After 4 days on the Catalonia coast it was time to jump on a bus and head two hours south to Barcelona. With breakfast eaten and goodbyes conducted with our hosts we jumped in a taxi to Palafrugell bus station and boarded our transport. We pre-booked our bus seats via the Sarbus company website to make things as smooth as possible. We arrived in Barcelona at 12.15pm.

Our accommodation in Barcelona was through our trusted friend Airbnb who we have now used quite a few times around the world to stay with local people in their homes. This time we were staying with Xavier who is located next door to the Picasso Museum in the alley ways of old Barcelona with a great roof terrace to look over the city from five floors up.

After exploring the roof terrace we walked around the local area and got a feeling of the city. Both of us have visited the city before but it was a few years ago so it was great to soak up the culture and see what makes Barcelona tick. We found high street shopping, back alleys with boutique shops, and plenty hidden squares with restaurants and bars.

Once random walking around the city streets had lost its appeal we decided to jump on the Metro and have a wander around Parc Guell which was designed by Antoni Gaudi (famous for the Sagrada Família) built between 1900 and 1914. A truly amazing and must see park north-west of the city it was filled with tourists enjoying the warmth of the setting Catalonia sun. A climb to the large cross offers a complete view of the city and the bay with many city features clearly visible, entrance is free so this really is worth the visit.

Earlier in the year we attended BCN:MCR in Manchester and met with Borja from Lo Siento Studio who invited us to pop round to their office space for a look around and to get some insider tips on where to visit, eat and drink in Barcelona. It was great to meet up with Borja and the Lo Siento team and to finally see where the design magic is created. A true inspiration and a pleasure to meet up. Thank you.

A tip from Borja was a lovely little tapas restaurant close to our digs called Tantarantana which serves some of the best tapas either Helen or I have eaten. A must if you are in the area.

For our second day in Barcelona a full day in the city beckoned and first on the agenda was the Picasso Museum, next door! The museum is a great space to showcase art, as you would expect, however both Helen and I were disappointed by the limited collection of art on show. Expecting to see some classics the exhibition had a smaller than expected collection which left us wanting more. There were no more floors or exhibition space and that was that.

More exploring of our local area ensured as well as the Church of Santa Maria del Mar. For lunch we visited another of Borja’s tips the tapas bar Quimet & Quimet, a tiny standing room only bar which had an amazing array of drinks and tapas to choose from. Another definite must if you fancy a spot of lunch. We had a selection of fish, cheese and bread plates washed down with a local beer. What’s not to like!

For our final evening in Barcelona we decided to spend some time on the beach before heading home to the below seasonal spring temperatures followed by another trip to Tantarantana to indulge in yet more tapas for our evening meal. Muchas gracias.

(Nikon 50mm f1.4, processed in Lightroom 3)