Being in Barcelona I

Last week, we went to Barcelona to celebrate our wedding annivesrary. It's somewhere I've wanted to see since discovering Gaudi during my City and Guilds course. I'm glad to say that it did not disappoint.

We rented an apartment and it proved an excellent choice, having a central position (in the old City), comfort and privacy, plenty of space and facilities, and letting us have complete freedom for doing what we wanted when. It also came with dishwashing machine, a living room looking out onto a public square and a quiet bedroom at the back, just a couple of minutes walk from La Ramblas. All in all, an excellent location for a restful city break.


This is the square - in fact, a triangle - taken from our balcony on the first morning of our visit. It was unusual to see all these vehicles - making deliveries and collections to/from the bakery and other businesses, plus a street-cleaners' van is there. Dotted around Barcelona are houses with these amazing painted frontages, very picturesque. In the square (Placa George Orwell)are a couple of café bars, a delicatessen, a "corner shop", a bakery, a sex shop (in which the only customer we saw was a teenaged girl, being ejected), a pizzeria, plus some funky clothes shops along the lane to the next street, across from the School of Fine Art.


These are the luscious plants on the balcony next door: a glorious sight. The pavement is wet not, as I first thought, because there had been rain, but because the pavements in this part of town were washed down every morning, as well as being swept several times a day.