Seville - Where Small Bars Are

A decade in Sydney brought about a true sense of appreciation of our trendy bars and upmarket nightclubs, often too quick to identify the absence of these in other parts of the world. Seville's bars are reflective of everything that bars in Sydney are not, and I still just loved every bit of it. 

The size of Seville bars barely exceeded 10 footsteps in length, but I attribute my attraction to it for the overall experience. A lazy visit to the bar begins as shamelessly early as 8 a.m., not for alcohol, but for "caffe con leche" (coffee with milk) and "tostado con mantaquilla y mermelada" (toast with butter and jam). We could not get enough of the outstanding coffee served by our local bar "La Fresque" and I could not get enough of their toast with duck pate, a choice some would call dubious as the first meal of the day. Lunch & dinner has the locals upgrading to more heartier tapas selections and ofcourse accompanying the order with sangria, the latter arriving within seconds. 

The modest bar sizes rarely seem to matter because with warm weather for a good part of the year, eating drinking and chatting all takes places outdoors. Sevillians do really seem to believe that the real value of a meal is the social interaction. The interior of bars here sport a consistent ambience, fewer people and huge haunches of hanging Iberian ham.

4 nights in the Andalusian capital gave us the opportunity to trial 14 different bars and none were bigger than a living room! I really couldn't pick one over the other, however the "top rated" bar in Seville (at the time) is probably one you don't want to miss. It goes by the name "El Rinconcillo" and serves some tasty and characterstically well presented tapas.

Breakfast

 

Lunch

Dinner

 

After dinner drinks and more dinner

Gaudi's Barcelona - Structure's Come Alive in this Catalan Capital

Antoni Gaudi

Barcelona is Gaudi. The city is a testimony of this rules-defying catalan architect's genius, that resonates a common theme in its art nouveau structures - inspiration from the forms of nature. Through his work, Gaudi has expertly brought together unique concepts, graceful style and unusual utilitarian structures. 

These were a few things that I found particularly impressive: 

Firstly, the Gaudi style: distinct and revolutionarily bold. Gaudi quite obviously had the courage to disregard formal order and had a fascination for unconventionalism. Secondly, the ease with which Gaudi applied science in his art work. For example the use of darker shades on the upper floors with natural light, provides the viewer with an even colour tone. Lastly, Gaudi's success in forming crucial professional partnerships as sponsors of his work, right from the inception of his career, is noteworthy considering his often criticised non-conventional style. 

Visting Gaudi's masterpieces was a visual treat and now that I'm finally clear of the convoluted names, here they are!

Casa Mila - Too Futuristic?

This former private residence of an affluent couple was scorned upon by locals for an almost "monstrous" design. Today, a UNESCO listed world-heritage site! 

It is also believed George Lucas' visit to Barcelona prior to his Star War series inspired the design of one of celluloid's greatest characters. Resemblance anyone ?!

Casa Batlló - A Marine Marvel

Marine forms come alive in a different light at Gaudi's Casa Batllo. 

Park Güell - Park or Paleo-park?

The craziest looking park that I've ever been to!

Sagrada Familia - The crown jewel

Gaudi's unfinished crown, the Sagradia temple has construction cranes looming over since 1862. One of the most magnificent structures in the world - this one will need a revisit in 2020!