The word is a very exciting place

Tarragona is such an amazing place, I'd wanted to visit for years, especially because there is the most magnificent aqueduct just outside the city. (Thats coming in another post). In Roman times it was called Tarraco, capital of Hispania Tarraconesis, and was one of the biggest and most prosperous cities of Roman Spain. The city itself is a UNESCO world heritage site, giving you an idea of just how important it was.  UNESCO as a concept is a brilliant idea, and there are 1,157 world heritage sites across the world (I've been to around 70 of them). In some ways, its a great thing. The designation of somewhere being a UNESCO world heritage site raises the profile of the area, particularly those not previously well known. By making it more well known, it brings in more tourists, creating jobs and providing the local economy a boost, which then also helps to fun conservation and preservation work where needed. It also helps boost local infrastructure, to enable visitors to reach it...

 Visiting Andorra reminded me of a funny conversation I had with my brother once on the phone. I was in San Marino, and had rung him. He collected football team t-shirts, and so I thought I'd ring and ask if he had a San Marino one. So I called him, and the first thing I said was "I'm in everyone's favourite European Microstate, do you want a football shirt?" to which he replied "Oh so you're in Andorra. Yes please. Weren't you in Italy yesterday?" Maybe I'm wrong for having San Marino as my favourite European Microstate. Maybe we should do a poll and see what everyone thinks. Vote in the comments your favourite. You can choose between: San Marino, Andorra, Vatican City, Liechtenstein, Malta or Monaco. Makes me realise that I've got two left to visit, Monaco and Liechtenstein. Might have to be my next travel plans! Anyway, so the prime reason people visit Andorra is for the extreme sports, skiing, snowboarding that sort of thing. I'm ...

 The quietest and most peaceful place in Barcelona is Saint Pau del Camp, a wonderful church that deserves far more visitors than it gets. Its a wonderful 11th century monastery, with some beautiful architectural features. It's a Romanesque building, with some Moorish and Visigothic elements and styles throughout. It's only 6 euros to visit, an if you plan ahead, there are guided tours (10 euros) on Sunday's between services. From the quietest, to now the busiest. Park Guell is one of those places that you have to visit, even though you know its going to be busy, confusing and you don't get to properly enjoy it. Its a large park, full of both brightly coloured pieces of art, and some downright almost creepy ones. Designed by the world famous designer Antoni Gaudi, the park encompasses a lifetime of design. I suppose the term 'thats very gaudy looking' came from him perhaps? Tickets are 10 euros, but you need to pre book them, don't expect to be able to just ...

 Every major (and some minor) tourist hot spots has some sort of triumphant arch that draws in visitors all looking for the perfect shot. There's one in Paris (Most famously) There's one in Rome. There's even one in Chisinau. But the one in Barcelona is something special, because it's main identity is not classical inspired. The red brick, tiling and highlights in cream sandstone give it a unique style, reminiscing of Moorish architecture. It almost seems to sing in the sunlight, and you can see it for miles around. Again, like with most of Barcelona's tourist spots, there never seems to be a quiet time. But be creative with your angles and editing and you may just get the perfect picture! The arch and a closer look at some of the brickwork detail. Notice how the red bricks bake in the sun and give the arch a beautiful warm look. If monuments are your thing, then head on over to the magic fountains. They are built on a cascade and at the bottom there is two uniform ...

 Continuing the Roman theme from the last post, somewhere worth visiting is the Museum of the history of Barcelona. Its a great museum with all manner of artefacts! The basement is full of the remains of roman street, complete with taverna, houses and even a roman launderette! This must have been a nice neighbourhood! How many denarii for a basic wash, dry and fold? There's also some beautiful mosaic's, with some still in situ. And if you're wanting art & sculpture, then head to the Frederic Mares Museum, its got an enormous collection, a lot of which is Medieval Christian art & sculpture, including an army of the Virgin Mary. There's roman artefacts too, and on the top floor, its sort of more of a curiosa style of museum, with collections of fans, keys and irons. Yes, you're reading that right, apparently Puccini did sign this fan and wrote a few bars on it for an adoring fan. Literally! If you've hit the cooler evening hours, then take a stroll through...

 Now, a lot of people will tell you Barcelona is the greatest city on earth, and the other half will tell you its heaving with tourists, overpriced and a mess. Neither are wrong, but neither are fully correct. Yes, Barcelona is crammed full of tourists, just like Rome, Paris and London, its a honeypot for people visiting. Thats why I went, and I'm sure why everyone else goes! With it being such a huge city with so many things to do, it means you need to prioritize what you want to see, and when. I should have been more organised and booked an earlier time to Visit Park Guell, as it was rammed and I didn't quite enjoy it as much as I could have done. But I wanted to visit Poble Espanyol, and so did that early in the morning, meaning I got the place to myself. Its swing and roundabouts. Generally areas like the triumphant arch is and the arcade are never quiet. But certainly the old town and the museums are quieter in the mornings, so it's worth finding those out and enjoy th...