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The last time I visited Barcelona I had a great experience with the guys of Barcelona Photocircuits. They run a photography studio and organise photography tours across Barcelona. I spent an afternoon in downtown and they showed me very cool hidden corners and also helped me improve my camera skills. You can ask anything, they give you lots of tips and tricks to make your pictures great and deeply know the city. Very recommended.
This is the artist Manriques house. Built in 1968 it holds a strong test of time for great design and inspiration. Manrique used the remaining underground chambers and lava bubbles from an eruption in the early 1730's to create this subterranean wonder. The rooms are painted cool white with a lot of classic 60's style furnishings inside. There are little outside bits where the earths crust must have broken and these create pretty areas with water features and some are natural atriums to let the strong sunlight in. This place is truly unique thanks to the genius of Manrique.
www.cesarmanrique.com
C/ Volcán de Tahiche, S/N, 35507 Teguise (Lanzarote), Spain
+34 928 84 31 38
Google map: bit.ly/n8ohFo
Russian churches are usually at least picturesque, at most spectacular and this one fits into the former category. It is also probably at the most picturesque location in town, with views across the city and harbour and being adjacent to a memorial lighthouse, set in a small park. The interior is very decorative too, in the Russian Orthodox style with the usual babushka hovering around and making sure all is in order.
Ulitsa Geroev Severomortsev
This is a 35.5 metre high statue of a World War Two Russian soldier, erected in 1974, complete with suitably large wreaths placed at its seven-metre base. It towers impressively above the surrounding landscape and is another reminder that if the Russians are going to have one, it's usually a big 'un.
Path leading from Ulitsa Aleksandrova
My wife and I went to the incredible Philip Johnson Glass House, just outside of New Canaan. We thought it would be just the house, but turned out to be a garden of architectural gems. Highly recommended.
Stay Chez Frank at Silvermine Tavern in neighbouring Norfalk, CT. Great place.
philipjohnsonglasshouse.org/
199 Elm Street, New Canaan, CT 06840
+1 203 594 9884 x0
Google map: bit.ly/quizxs
www.silverminetavern.com/
194 Perry Avenue Norwalk, Connecticut 06850 +1 (203) 847 4558
Google map: bit.ly/oykPDu
Letchworth is often visited by those interested in town planning and the cloisters is a very unusual building. It isn't normally open to the public but if you are in town its worth a look.
www.thecloisters.org.uk/
Cloisters Rd Letchworth Herts SG6 3TH
+44(0)1462 678059
Google map: bit.ly/pw3MHj
Letchworth Rail Station approx 1mile.
It's still not on the map, but this towering lattice construction has kicked up quite a fuss in Seville.
Locally known as the Setas (mushrooms) this 'architectural innovation' houses an archaeological museum, the Antiquarium (Roman ruins were found when a carpark was constructed some years ago); a regular market; and a walkway offering vistas of the cathedral and the Cartuja. Swanky bars and restaurants are set to open shortly.
Antiquarium Entry and Pasarela (walkway) is €1.20 or free if you are a resident of Seville.
Opening times: 10.00 a.m. - 2.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. - 00.00 a.m.
Google map: bit.ly/ixcJSv
On the eastern side of the Rambla you’ll see one of Barcelona’s most photographed buildings, the Casa Bruno Quadros or, to give it its popular name, the House of Umbrellas. The ground floor of the building –now a savings bank– housed until 1980 a shop selling… umbrellas. The building was redesigned and decorated in its present form in 1883, just before the Universal Exhibition, by Josep Vilaseca, the architect who designed the Arc de Triomf at Passeig Sant Joan. Don’t let the spectacular dragon or charming umbrellas make you overlook the fine sgraffito work or the Egyptian inspiration of the upper floors.
La Rambla, 82
Google map: bit.ly/meWJZX
Originally a school to teach girls how to be free, this 1921 Frank Lloyd Wright building is low-slung and plain-style, and one of the must-sees of the ikebukuro district.
2-31-3 Nishi-ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
+81(0)339717535
www.jiyu.jp/index-e.html
Google map: bit.ly/kFaBCV
This is a new shopping centre that was once the main bull ring. Designed by Richard Rodgers, it has a roof terrace where you can walk in a full circle, and experience a 360 degree view of the entire city. The views are literally SPECTACULAR. You can then pop inside for a cool beer and a snack.
