To Barcelona

With some free time and cheap flights available, I decided to visit Bacelona for a long weekend to practice my Spanish. I don’t visit Europe nearly as often as I should - it’s increadibly easy both to get to and stay in.

A photo of the base of an escalator in a metro train station.
Photo looking up an escalator in to a bright sunny day. There’s someone on the escalator ahead.
A photo looking down a long corridor with two moving walkways on either side.
A photo looking up a steep street / alley in Barcelona. There’s an open-air escalator in the middle and steps either side.
A photo from inside the atrium of the
Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona.
The atrium of the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona
A photo of three very large gold-rimmed mirrors leaning against a wall, with a white building reflected in the background. The photographer’s reflection is centered in the middle.
Several people with paper socks are sat in a gloss white room with white light overhead.
Quite conemplation inside Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona.
A self portrait of Ed Horsford. There’s a very bright red spotlight next to his head on the wall behind.
A photo of a dark room with three wooden display cabinets filled with white objects on one side.
A wide-angle photo of a living room. It’s very bright, with wooden furniture and floral patterns.
Looking down the centre of a covered food market.
A photo of a meat counter in a market.
Several plates of tapas being eaten in El Xampanyet.
Tapas at El Xampanyet

A visit to Spain wouldn’t be complete without many helpings of Tapas. Foursquare directed me to the historic El Xampanyet - one of the most intimidating restaurants I’ve been in. Daily it’s filled to overflowing with patrons laughing, eating, and jostling for space.

After looking around hopelessly for a place to stand, I was beckened to a stool at the bar. The barman spoke little English (and I Spanish) but we communicated well enough for several plates of delicious tapas to be delviered to me.

A photo of an octopus dish served at El Xampanyet.
Octopus tapas and cerveza at El Xampanyet
A photo of wide pavement / walkway that rises slightly.