Beautiful Barcelona

I’m back from my trip to Barcelona, a holiday with one of my best friends that was full of beautiful sights and a lot of sunshine. Here are a few highlights from our time away.

A view across the city from Park Güell, a major work by the much beloved Gaudí.

Some more examples of the famous mosaic design style present throughout Park Güell.

Striking architecture found in the Park.

Some of the area’s more natural sights.

Some exterior shots of the iconic La Sagrada Familia, Gaudí’s true passion project that’s so vast it remains under construction to this day, despite being one of the city’s most popular attractions.

A glimpse at La Sagrada Familia’s beautiful interior.

More of the city’s renowned architecture, found in and around the Gothic Quarter, including Barcelona Cathedral, pictured in the middle.

The very charming Parc de la Ciutadella.

A few random finds I particularly liked: the Arc de Triomf; a fountain that was just outside our hotel in the heart of the city; and a statue of a mammoth, because why the heck not?

The Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor, which sits on top of Tibidabo Mountain right by a retro-style amusement park.

A few shots of the church’s interior.

A couple of different perspectives from high above the city; one taken from Park Güell and one from the top of Sagrat Cor.

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Have you ever been to Barcelona? What were your favourite sights?

Let’s Recommend | Art & Photography Books

Let’s recommend some books about art and photography.

This time I’ve decided to recommend books that centre around art and photography. I’m certainly not claiming to be either an artist or a photographer, but I do enjoy both mediums and appreciate a beautiful book that celebrates them, so let’s get started.

The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan

Tan is one of my favourite artists in general and in this book, he combines his beautiful work with another of my loves: fairy tales. Each double spread has an excerpt from one of the classic Grimm tales on one side and a sculpture inspired by it on the other. His pieces are visually striking and wonderfully successful in capturing the eerie mood of the original stories that we know and love.

Some examples of Tan’s fairy tale inspired sculptures.

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Collections by Barbara Buhler Lynes

O’Keeffe is another of my favourite artists and this hefty hardback was produced to mark the 10^th anniversary of The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in New Mexico, the largest collection of her work in the world. It includes many high-quality reproductions of her pieces and helps to show how broad her style was.

Some examples of O’Keeffe’s work.

Some more examples of O’Keeffe’s work.

Wonderland by Kirsty Mitchell

This might be an odd one for me to recommend in that I don’t actually own it myself. Retailing for about £100, I haven’t been able to justify buying it (though it is huge and incredibly high-quality). Mitchell’s stunning photographs are like the aesthetic of my dreams, however, so if like me you want to aspire towards owning it one day, or if unlike me you happen to be very wealthy, I thought it was worth a shout-out.

Some examples of Mitchell’s Wonderland series.

Some more examples of Mitchell’s Wonderland series.

Photos That Changed the World by Peter Stepan

This is one for those who maybe aren’t looking for ‘beautiful’ photographs as much as they are looking for influential ones, or those that show the effectiveness and importance of the form in documenting history.

Art Made from Books by Laura Heyenga

This one’s a bit meta, as it’s a collection of work by various artists who all use actual books as the medium with which they create their pieces, from sculptures made with paper to book spines lined up to form a canvas, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. There’s a big variety of different styles and ideas in here, and it’s definitely one for those who appreciate the beauty to be found in books as a physical object.

A sample of the kind of work to be found in Art Made from Books.

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What are some of your favourite books about art and photography?

Earth Day – Home

Today is Earth Day – a movement designed to encourage celebration and conservation of our natural environment. To show my support, I thought I’d let Mother Nature speak for herself and simply share a few pictures of one of my favourite places in the world: Perthshire, the area of central Scotland which I call home.

I hope you enjoy the snaps and have a lovely Earth Day!

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The sunsets here can be pretty intense.

There’s plenty of nature to enjoy.

We get a fair bit of snow in winter.

And contrary to popular belief, sometimes the sun even shines. Only sometimes, mind you.

Nature Needs a Helping Hand

It’s a different and random little post today but I think it’s important to share the things we care about, and having visited Iceland earlier this year, I can tell you that it makes me incredibly sad to hear that much of its iconic wild habitat and rugged beauty is under threat of destruction.

There are government plans to lay roads and construct power plants in the Icelandic Highlands, which is currently one of the largest uncultivated and uninhabited territories in Europe. These lands have remained untouched throughout all of time and it would be such a tragedy if money hungry politicians spoiled that now.

There’s a site that explains it all better than I ever could, as well as a petition that aims to show that people from around the world are against this sad waste of natural splendour, so if you want to take a look that would be great.

I thought I’d share a few snaps from my time in The Land of Fire and Ice, which in spite of my seriously lacking photography skills, hopefully show a little glimpse of just how special a place it really is.

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A natural fissure where the volcanic earth has been pulled apart.

A lovely view of the ocean, right from the banks of the capital city.

Gullfoss, Iceland

Gullfoss, Iceland

The flow of water that feeds into Gullfoss.

A geyser erupting.

Þingvellir, a National Park and World Heritage Site near the capital city that includes the country’s largest natural lake.

The view over Reykjavik and the mountains beyond from the top of the stunning church, Hallgrimskirkja.

The Land of Fire and Ice

I’m back from my long-dreamt-of trip to Iceland and can in all honesty say that despite years of anticipation, it did not disappoint. The beauty of the landscape is unlike anything I have ever witnessed (and I’m lucky enough to live in some of Scotland’s most striking highlands). The culture and atmosphere were both warm yet relaxed – unlike the weather!

Of course, my inner-geek also marvelled at how heavily modern life and history there revolve around literature and storytelling (they actually have the highest number of bookshops and the most imported/translated books per capita in the world).

All in all, it was a fantastic experience, and I already hope to return one day to explore more of what this fascinating country has to offer. Here are just a few snapshots from my time in the land of fire and ice.

The view over Reykjavik from the top of the stunning church, Hallgrimskirkja.

The church itself.

The Sun Voyager, a popular sculpture and viewing point for the ocean beyond.

Þingvellir, a National Park and World Heritage Site near the capital city that includes the country’s largest natural lake.

Gullfoss, a mesmerizingly beautiful waterfall that is without doubt one of the most stunning sights I’ve ever seen. No pictures or words can do justice to its sheer scale and presence of power. It was like stepping onto another world and has to be seen to be truly believed.

The flow of water that feeds into Gullfoss.

The old harbour at night.

To look at the gorgeous view of the ocean and mountains behind me, you wouldn’t know this was taken at the heart of the city centre, right beside Harpa, the world-renowned concert hall and home of the symphony orchestra: Nature is never far away in Iceland.

I’ll leave it at that for now, but I hope this gives even a small taste of the wondrous place that Iceland is. I’ve never been anywhere that felt more harmonious when it comes to the balance between modern, convenient living and utter respect for the natural world. I highly recommend you visit should you ever get the chance.