MomentsbyPeach: Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona, the city that mixes gothic, haunted, classic with modernism, clean, organised and of course funky, chic, inspiring and always (!) bustling.

Two years ago I came here for the first time, on another one of these occasional solo-trips, and fell in love with the city. Couldn't place a finger on any one specific thing, more of a perfect mix.

Like last time I stayed at the Saint Jordi Sagrada Familia, a (skater) hostel about a 5-10 min walk from the Sagrada Familia church and next door to the Estrella beer brewery (free samples Wednesday nights ;).

This time I opted to try a single room and they put me in an 'apartment'. Sharing our own living room, kitchen, two bathrooms and a lovely little balcony but with my own little private room it was just what I needed for the last leg of my me-time. :)

My preferred way of discovering new cities is a quick glance at the map, picking a general direction, and walking until I get lost and wrapped up in my surroundings. This was no different.

Day one involved a lot of walking that led me downtown (past another shopping treat) and through both La Rambla, the Gotic quarters, and past too many striking facades to count. And a rather dodgy pedicure (go by recommendation only, anything else is probably not a good idea. Period!).

Last time I never got a chance to see the inside of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, and admittedly figured I wasn't missing much (after staring at the striking outside how much more could he really have had in store?). How wrong I was. Worth a visit as no words or pictures can fully describe what you experience and see standing inside there.

Hat's off to a master of creativity and art. (PS pre-book your ticket online to avoid 2+hour cues in the sunshine).