http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10962
They publish an online magazine, screen films and run a funk, soul, hip-hop and rare groove session at Apolo. During summer 2006 it proved the ideal venue for Spain vs France in the World Cup. Don't lose heart as you head up Calle Fontrodona, it is there and the cava is at knock down prices.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10962 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10921
There are 13 geese, each representing one-year of the life of the martyred Santa Eulalia, the patron Saint of Barcelona. One does get the sense that the geese feel they are the real owners of the courtyard; everyone else is just an interloper. And they are probably right.

Inside the beautifully cool interior are some wonderfully ornate side chapels, paintings and gilding. The high ceiling has carved round plagues at each axis and the patches of weathering on the roof rather than detracting from the decoration actually add to the feel of the place, giving a sense of history and continuity.

The choir stalls are handsomely decorated with coats of arms and all through the cathedral are wonderfully rich colours and decorative flourishes. It is an incredibly impressive building, a focal point for the area and community, imposing yet also welcoming and peaceful.

A lift takes you to the roof and a walk along the bouncy steel walkway not only gives you fantastic views over the city but also allows you to see up close the architecture of the cathedral itself.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10921 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10919
From a distance the facade looks like someone has taken a lump of clay, kneaded and moulded it into a mass of spikes, icicles, holes and ridges. Closer up and you begin to pick out elements, even closer and you become overwhelmed by the intricate details. Inside the lines of the stone are clean, elegant, tactile.

The structure and composition of the building is very organic - photographs show how some of the columns were inspired by trees - and it is almost as if the building has developed on its own burgeoning from the earth, expending and blossoming as it grows. I particularly sensed this inside the structure and when climbing around inside the thin towers, the building has such a strong sense of identity, its own identity, separate from the person who designed it and the people building it. Maybe that is in part what makes this a remarkable structure, the way that is both representative of Gaudi's vision but is also somehow independent. This is not just a building it's an ongoing work of art.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10919 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9256
On Sundays in the square, there are often art fairs and you can buy yourself a comic from the legendary Makoki comic shops - I recommend 'El Bueno de Cuttlass', a hilarious stick cowboy who has a girlfriend called Mabel and an obsession with Kraftwerk.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9256 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7655
The list of museums is endless. Contemporary Art, Modern Art, Erotic Art, Medicine, Geology, Zoology, Biology, Perfume, even a Museum of Chocolate. But really worth a visit is the Museum of the Old City. A lift transports you downwards as an illuminated display counts back the years from the present day to 13 B.C. This is 30 feet under the surface where walkways of plate glass are built over the excavated ruins of the city of Barcino, 2000 years ago. Very atmospheric.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7655 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5283
When the knights finally met, Carlos gave a phrase to history: "I would rather be Count of Barcelona than Emperor of Germany".]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5283 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5242 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5242 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5241 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5241 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5230 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5230 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4190 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4190 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3987 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3987 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3927
Beautiful curvy and colourful designs, light and airy rooms, crafted woodwork, ceramics, glass and light fittings ahead of their time age (1905-7). The view of the exterior from the street alone is amazing (lit at night) and free if you are in a hurry.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3927 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5309 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5309 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5248 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5248 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4307
The Museum is set in the town's old municipal theatre and it is an amazing spectacle - everything that you would expect from Dali and more. Dare I say, even those who usually detest art galleries will love this place. You will find many of Dali's paintings brought to life as sculptures in the amazing courtyard areas and well as all manner of weird and wonderful paintings and objects from the world's best known surrealist.

Once you have had your fill of Dali, there are plenty of shops cafes to wonder around and watch the world go by.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4307 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3992 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3992 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3991 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3991 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3990 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3990 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3988 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3988 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3985
• Calella de Palafrugell for its postcard prettiness and the havanera (sea shanty) concerts every July, without forgetting the Costa Brava Jazz festival perched on top of a cliff in a botanical garden

• Medes Islands by kayak with a tutor-guide where you’ll be able to check out the local fauna. Just as long as you want to (you don’t have to know how to) row and don’t mind falling out (you do have to know how to swim!)

• Little gems of sheltered and untouched coves in Pas, Moll Grec and the my favourite la Fosca in Palamós

• La Cerdyana, pijolàndia (yuppyville) or area of outstanding beauty, you decide

• Vall d’Aran, beautiful landscape, Romanesque churches, great skiing and extremely cold]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3985