Barcelona, Spain – A Visual Essay on Overtourism in the Catalan Capital

August 27, 2017January 19, 2020 / Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

Barcelona is a fantastic city with plenty to offer every type of tourist, from palm-fringed beaches, to world-class cuisine and a rich cultural heritage.It is little surprise, therefore, that the Catalan capital is as popular as it is.

However, some would argue that there are too many tourists in Barcelona, so much so, that there have been numerous protests against the rising tide.

I personally love Barcelona and I understand that tourism drives a big part of the local economy. However, I can certainly comprehend the voices of locals who are tired of unsustainable, mainstream tourism, which is rife throughout the city. Here are some of my images of excessive tourism and its pitfalls in Barcelona.

To quote Banksy, “This is not a photo opportunity”

Barcelona, Spain – A Visual Essay on Street Art in The Catalan Capital

August 27, 2017January 19, 2020 / Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

Barcelona’s street art, for me, is some of the best in Europe. The city’s Raval, Gòtic and Gràcia districts all contain plenty of powerful, sometimes obtrusive street art that reflects the tensions and strugges of the region.

Here are some of my photos of the Barcelona’s street art.

Camera : Iphone 3

Locations: Parque Guell, Caixa Forum, Barri Raval, Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain. Visual Inspiration from Turó de la Rovira

August 27, 2017January 19, 2020 / Alan Kortbaek / 1 Comment

The next article in my Barcelona series is a throwback to my last trip to the city in 2015 with 2 of my best friends. Barcelona was the first city of our road trip (we went on to Valencia and Ibiza thereafter). Thank you to our Catalan friends, Ares, Aina and Claudia, for hosting us.

The pics are from a lovely afternoon atop Turó de la Rovira (aka Bunkers del Carmel) – quite possibly the best place to get a 360 view of Barcelona.

Barcelona, Spain: La Sagrada Familia

August 27, 2017January 19, 2020 / Alan Kortbaek / 1 Comment

Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia has to be the epitomy of a work that will never be complete. While some may irk at its tendency to be covered in tarpaulins from time to time owing to the constant work on it, one can argue that it is this feature that makes it such a memorable place.

Work first began on La Sagrada Familia in the late 1800s. Catalan architecht Antoni Gaudí took charge of the design of the church in 1883 and worked on it for the next 43 years, until his death in 1926. He was buried in the chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia. Many more architechts have since taken charge of the building process, which is estimated to come to an end later this century.

Here are my pictures of La Sagrada famila- a place of introspection, grandeur and bewilderment.

Barcelona: No Tenim Por (We are not afraid)

August 27, 2017January 19, 2020 / Alan Kortbaek / 4 Comments

While I was in Barcelona with my family, I was also unfortunately caught up in the van attack on Las Ramblas that left 15 people dead and wounded scores of innocent men, women and children. My stance towards this episode is that I am humbled to be alive and grateful for the gift of life that we so often take for granted.

But I am also angry and baffled – how can any one possibly contemplate an attack on the innocent of this nature and justify it in any way, religious or otherwise? The people that did this (most of whom got themselves shot dead) have no place in any culture – African, Spanish, Catalan, European or other. They know no religion, Islamic or other, and their affiliation to darkness paints an unspectacular if not worrying trail of dereliction in today’s society.

Here are the some of my pictures of the day time stood still in Barcelona.

Barcelona, Spain – Architecture

August 27, 2017January 19, 2020 / Alan Kortbaek / Leave a comment

Barcelona is always a city that inspires me. I’ve been to the Catalan capital several times now and endured everything from failed robberies in the Raval district to epic Monday nights out at Barcelona’s Apolo nightclub.

This time round, in the company of my family, my visit to Barcelona was a lot more sober. Yet, true to tradition, this city provided us with one remarkable twist of fate after another. Barcelona is also a city of contradictions – excessive tourism on the one hand and far-left protests against it on the other. Tourism in Barcelona is very much a double-edged sword – driving the local economy through massive annual earnings while eroding some of the city’s authenticity and heritage.

Barcelona is a city of contradictions – excessive tourism on the one hand and far-left protests against it on the other. Tourism in Barcelona is very much a double-edged sword – driving the local economy through massive annual earnings while eroding some of the city’s authenticity and heritage.

Similarly, in the midst of a decent city beach (La Barceloneta) that pulls many from far and wide, spectacular architechture and historic areas such as Barri Gòtic and Barri Gràcia, you will also find El Raval – a grimey quarter of town that is does has its charms but is definitely not the safest place to walk around in, particularly for women.

For now – here are the some of my pictures of Barcelona’s iconic architecture.