Inside a Mind

Tag: spain

  • Feliz Navidad!

    Taking a little break from my Barcelona series! Although it is Christmas Eve and I am currently in England at my dad’s house soaking up all British Christmassy things, it has been a true joy to experience the build up to Christmas Spanish style. Especially as working in schools, I can compare how Christmas is…

  • Magic Fountain of Montjuïc

    On Fridays and Saturday evenings, outside the National Art Gallery the fountain provides a show of colour and song every half an hour. Many people gather to watch the spectacle, and I had good fun trying to get some magical shots on my camera! I think the first and last are my favourite!

  • Palau de la Música Catalana

    This beautiful music hall is lesser known than the architectural works of Gaudi, but was one of my favourite things I saw on my trip! Designed by  Lluís Domènech i Montaner in the famous Catalan modernism style, it was commissioned by the Orfeo Catala choir, who hold importance in Catalan culture for their music. Nowadays…

  • La Boqueria Market

    A famous street in Barcelona is La Rambla- full of shops, tourists and pickpockets. However to the side of it is also La Boqueria market: a food market that sells delicious, quality goods (for a hefty price!). Despite the crowds it is definitely worth navigating your way around, even if it is just to look…

  • Casa Batllo

    There are a handful of houses in Barcelona designed by Gaudi, and Casa Batllo looked like one of the most interesting and prettiest to visit on limited time and funds. It’s located on Passage de Gracia – a shopping street full of designer shops such as Chanel and YSL. When this house was built it…

  • Parc Guell

    Another famous Gaudi installation in Barcelona is Parc Guell found in the north of the city. It’s a tiring trek from the metro station to reach the park, something I couldn’t imagine surviving in the hot summer, but oh so worth it. The park is like a maze – we may have gotten a bit lost once…

  • La Sagrada Familia

    So first up in my mini Barcelona series is the world famous La Sagrada Familia, a magnificent basilica designed by the renowned Antoni Gaudi. Its status as one of the most famous landmarks in the world is partly due to its incomplete state – current estimated year of completion is between 2026-32, and construction began…

  • Long Weekend in Barcelona (and a mini blog series!)

    The Spanish seem to love having bank holidays. Recently this meant I had a four day weekend, and I wanted to travel somewhere pretty special. I’ve never been to Barcelona before, so with a couple of friends I planned a trip (at the last minute of course). We travelled using BlaBla car – it worked…

  • Expat vs Immigrant – Why One and Not the Other?

    Yep, I am allowed to go around calling myself an expat. Doesn’t it sound glamorous – like my days are filled with multilingualism and drinking good wine (and not being totally out of my depth in Spanish and nursing the occasional “oh god what fresh hell is this” hangover, I assure you).   But why do…

  • Pueblos de Burgos

    Fun trivia fact: apparently the surrounding area of Burgos has one of the highest amounts of villages in Spain. So when I was invited to go along with some of the fellow teachers from the school I work at to walk around some local villages and then eat a local bean dish, of course I said…