Casa Juncosa, by Salvador Viñals i Sabater, Rbla. Catalunya, 78, Barcelona

Casa Juncosa at Rambla Catalunya, 78 built by Catalan architect Salvador Viñals i Sabater in 1909 is one of those many buildings that locals tend to ignore (why do humans take things for granted immerse in their monotonous existence as they are? why do we lose that feeling of surprise?) but visitors evidently admire.

Although Salvador Viñals (1847-1926) was considered a Classicist architect his work evolved towards Noucentisme and in certain cases you see slight touches of Modernisme here and there in his prolific catalog of buildings. Worth mentioning are Torre del Marques (1911) or Casa Oller (1891)

Check this gallery with incredible pictures of Casa Juncosa interior.

Marilyn Monroe Human Statue: The Backstage

If human statues in Barcelona could stand all over the city at will, then this guy impersonating Marilyn Monroe, would certainly have chosen the air vents on Passeig de Gracia sidewalk not very far from Las Ramblas. Instead of that, he must compete with a bunch of other statues. You have the impressive rivals that are really hard to beat and many others that are simply ridiculous, way too many recently. Because my friends, crisis sharpens your survival skills and the boat is already full of survivors. Local authorities have plans to limit statues, starting January next year, to just 30, selected by their quality and working in two shifts (15 in the morning and another 15 in the afternoon) that will perform in a restricted area down Las Ramblas away from Plaça Catalunya, exactly between Pla de la Boqueria and Arc del Teatre square. Artists will be asked to send a CV and imitations of animals or characters carrying weapons will be banned. Let's see how it all ends as some attempts of regulation were made in the past with no success. Hey, I almost forgot Marilyn. You know what, I prefer to capture those moments when living statues are in the intimacy of the backstage sessions, when you can see the real people, lost in their own thoughts, maybe wondering what the heck they are doing on a pedestal all day without twitching a muscle. As I always say, please help the artist behind the statue. Don't pretend they are part of Las Ramblas decoration.

Art Nouveau Treasures: Casa Mila aka La Pedrera, Barcelona, Spain

We had seen the façade, we had the balconies, the door, the roof but we forgot to show you Casa Mila (La Pedrera) from inside.

Come to think of it, there is more from this mind-blowing building by Gaudi to be portrayed in Barcelona Photoblog, I am sure!

It takes some trouble to show the shadows properly without blowing up the skies so I spent some time playing with the settings in my Nikon. Anyway I've seen much better versions of this photo on the web.

To learn more: La Pedrera and Casa Milá facts and history.