Barcelona, Barcelona

I am exhausted.

I have blisters on no fewer than four of my ten toes.

I have walked miles and miles, have snapped hundreds of photographs and successfully got lost on three occasions.

Earlier I returned to my (amazing) hotel room and I didn't know what to have first; a shower, a nap, a cup of tea or an ice cold mini bar beer?

But above all of this confusion, I am blissfully happy.

I can't remember the last time I experienced the contradiction of feeling so invigorated and focused while also having a cloud of dizzying fuzz fill my tired head as I try to digest everything I saw, smelt, ate, touched, heard, experienced and photographed today. It's obvious where the physical fatigue has come from but that juxtaposed new energised focus ultimately comes from the same place too having spent a day indulging distraction free in all the above, which is what I love doing; exploring a new destination, travelling, seeing the world, living life to near enough its fullest.

Has it really taken me this long to realise that feeling shattered as a result of doing what you love is a very different feeling from being shattered as a result of not doing what you love?

But I am still shattered.

Well, funnily enough and luckily for my tired typing fingers, my pitch to easyJet was photography based so for now I can let the photos do the talking. Here was what I proposed I would blog about if I was lucky enough to get where I am now:

"Aside from travel, I’m passionate about learning more about photography and I’m currently experimenting with depth of field.My feature would therefore focus on what Barcelona looks like close up.I am intrigued to find out how deep Barcelona’s proud Catalan roots grow. What does local tapas really taste and smell like? How do the people of Barcelona dress, talk and socialise? Are the city’s famous architectural, artistic and cultural offerings best viewed from afar or are they just as striking if you zoom in closer? And instead of taking a step back, are there hidden treasures to be found when you explore less trodden streets?I must have seen a thousand photographs of Barcelona, yet I have never been. In my opinion, travel writing should always try to cover and offer varied perspectives about places and so I’d love to find, photograph and capture a different depth to Barcelona."

I will return to answer these questions in greater depth and indeed I have more sights and depths of Barcelona to find tomorrow but why don't you tell me if the photos I've taken so far go some way to achieve my goal?
Disclosure:  Bird was travelling with easyJet as part of their  Southend Bloggers Competition for a trip to Barcelona,  which you helped me win. So thank you to you too.