Barcelona 2012

Madrid

Sept 3, I caught a bus from Guarda to Madrid. Elena and her sister met me at the bus station in Madrid. We had met at the Angel Art Festival in Portugal. I stayed with them for two nights. I walked around Madrid. Visited many parks and rested on the earth and near the trees. I think I was a bit tired whilst in Madrid, and Elenas sister is a massage therapist, so I enlisted for a for a session in the morning before I bussed to Barcelona

Barcelona

Sept 5, caught a bus from Madrid to Barcelona. Went to stay at a youth hostel that evening, called the Hipstel, on Carrer de Valencia, walked for ages trying to find it, had to give in and get a cab in the end. Nice hostel but didnt get much sleep, as lots of chatting in the room.

Sept 6, the next day I went to Cesci’s house. Cesci I had met in Guarda, he had come to visit one of Daniels friends. He is a very talented photographer, at that stage he was a wedding photographer. It was great to chat with a local artist. He invited me out for dinner with some of his friends one night. I stayed on his couch for a week. One day I brought a new digital camera, as the last one I had got sand in it. I was quite exhausted so was happy to stay and rest somewhere. Cesci was away a few times for his wedding shoots. I went out during the day and was back early evening. I did some cleaning of his flat a wee bit whilst I was there, to say thankyou. His flat was in the Gothic Quarter, near the Arc, Carrer Montanyans 1

Cesci, out walking, explaining things in Barcelona

I went to Sagrada Famillia one day, but didnt go in.

outside Sagrada Familia, designed by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. He is also buried there.

‘You will see that most of Gaudí’s constructions have an organic look to them. This basic concept of using nature as the primary influences for his creativity is reflected in the use of the natural curved construction stones, twisted iron sculptures, and organic-like shapes – all of which are characteristic traits of Gaudí’s architecture’. http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com

Cesci playing with lighting outside his flat balcony

There was a march for Catalonia of the 11 September. And I walked in this too.

Catalan Flags everywhere in Barcelona for the March.

Square where Cesci’s flat was where I stayed. On the left.

In my last day in Barcelona I walked to see the Gaudi architecture on Passeig de Gracia, which is an infamous avenue in Barcelona with Gaudi architecture