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 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.