Trip to Barcelona

Added on 01/07/2013

It’s that time of the year again, when everybody is booking holidays for the summer and after trawling through the internet looking for sunny city breaks, I keep ending up at the same place – Barcelona! I visited there a few years ago in December, and although I was only there for a few nights, managed to see some of the sights, drink some San Miguel’s (other beverages are available) and eat some Spanish food.

Gaudi’s Architecture

Now I’m all about exploring the world and visiting new places, but there’s something about Barcelona that keeps drawing me back. Firstly, the design and architecture is outstanding. Being a designer, this may appeal to me more than others, but the graphic design in Barcelona is some of the best in the world. And not just that, Gaudi’s famous architecture is littered throughout the city. The amazing Park Güell gardens feature two life size mechanical gazelles as you enter, and have an amazing view of the city when you reach the top. He also designed The Sagrada Famillia, a gothic cathedral full of hidden passageways and spiral stairs, which I’d really recommend visiting.

Disseny Hub Barcelona

Barcelona is the hub for design in Spain, and is home to hundreds of successful design studios. I visited the Disseny Hub Barcelona, A visual communication museum that acts as a gallery, laboratory and museum. A Helvetica exhibition was on display whilst I was visiting, which the font geeks reading will appreciate (my girlfriend didn’t!). It featured various record covers, packaging and promotional material that use the famous typeface.

So it looks like I’ll be back there this summer to hopefully see it in the sun (It rained for 4 days straight last time I visited). Better go and pack those shorts and flip flops!