30under30 | Spain

It is only logical that we start our Spain series with one of the most epic destinations we visited there! Yes, this beautiful rocky arch formation, called the Es Pontas, was our main highlight of our trip to Mallorca, Spain. We stayed in a beach resort very near to this venue and hence all we spent

Commonly known as the Palma Cathedral, the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, is the highlight of the beautiful coastal city of Palma. It stands majestically, in a fortified palace in old town, visible from every point on the port of Palma. Although Spanish architecture is dominated by Gaudi, for this particular cathedral, Gaudi was involved but he dropped the project soon after an argument with the contractor. As for us, we were not particularly happy with the intermittent rains in Palma during our stay. However, luckily because of the rains, we got this gorgeous reflection of the cathedral in a small puddle. We love this picture... Do you?

We are usually not the kind who rushes for adventure sports! Of course we want to, but are mostly scared! So, seeing these amazing surfers surf the open Mediterranean seas in Valencia in our 1st Spain trip, kind of made us jealous! So in our last trip, we somehow geared up the courage, and with some motivation from Gia, went on to try paddle surfing! I know a lot of you will laugh because, paddle surfing might seem like child's play to you, but believe us, for us, it was a big feat! Superbly enjoyed doing it though and of course the fear of the seas was gone soon after we started! So, if you ever want to try out some adventure, just gather up the courage and go for it! You might not love it, but the satisfaction of giving it a try would be enormous!

Once Upon a Time in Seville... Seville, a surreal place where a Christian people seamlessly amalgamates with an Islamic city with the influences of Moorish art being omnipresent. And sitting here in the Plaza de España, one can easily be transferred back in time - to the ages of Spanish Emperors and of the Horse-drawn Carriages. A semi-circular brick building of Renaissance/neo-Moorish style with a tower at either end, this complex also has a fantastic canal along the semi-circle. Add to these, the excellent ceramic works... this place is an architectural marvel. Fun fact for the Star Wars fans: The plaza was featured in the Attack of the Clones, with the building featuring as the palace of Amidala in Naboo.

Here is another view of the gorgeous Es Pontas ... This one at night! To be frank, this is one of our first attempts at night-time photography. It seemed to be the perfect location and we were hoping for the Milky Way to rise above (or even to the left of) Es Pontas, the amazing rock formation in the sea in Mallorca in Spain. However, we did not consider the village on the right and as luck would have it, the Milky Way was just over the village on right! :( But nevertheless, it was a good learning experience and we are kind of happy with the outcome. What do you think?

Despite of all the grand touristic locations of Palma, this cute little part of the port was our favorite! You know why? Because this magical place turned everyone into a kid!

Just being here made everyone hop on these granite bars... there was an alternate way to cross of course, but then no one could pass on the step hopping! Plus, in front of the bars was about 4 inches of pooled up water, and cyclists would spray a fountain of water around them while crossing the pool! It was crazy fun watching all the adults turn into kids in a blink! Sometimes, the simplest of beauties are the most admirable!

Gia here… I cannot express how proud I, Gia (@snigdhakishore1 ), feel to have my own picture featured on the page of TWC! Avi (@avishekpatra) is really very strict about the quality of photographs that should go into this page, and for him to consider one of my photographs worthy to be here, is a dream come true! I have finally learnt something from the master. Hope it only gets better from here. What do you think of this image? This image, BTW, is from Soller in Mallorca.

Gia again… This is Avi's (@avishekpatra ) favorite tree from our trip to Spain! Yes, you heard me right... not favorite hotel, not favorite destination, but favorite tree! So much so that he wanted to bring it home and he literally said goodbye to it before leaving! These artist people!

