch of Barcelona, but I will explain why that’s not what you will be getting.

After travelling non-stop for a chunk of time, I got to Barcelona quite tired. Having booked an airbnb apartment, I needed some time out and also time to recover from my flu. In addition to this, I went to Barcelona for a conference so I used my time to do a bit of pre-conference study, as well as attend a workshop and the conference. The third reason, which is not really a reason (it’s more a reason for the lack of guilt I felt in not exploring the city) is that I have visited twice already, because it’s a city I absolutely adore.

Barcelona Highlights

Reflecting back on previous visits, my list of highlights is (I warn you,

I am a HUGE fan of the Gaudi architecture):

• La Sagrada Familia (Gaudi)
• Casa Batlló (Gaudi)
• La Pedrera (Casa Mila) (Gaudi)
• Park Güell (Gaudi)
• Palau Güell (Gaudi)
• Mercat La Boqueria (just off Las Ramblas, which by the way is also worth a wander down, but keep your hand on your bag!)
• Passeig de Gracia (for a spot of shopping)
• Also, as usual I highly recommend a free walking tour
• A cooking class is also a fabulous idea!

This Barcelona Experience

I went to a web developers conference (Smashing Conference) which was held at the most phenomenal and prestigious location: Palau de la Música Catalana. It was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner and built between 1905 – 1908. The building has so much amazing sculpture and mosaic tile work both inside and outside the building. The stained glass windows, particularly the ceiling, are indescribably stunning. It was such a privilege to be able to spend two full days in such an amazing place – with the added bonus of learning stuff while I was there.

At the conclusion of the conference they organised a typographic photo walk of the city, which sounded fantastic to me – and at least one hundred other conference attendees. With the popularity of the activity, I was unable to hear or even see what the guide was talking about, so I wandered off after about 30 minutes.

Other than the conference I mostly hung out in my apartment, caught up on sleep, laundry and other bits and pieces. From time to time I went on a wander of the city, absorbing the atmosphere and taking the occasional photo of something pretty (I tell you – there’s pretty things everywhere you look in this city!)

So after a week in Barcelona I have fed my brain and my soul, and am energised for the next leg of the journey…Morocco!!!

Check out all my Barcelona photos on Flickr