In the light of the recent terror attack in Barcelona, I look back to the wonderful time I spent in the city. Barcelona is my second home in Europe. My family and closest friends live there. Whenever I had to fly somewhere for a weekend trip, Barcelona is on top of the list.

Barcelona is always warm, always gay. Even if you skip the tourist attractions, there’s always a spot in the city that’s typical Spain, unique to Barcelona – a random tapas bar, a bench with a view of Sagrada Familia in the distance, a coffee shop in the middle of a plaza, inside the church, outside on the beach.

I refuse to give in to the fear that terrorism wants to cage us in. So pack your bags, go visit. Barcelona awaits….

They say third time’s a charm and maybe it’s true. The first two were for work and even though the third was a mix of business and pleasure, I was able to thoroughly enjoy the city. This time, I brought the husband along for the much desired photos (without twisting my neck for selfies). It was his first and it’s my third time this year, fourth time since July 2012. And we both enjoyed Barcelona very much.

But I would not wax sentimental to this proud Catalan city. Barcelona is different from the other cities I have been to. Here I don’t feel the need to SEE anything. I am happy just soaking in into the Spanish atmosphere, drink copious amount of sangria as early as 12 noon, eat tapas for dinner and just enjoy the company of the people who have become so dear to me in the last five months.

In Barcelona, I do not need to rush.

One afternoon, husband and I decided that we want to see the Sagrada Familia cathedral. It was a beautiful day, chilly but the sun is shining and the city evokes it’s typical siesta ambiance. So after finishing sangria and coffee, we lined up for tickets. Five minutes later, after realizing it would take another 30 minutes before we get our tickets, we left the line and decided to get ice cream from  the gelateria across the street. After all, neither of us care so much about church interiors – me because I do not think I’ll find anything more beautiful than the church of Spilled Blood in Peter and the husband just because it’s not his kind of visuals.

Just today, while looking at all the photos, we realized that he did not have a single picture of Park Guell without our beautiful model. Because that’s Barcelona – we didn’t have to practice our professions. We were just there to enjoy the Spanish lifestyle in one long weekend getaway.

Surrounded with old buildings in the square of Sta Isabel , the four-story Reina Sofia museum stands out among its neighbors particularly because of its two very modern elevators. The glass elevators give a short treat of more old buildings around the area but makes someone like me dizzy.