This time Avi here… Here is an image of Gia (@snigdhakishore1) from our Spain trip. I take this opportunity to thank her for being with me and making me take my passion for photography and travel to the next level. Before she joined me in Germany, I was clicking images and travelling but without any direction or goal. Over the last year and a half, we have not only built up our portfolio of website and social media presence focusing on our travel photography @thewanderingchubbies, but also for our people photography works @myakpphotography (PS: Check @myakpphotography out on Instagram if you haven't already... we do photo shoots for you, mainly in and around Europe). So, thank you Gia, for not only being a fabulous life partner, but also a guide and motivator in my passion. BTW, about this image, this was clicked in Cala Santanyi, a very small town in Mallorca with a fantastic beach. Here we were sitting on a cliff looking down at the beach, enjoying some typical Spanish 'Patatas Alioli' and Sangria :)

We have often seen images of Barcelona from above, most likely drone shots. And always found the city to be really well planned and organized... square blocks of houses, arranged side by side and precisely spaced by roads between them. But then, those images do not do justice to the artistic side of Barcelona's architectures. Bold, brash, colorful, distinctive, harmonious, varied and unique are just a few adjectives that come to mind when describing Barcelona architecture. Barcelona has successfully blended the old and the new in a way that makes this city simply breathtakingly beautiful. The most popular architect of the city, Antoni Gaudi, decorated the city of Barcelona with his unique modernist style - the Gaudi architectural style. Gaudi is also the architect of Barcelona's most popular landmark - Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (or simply, Sagrada Família). But even apart from what Gaudi left behind, the city is full of interesting and beautiful architecture from the old times, amazingly well preserved and maintained! One example is this building we came across, full of a hundred extruding eyes! Pictured fantastically by @snigdhakishore1, we later found out that this building is the former palace of the first Count of Barcelona and today, it is a 5-star hotel. So interesting!

We fell in love with this cute little town called Valdemossa in Mallorca, Spain! The name itself sounds so magical, like "Wingardium Leviooooossa”! The whole town is made out of sandstone bricks and is full of these beautiful cafes with ornate doors, overhung with creepers. It's right outside the Valdemossa Cathedral!

Another image from the Plaza de España. As we mentioned before, there is a semi-circular canal along the main buildings and one can hire rowing boats to row along the canal. Experiencing the amazing complex had a very relaxing effect on us. Maybe it was also because that day we were walking through the city in the hot sun. So, we decided to spend a couple of hours till sundown just sitting in the shade and lazily look at the people around. For example, it was a very cute experience to watch two little girls, four or five years old, trying to convince their parents in Spanish to tale them on a horse carriage ride!

Sagrada Familia at Sunrise. Here's one from an early morning shoot of the famous Sagrada Familia of Barcelona. The structure of this cathedral is amazingly different from any other cathedrals we have seen. The magnificent cathedral is also known for being the last but unfinished work of great Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí. The construction is still in continuation and is planned to be completed in 2026, to mark the 100th death anniversary of Gaudí. We enjoyed watching a beautiful sunrise illuminating the cathedral in a gorgeous light on a Saturday morning (sadly no clouds to add beauty to the sky), after which we had a relaxed breakfast in a cute cafe nearby. Pro tip: If you plan to see the cathedral from inside, get online tickets beforehand or else the slots are sold out, especially for weekends. In general in Barcelona, be very careful of your belongings. Although this day started beautifully for us, it rapidly turned into a nightmare as the day progressed.

Ghosts of the Day. The majestic structure you see in this capture is the Cathedral de Barcelona. The church forms the integral part of the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona with a big plaza in front of it and the old town looming all around it. Being there makes an amazing experience, where you not only enjoy the archaic, classic architecture, but also soak in all the various kinds of performances by the locals. When we were there, the April sun was nearly over our heads, but then a constant, cool breeze and some fluffy clouds overhead that made it a perfect spring setting. The plaza was full of people and in our long exposure image; the moving people really produced an amazing, ghostly effect of motion. Hence the title - the Ghosts of the Day. On another note, this is where two guys tried stealing our camera equipment. We were lucky to have caught the guys right after and the police present there was very helpful. If you ever visit the place, try carrying the bare minimum belongings with yourself.

