Our recent trip to Barthelona (you have to say it with a lithp) to cover World Routes 2017 gave us a day either side of working to explore this magical city.  It was a tough call as we were exhausted from working long hours and the thought of carrying tripods and camera gear around was not that appealing, but it was either that or no photos or videos to add to the stock library and to show friends and family.

It was such a treat traveling with Kelly, Matt and Josh as we were all excited to explore the city and were pretty flexible and accommodating on what we all wanted to do.  We had some tough moments such as having my bag with camera gear, clothes and wallet stolen from under one of our colleague’s noses (I won’t give his name away as we are trying to move on, but it was M_tt who was on guard! Haha I told him I would never stop reminding him) but those sorts of moments did not matter since there was always someone there to help get through those moments.  We had many laughs and I was so proud to be working with such a team.  Here are some pics and video clips to give you an idea of the picturesque city of Barthelona (I told you you have to use the lithp).

Hyper lapse of underground train trip in Barcelona

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This was on the day we arrived in the city. We set off on a mission to try find a great vantage point of the city. We walked for hours but discovered some amazing sights.

This was on the day we arrived in the city. We set off on a mission to try find a great vantage point of the city. We walked for hours but discovered some amazing sights.

This is the road that we stayed in. We woke up to the smell of the bakery downstairs each morning and I would often go downstairs in my pajamas (star wars so very acceptable) and buy some freshly baked croissants. It was heaven.

One of the many fantastic bakeries scattered around the city.

A beautiful view of the city just after sunset.

There were flags hanging from most buildings in the city.

Another amazing view and strenuous climb.

Such a spectacular view of the city from Palau Nacional.

The most outrageous fireworks display we have ever seen above the Palau Nacional. It actually rained ash (some still red hot) for a few minutes once the show had stopped. We took cover under a tree.

Our ‘home” street again.

This is a school. A lot of the schools in the city are like this, surrounded by walls and buildings. They don’t have the luxury of opens fields to run and play on. We are so fortunate here.

The fruit in Barcelona was amazing as most items were huge and looked so perfect. Not sure if they are all grown there or are our Grade A exports.

Most people use their feet as the preferred mode of transport and it was so encouraging to see so many elderly people out and about walking to the shops or walking to the local town square to meet up with friends and have a really active social life.

A picturesque walkway near the Palau Nacional.

As I mentioned earlier, most buildings had flags draped on them.

My fellow colleagues just arriving at our “home”.

Delivering an iMac on a bicycle whilst following directions on a phone, next level delivery service.

The city is full of alleyways that you could spend weeks discovering. So amazing to see and experience. So many hidden gems all over the place.

There is not much space left to build anywhere. One thing that we noticed was that almost every car is dented and scratched and if you see where everyone has to park then you can understand why. We never worked out the system but cars park about an inch apart and if your car is not the one on the end then you are not going anywhere.

A local having a coffee at his favourite “cafe”.

Josh doing his best Nacho Libre impersonation. I’m still laughing.

One of my favourite pics of the busy streets of Barcelona.

We walked for hours trying to find a decent view of the city and finally found this beautiful park that gave us this great view.

Looks like a setup with the scooter perfectly positioned in the scene.

There are bicycle lanes all over the city so it is safe to hire one of these bikes and go wherever you like whilst avoiding the traffic jams.

In the city centre.

Kelly hanging out with the locals.

Help!

Another street scene worth remembering.

There is so little and yet so much happening in this pic.

Fireworks over Palau Nacional

Mostly the youth protesting against the amount of tourists that are in their home city. The city has become overcrowded with tourists almost all year round and the locals are frustrated with the masses. There used to be a certain amount of hotel rooms allocated for the city which kept the numbers at a reasonable level but since the introduction of AirBnB and the increase in cruise ships those numbers have got out of hand. Every city has their own unique problems.

The busy city centre.

Three guys having a chat at the traffic lights.

The view from Palau Nacional

This was on our first evening and on the way home. We stopped at a small cafe and enjoyed such a delicious meal. The cafes aren’t as glamorous as most of our restaurants here but the good food and awesome settings make up for it.

There is some amazing architecture in Barcelona and the colours of the buildings were so beautiful.

Amazing buildings line the city streets.

One of hundreds of bustling alleyways full of amazing shops and restaurants.

A quieter alleyway leading off one of the bigger ones above.

The most amazing building I have ever seen in my life, the Sagrada Familia. It is a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and is still being completed now. Nothing can prepare you for the sight of this building. It is the most popular tourist sight in Barcelona so you have to book well in advance if you are wanting to go in.

More stunning architecture and more flags.

Farewell Barcelona, until next time. Thank you.