Barcelona 2011 - The City

70 photos under the cut...  A selection by Julie, Gigi and me.

View from the hotel room when we arrived (plus the sound of parakeets).

At the top of Montjuïc, by the art gallery.

Pretty yellow flowers in Poblenou on the way to the festival.

by Gigi ~ Public art above a market closed for renovation.

In the Gaudí park.

Sagrada Família from the Gaudí park.

Some crazy graffiti.

I had to take a picture because this very tile was in my guidebook.

Casa Batlló.

Cats on a wall in the Barri Gòtic.

Julie was keen to seek out this big fat cat in the Raval!

Plaça Espanya.

Anti-government protests in Placa Catalunya.  Photos taken from the cafeteria at the top of the big department store, El Cortes Ingles.

A few days later, the police shot rubber bullets into the crowd -- which just strengthened the protests.

This day, Julie and I saw some protestors marching up the street with a large banner painted in black and blood red, a furious painting of police hurting protestors. All the market stallholders stopped what they were doing and applauded.

Lots of little circles of protesters having debates and teach-ins, and waving their hands to show agreement, like the UCL occupiers do.

by Julie ~ Before Gigi and I arrived in town, Julie took a walk around the protest site to see what it was all about.

by Julie

by Julie

by Julie ~ Maybe a display on agricultural poverty?

by Julie ~ Anti-capitalist protest -- she's holding an El Cortes Ingles bag.

by Julie ~ 'No Passaran' refers to the Spanish Revolution.

by Julie ~ she thinks this says, 'turn off the TV and read a poem'.

On my last day in Barcelona, I was on my own, so I decided to find some English-language bookshops. I walked up Carrer de Roger de Llúria and took some pics of some lovely townhouses.

Found this by accident on my way to one of the bookshops.  I'm so glad I spent the last day wandering around, it made me see some areas of Barcelona I wouldn't have otherwise seen, not just the famous sights.

Sagrada Família.

An excellent poster.

Another excellent poster. For wafer thin turkey, bafflingly.  Here's the TV advert.