Barcelona - guerilla style

If you don't look up you'll miss it but this shot of an 'iron man' hanging from a pole is fantastic. There's a square at the end of Las Ramblas and from memory this was a little bit past that. Not sure if there's a name for this piece or not but there you have it.

Barcelona's Archer

We all remember it right, one of the most spectacular moments in Olympic history occurred when Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo took his shot once in a lifetime shot and lit the Olympic cauldron from the track of the Estadi Olympic in Barcelona. For all those that want to know, the trajectory was such that the flame did not actually land in the cauldron but it was already so 'gassed' up that if you had banged two rocks together and generated any spark from 10 metres it would have ignited. As a sports fanatic of course I get a thrill from visiting places such as these and as Olympic Opening Ceremonies go this moment on the 26th of July, 1992 is probably the most memorable.

Camp Nou - home of Barca

Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Europe, home to FC Barcelona, one of the most famous and proudest of sporting teams in Europe. It's a magnificent place and yes, again, I'm biased but walking through the players tunnel from the changes rooms and out onto the touch line was such a thrill for me. It's as close as I'll ever get to experiencing the real thing. Just to imagine a capacity crowd of nearly 100,000 people, perhaps a game where you're playing a World Cup final or European championship final - well, all boyhood dreams and thoughts, all of which still gave me goosebumps.

Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família

An Antoni Gaudi structure, building of which commenced in 1882 and continues to this date, still twently plus years from being complete. It's truly a masterpiece, a magnificent gothic style building that leave you in absolute awe.

Casa Mila

Casa Mila is a another building designed by Antoni Gaudi, completed anywhere between 1910-1912. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to go in but it is another truly ingenious building which is now deservedly a UNESCO World Heritage site. The interior and room are incredible pieces, more lending themselves to Surrealist ideas than anything particularly Gothic. Never the less, something well worth seeing, and something I'll investigate further on my return here.

Gothic quarter

The Gothic quarter of Barcelona is the place to explore and get lost in the wine bars, cafes and restaurants. This is definitely built for good 'ole partying. I so wish that I had a few friends with me, I wouldn't have been in the hotel for more than 30 mins each day, a change of clothes, a shower and back out onto this dreamworld.

Barcelona Telefonica Tower - Olympic precinct


My last day in Barcelona was the standard touristic venture of jumping on a bus and seeing all the well known places of the city. Barcelona was unfortunately only a short stay with me but there's something nearly tangible about its 'sultry' atmosphere. It's a seductress, a temptress and it takes you in whole. This is most definitely the place to let your hair down and have a good time. Any place where nightly 'kick-off' starts at midnight has definitely got something going for it.