The Passage of Time. Posing in front of the Carrer del Bisbe in the Gothic Quarters of Barcelona, trying to make sure at the same time that all our belongings are there with us ;-)

Barcelo-n-ception. Dramatic, isn't it? No, this is not a scene from Nolan's 'Inception' or MCU's 'Dr. Strange'. In fact, much before Nolan and Stan Lee conceptualized the breaking of the laws of physics through mind power or dreams or software simulations (remember the Matrix Trilogy anyone), it was the 19th-century Spanish Architect, Antoni Gaudi, who cooked up such somewhat weird designs in his highly imaginative mind. And this here, in front of you, is only a sample of his ideas - the Casa Mila of Barcelona. Doesn't it look like a roof that has caved in? In reality, the building is designed to look like a sort of a distorted donut. And we were lucky to have the ominous looking clouds to add to the drama. Gaudi's architecture had divided the people's opinion back in his days, and even today continues doing so. In fact, even amongst us, Avi is more of a classical architecture fan whereas Gia cannot get enough of everything that is Gaudi. Let us know what do you feel? Let us know - Gaudi OR no Gaudi (another example of Gaudi's architecture: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv_68salenF/)

The Circle of Life. A story of after our belongings was stolen in Barcelona… After a disappointing day, tired and stressed from running around to the police station and the consulate, we were not sure how to detox. Maybe watching a movie in the hotel room? Sounded nice, but didn't feel so. So we did what relaxed us the most and always. To go out on a fantastic evening and take some photos. We went to the Plaza Espana, climbed on the top of the Bull Fighting Ring that serves a shopping mall today and simply sat watching the setting sun. Of course, we took some pictures as well - the one here is from that evening - and they were some of our best from Barcelona. And as we watched the traffic go around the circular traffic island, epiphany dawned on us - things go up, things go down, but the circle of life moves on and our travel continues.

Great photos often come when you least expect them to. Can you guess where we got this image from? Well, this was taken from the waiting room at the German Consulate in Barcelona. Isn't this an amazing view? We were at the Consulate for official work and luckily, the camera was in Avi's backpack. Honestly, we were a little tempted to hide away and stay back till sunset. Do you guys have some amazing yet unexpected photos? Send us a link in comments.

Avi always though Barcelona is about partying. Boy was he wrong! Maybe it is famous for its parties, but surely Barcelona has excellent scenery for history and architecture buffs. Here are some of the amazing pieces of architectural designs we found during our short visit. These images are in the following order from left to right:

1. The medieval ceiling of Santa Maria del Mar,

2. A spiral staircase in our Hotel near Plaza Espana, and

3. Looking up the Casa Mila from its courtyard.

Of course, this is different from our regular posts of our travels. But then travel is not only about the wide 'hero' images, but also enjoying the finer details - the architecture, the food and the people. How do you like this effort? :)

And here are some of our images from Barcelona in Spain. These images are in the following order from left to right:

1. Gia (@snigdhakishore1 ) looking up the historical Santa Maria del Mar

2. Avi (@avishekpatra ) , caught in action on the terrace of Gaudi's Casa Mila

3. Gia, exploring the trippy insides of Casa Mila, or La Pedrera

Some more of our images from Barcelona in Spain. These images are in the following order from left to right:

1. Gia ( @snigdhakishore1 ) at the terrace of Casa Mila

2. Avi ( @avishekpatra ) in front of Sagrada Familia ⛪

3. Gia enjoying the cherry blossoms in Barcelona

So, we come to the end of our coverage on Spain. And for the last post from Spain, we are back to our favorite location again. Es Pontas! And probably, this is our favorite moment in Spain, if not our favorite image. It was an epic sunrise at the most famous rock formation of Mallorca - the Es Pontas. More so because it lasted only 15 minutes (it rained before and after). And the mixture of clouds above, rough seas below and a sliver of sun rays made it magical. And all around us, there was no one. Not a single soul. We were all alone for this stunning environment. But do not be misguided by our posts, they do not come easy... even though it may often seem so. We waited two days for this amazing sunrise and both the days were cloudy. We were there at 5:00 in the morning (in slight rain) hoping to see the sunrise. Plus, of course since we are working professional who save to travel, we cannot afford really long vacations and time is extremely precious. So glad Avi could make this image!