My Barcelona Art Hunt Kickoff
Woke up crazy early craving tapas and architecture, decided to finally tackle that massive Barcelona art catalog I’d been avoiding. Grabbed my beat-up notebook and charged my phone – knew I’d need both.
The First Attempt Mess
Tried brute-forcing it like an idiot. Opened the city’s official catalog page, saw like five thousand buildings listed alphabetically. Scrolled for maybe three minutes before my eyes glazed over. Clicked random entries: “Church of something-something, built in 1700s”. Zero photos, just walls of dry text. Felt like reading a dictionary backwards.
Changing Tactics
Ditched the catalog site entirely. Took the metro to Gothic Quarter with zero plan. Started snapping pics of every cool doorway and weird gargoyle I saw. When I spotted an info plaque, I’d shove the building name into the catalog search later. Worked way better – like reverse engineering art history.
Pro-tips that saved my sanity:
- Search by neighborhood first: The catalog’s neighborhood filter actually works. Picked “Eixample” and suddenly Gaudí stuff popped up like daisies.
- Cross-check with Google Maps: Found crumbling palace? Dropped pin > went home > searched catalog near that location. Catalog’s map function is garbage but coordinates don’t lie.
- Bring external battery packs: Catalog drains battery faster than Barcelona sun drains your water bottle.
- Look for the ugly ducklings: Skipped the Sagrada Família entries – everyone knows those. Dug for obscure Modernisme pharmacies and forgotten Baroque courtyards instead. Goldmine.
The Lightbulb Moment
Stumbled upon some Art Nouveau tiles near Plaça Catalunya. Catalog entry had builder’s name – “Josep Puig i Cadafalch”. Searched his name INSIDE the catalog. Boom! Found seven more buildings by same guy near Passeig de Gràcia. Felt like hacking the Matrix.
Final Takedown Strategy
Ended up with a chaotic but working system:
- Scout neighborhoods visually → note plaque names → catalog search → save favorites
- Spot patterns → search architect names → discover clusters
- Overlap with tourist maps → avoid crowds near famous spots
My notebook looked like a serial killer’s diary by day three – scratched addresses, coffee stains, half-written Catalan words. Catalog still feels clunky, but treasure hunting? That part ruled. Next time I’m bringing actual paper maps as backup.