'Alternativo' holiday pics

Barcelona is a great city, really one of the best. But it wasn't the Sagrada Familia or the Gaudi architecture that made it such a fantastic place, in fact we didn't even see those sights - but the city beach, the large open spaces made for roller-blading, the melting pot of cultures, the languages, the plazas at dusk and the constant smell of cigarette smoke to remind you were in Spain, sorry, Catalonia. We meandered and wandered, avoiding The Ramblas, the churches and we never set foot in a gallery or a museum. Heathens to all thing cultural, we had a blast.

No hotels for us - we stayed on a boat in Porto Olimpico marina

Blimey - nobody says it quite how it is, like the Spanish - sorry, the Catalans

Balconies of films and dreams - beats a church any day

Minding the tourists and dog poo - there are a lot of both in Barcelona

Morning toe-dip, the beach is the city's biggest draw

Proper scary cable car down the mountain - crossed all the major sights off from up there - job done

Pimientos de padron - the russian roulette of tapas 

Galley cooking

Scooting around the plazas 

Choose your favourite font - hours of fun