上上周第一次到巴塞罗那，由于只能呆上一天半，于是选择了不去排队任何热门景点，而是住了两间不同的酒店，大街小巷随意的穿梭，一天吃四餐地品尝美食。为下一次地旅程留下更多期待。

I've not been to Barcelona before last weekend, but I've seen plenty of Gaudi's architectural wonders' pictures and juicy paella flatlays. When I finally have the chance to visit the city for just a little more than a day, I decided to do things a little differently.

1. I decided to stay in 2 different hotels for the 2 nights I were there. Because when I came across searching for places to stay in Barcelona, I found so many inspirational, design-led, interesting hotels/apartments. Being a homeware/interior enthusiast, I couldn't resist the temptation to explore as much as I were physically able to. So I booked two completely different styled hotels, one SPG listed, classic, mid-high end hotel right in the centre of the city; and another more alternative, budget, quirky hostel style located just a bit on the edge of the most central circle of the city.

If you ask me, I loved both. And despite that little extra logistic, I did not regret booking two hotels for this particular trip. I was able to enjoy more of what the city had to offer. And to see another dimension of the place in such a short trip like this.

2. I didn't visit any of Gaudi's work. And I can't say if this is a good or bad decision. Obviously if you're a Gaudi fan and the purpose of visiting Barcelona is pretty much to see his works, then, go. For me, because I only had a day and a half, I didn't think it'd be efficient use of time if I spent 1 hour in the queue up to see Casa Batllo. From London to Barcelona it's only a few hours trip door to door. I knew I'd go back soon to have a more relaxed, thorough tour. So as my first time in the city, I much preferred to get a more holistic grasp of what living there was all about. I'd like to put in a couple of nice little attractions if they fit in between the restaurant reservations nicely, and leave some things out to look forward to the next time around.

This time, I visited the Picasso museum and the Palau de la Música Catalana, both of which were close by where we stayed, so a little stroll through the neighborhood took us there easily. The Picasso museum is fabulous if you're artistic, or even just wondering why the paintings that resemble your 3-year-old child's scribbles should be considered priceless.  I went in for both reasons actually, and came out feeling much more enlightened and, just happy. Try, and you'll see what I mean.

Palau de la Música Catalana on the other hand, is just visibly stunning, and the architecture takes your breathe away. The architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner is the teacher of Gaudi, and many details and techniques used here are adopted in Gaudi's work too.