Barcelona, Spain
Colourful, cosmopolitan and party-loving, Barcelona is one of Spain’s most popular cities. Capital of Catalonia; what has tried and failed to be a separate nation but locals remain fiercely defensive of their ‘Catalan identity’, celebrated with all the hot-blooded Mediterranean passion you can imagine.
The old city is full of Moorish character, cobbles and, err...prostitutes. Until a few years ago this was a city with depravity at the heart of it. Ladies of the night plied their trade casually in the labyrinthine streets, with no attempt at discretion. The act has been cleaned up and crime is down, but still occasionally an issue. Be wary of over-friendly locals who come too close, perhaps in the helpful pretence of cleaning bird poo from your shoulder – they may just be trying to sneak your wallet from your pocket...
Catalan craftsmen have been highly reputed since the Middle Ages, but this lax and socialist past has attracted a particularly bohemian artistic crowd and is THE place to geek up on architecture. Especially famous for its classic gothic churches and Gaudi’s Modernisme. Since the late 19th century Barcelona has been making waves in the world of bricks and mortar.
Buildings are big news here, with 5,000 trained architects living in the city. However, ambition craves fame and it is often well known architects from overseas that are called in to design the next big thing. Buildings and structures commissioned here tend to be rather outlandish and not wanting in crazy artistic flair.