Barcelona

The architecture is funky, Gaudi-esque and Art Nouvea. All 4 corners of every block are chopped off, giving an open airy octagonal feel to each intersection. The public sculpture is vibrant, and none of it – the cat that looks like a hippo, the empty cube, the rectangular face in the sky - takes itself too seriously. Among all of this “high” art and architecture, there’s still room in the society to appreciate street art and graffiti – it lines the walls of even the nicest areas.

Barcelona is punk rock. As one local told me: “I love the Spanish. But I’m not.”