Gran Vía Corts Catalanes, 373 - 385
08015 Barcelona, Spain
Google map : bit.ly/mCi8lo
Barcelona is a terrific city for shopping, but I find the elegant old exteriors of the stores with their marble façades with gold lettering easily as interesting as what’s inside. You’ll find the highest concentration of historic shopfronts in the Barrio Gótico (Gothic Quarter) and El Born, with a smattering in Eixample and Gràcia. My favourites are the pastry shop La Colmena, dating to 1928; the nougat shop La Campana, which opened in 1890; the pastry and chocolate shop Pastisseria Escriba, renovated in 1902; the knife store Ganiveteria Roca, dating to 1911; the hat store Sombrereria Obach, which opened in 1924; and the candle shop Subira Cereria, founded in 1761. And of course they all have beautiful things inside to look at too.
Wander around the Barrio Gótico (Gothic Quarter), El Born, Eixample and Gràcia.
The longest notionally pedestrianised street (police cars, taxi's, residents and rickshaws regularly travel up and down it) in Europe at five km. Some of the best selection of bars, restaurants and with some shopping, are to be found on this street, with outside bars during the summer.
There are many fine buildings on this street and you will also find the former home and statue of Artur Rubinstein, born in Lodz 1887.
In the centre of Lodz about a kilometre west, of the main railway and bus station, Lodz Fabryczna.
Google map: bit.ly/edtpVq
Notions of the Weimar Republic perhaps discourage some people from visiting Weimar, but its history goes back much further than that. Mostly it is a beautiful, medieval city, small enough to walk around and well restored in its year as European City of Culture back in 1999. Go there for the architecture - the Haus am Horn, the original Bauhaus, Goethes house in the park and many more, and for its vibrant cultural life. July is a good time when the University opens its doors for the annual show of art, design and architecture students work.
www.germany-tourism.co.uk/
Google map: bit.ly/hVCtdQ
At 540m tall this rocket shaped tower is a staggering relic from Russia's communist past and a breathtaking way to begin to understand the size and magnificence of Moscow. I visited in December, it was -20ºc but perched way above the clouds the views are stunning and sun was beating down into the observation deck at the top of the tower.
Google map: bit.ly/a3lcU2
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostankino_Tower
One of the best walks in Northamptonshire is on the eastern side of the county by the Harringworth Viaduct, which runs across the landscape for three quarters of a mile. As a countryside lover, I was apprehensive at first but was left marvelling at the startling construction of each of the 82 arches and the ease at which the viaduct seems to fit in with its surroundings. A great photo opp here!
Google maps: bit.ly/9oHud5
While in Northampton town centre, I visited 78 Derngate, the Mackintosh House, designed for businessman Joseph Bassett-Lowke by Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The interior didn’t disappoint with unique decoration and contrasting designs throughout – it gave me a lot of inspiration for my own home! The designs were revolutionary for the time they were created in 1916. A must see for art lovers and interior fanatics! The gift shop is a must on the way out where they sell jewellery and gifts from local artists and the café is also a perfect place to sit down, plan the next stop and enjoy a nice cup of tea.
78 Derngate
Telephone: 01604 603 407
www.78derngate.org.uk
Google map: tinyurl.com/2wrrjnc
We did one of these 90-minute boat tours in August 2010 and it was fascinating. The tour guide was excellent; informative and entertaining, and it's a great way to see the city. There is a great range of beautiful buildings to see and it's also quite a nice way to spend (part of) a sunny day!
A new milestone in architecture another famous project designed by Herzog & De Meuron in Allschwil near Basel.
Gewerbestrasse, CH-4123 Allschwil, www.artbasel-gallery.ch/pub-art-actelion-business-center.htm
Bus Stop: Im Brühl, Allschwil
Google map: bit.ly/aM8Tzh
Even if it's a Friday and the souks - in whichever country - are closed, it's worth wandering around them to appreciate their architecture. The bustle of shoppers and shopkeepers often means that it's hard to see interesting details. In Damascus, where the souks are not closed off when the shops are shut on Fridays, walkers can glimpse fragments of tiles, amazing ceilings, and shop signs not easy to spot on other days.
Google map: bit.ly/a8cLU1
A huge, hulking presence in downtown Casablanca, it's more like a 'block' than a building. The architect, Paul Tournon, carries on his lifelong love affair with reinforced concrete here to inspiring effect. It's free to enter (when it's open), but you have to part with a few dirhams to see upstairs.
The ground floor is amazing enough, though. If you'd ever wondered what a cathedral looked like with all the ornamentation taken out, this is the place for you. In a city short on sights (discounting Hassan II Mosque), it's well worth a detour.
Google map: bit.ly/b1DPeu
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