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2018 Barcelona. The City as a Work of Art

In October 2018, I spent a month in Barcelona. I wanted to extend the summer, see a new country, and live in a city that had long attracted me with its architecture and culture.
I rented a room in an apartment in the Gothic Quarter. I lived with a Russian girl and two snakes in terrariums — a rather unexpected circumstance, but one that quickly became part of everyday life.
My first impression of Barcelona has stayed with me to this day. It's a sunny, vibrant, and very lively city. There are sometimes more tourists than locals, and the streets are rarely empty. Yet beneath the external bustle, there is a strong sense of place and a particular attitude toward the urban environment.
I've always been interested in architecture, so I spent most of my time exploring the city on foot. I walked extensively through the Gothic Quarter, climbed Montjuïc and Tibidabo, watched life along Las Ramblas, and returned to the Sagrada Familia and Gaudí's works — Park Güell, Casa Batlló, and Casa Milà. Even an ordinary walk through Barcelona felt like a discovery of a city where architecture is part of everyday life.
One of the most striking experiences was the trip to Montserrat — a sacred natural reserve and one of Catalonia's most famous sites. The scale of the mountain landscape, the unusual rock formations, and the panoramic views created a sense of space on an entirely different order. After the dense urban fabric of Barcelona, such places resonated especially deeply.
But perhaps what I remember most is one simple day. I walked for several hours along the coast from one small town to another. Without haste. Along the way — pine trees, beaches, sun, and sea. When I reached a public beach, I swam, and then fell asleep for a while right on the shore. It was one of those moments of absolute fullness that cannot be planned.
Barcelona did not become a turning point in my artistic practice, nor did it change the direction of my work. But it was there that I began to better understand what kind of spaces attract me. Not only individual buildings, but an entire environment — where architecture becomes part of everyday life and shapes the mood of a place.
From this trip, I brought back not so much ideas for new works, but a feeling. A sense of a city that exists as a single composition. Perhaps that is why, years later, I remember Barcelona not through specific events, but through a state of fullness and interest in the world around me.
2026-07-08 20:28 TRAVELS