Stories

Looking up Barcelona

In the shape of a sail, of a triangle, or of a cube, these contemporary buildings are landmarks of the city. W A giant sky mirror, the sail-shaped W hotel has an ever-changing look, depending on the light of the day. Read more. Blau. Museu Blau A triangular mass of dark-blue concrete split in places to…

Kaleidoscope of trains

Quarantine trains is a series of videos created by Antoni Miralda, who wanted to experiment with the imagery of trains passing by, as seen from his studio in Barcelona.

Dialogue

A single story can be told in infinite ways, and the art of Pietro Fornasetti, using over 400 variations of the same portrait, can prove this.

Flysch Wanderlust

There are only 13 kilometres of this particular geology and this scenic landscape in the entire world – and they are on the coast of the Basque Country.

Media-TIC

“A building is alive, like a man. Its integrity is to follow its own truth, its one single theme, and to serve its own single purpose.”

Patterns of Lisbon. Contemporary Azulejos

Lisbon features an impressive collection of azulejos. Here’s a walking route for all those who want to go tile spotting and see some exceptional contemporary creations.

Patterns of São Miguel

The map of São Miguel island could be easily drawn as a set of patterns which cover the main streets and plazas.

Diagonal ZeroZero

This emblematic pattern, a landmark of the Forum area in Barcelona, is actually part of the structure of the 110-metre-tall tower.

W

A giant sky mirror, the sail-shaped W hotel has an ever-changing look, depending on the light of the day.

Rose Is a Rose Is a Rose…

Modernist flowers. “Loveliness extreme. Sweeter than peaches and pears and cream. Extra extreme.”

Home Patterns

The place I am spending my confinement days in is a flat on 4th floor. It has high ceilings with Catalan vaults on wooden beams, big French doors at the balconies and floors covered in this amazing invention which is the hydraulic flooring.

Shakshuka. Travelling in Flavours

This aroma! There are a few dishes that I will never forget as far as taste goes – and shakshuka, with its cumin warmth, chili spiciness, egg & tomato softness, and bell pepper sweetness, is one of my most beloved culinary delights.

The Futuristic Concert Hall of Porto

The only concert hall in the world with two walls made entirely of glass, the concert hall of Porto casts the city in a new light.

Cota 2000

Above the clouds, scenic views and ski slopes unfold in all directions. This is a great winter destination, especially if you’re into winter sports.

Istanbul. Random memories and soul topographies

My Istanbul journey started with no map, no visiting list and no plans at all. Here’s how it turned to be like.

My Barcelona

In most places I’ve lived across Europe, I’ve moved after a few months, two years max. But Barcelona, after almost three years since I am calling this city home – well Barcelona is still fascinating me.

Unexpected Netherlands. The Hague by the Sea

“… as the sea loves, with a blue heart and a freed soul.”

The Lisbon Blues

With cities, it’s like with relationships. You see it for the first time, you like it, you want to know more about it. The spark bursts, and you move in, you start to get along, you get accustomed to new habits. Eventually, you wear each other out, and you move on.

Axioma, a Fantastic Odyssey

“Everything you can imagine is real” Picasso said. If so, I’d imagine a world where buildings can dissolve into light and dance into space.

Mooi Amsterdam

The colder the weather outside, the warmer and more welcoming feels this bohemian city filled with great architecture, art and some of the best eateries I’ve ever tried across Europe.

Lisbon. Praia do Guincho

Only 7 km separate the chic resort of Cascais from Guincho beach, still everything feels different, here. Completely disconnected.

Barcelona. Museu Blau

A triangular mass of dark-blue concrete split in places to reveal reflective glass planes, Museu Blau is a presence hard to ignore.

Charming Kythnos

The Greek Cyclades form a circle (that’s what the name means in English) around the mythical island of Delos. According to the Greek mythology, Poseidon, God of the sea, furious at the Cyclades nymphs, turned them into islands. And, from this legendary circle, this is the island with the most authentic vibes, for me: Kythnos.…

Istria. Rovinj

A stunning little town in the Istria Peninsula, north of Croatia, Rovinj is bordered on three sides by the Adriatic Sea, and dominated by a Venetian-style campanile.

The Pintxos of San Sebastián

There’s a daily reason for going out for pintxos in San Sebastián: on Thursdays, for pintxo y pote. On Sundays, to enjoy time with family and friends. On every fiesta, to celebrate. After work, to accompany your drink…

Zadar. Greeting to the Sun, on the Music of Sea

It looks like a huge disco floor placed right near the water of the Adriatic sea: this is the Greeting to the Sun, playing from dusk til dawn playful colourful lights generated by solar panels.

Mundaka

Mundaka is a small village within the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, about one hour away from Bilbao.

San Sebastian. Zurriola

Great waves, cool vibes and stunning architecture around it – that’s what makes Zurriola one of the best urban beaches of Europe.

Bilbao. Along the River

I didn’t know exactly what to expect from Bilbao. It is much talked about – still the opinions can get divergent, sometimes even too divergent. I was expecting a cosmopolitan city with a nice modern area nothing but ugly industrial districts around…

Lisbon. Costa da Caparica

South of Lisbon, Costa da Caparica is completely open to ocean and to strong winds and swells. It’s wide, unspoilt and breathtaking. The waves of the Atlantic reach here a wide, completely open, 30-km long beach. They break directly and whatever storm should be there, in the middle of the ocean, the waves loudly bring…

Bilbao. Azkuna Zentroa

Azkuna is a nice centre to see in Bilbao. There’s coffee at Hola Bar and a cool rooftop terrace with city views and a bar (La Terraza). The exterior is from over 100 years ago and the interior is completely refurbished. Philippe Starck is the man behind the transformation of the Alhóndiga building (alhondigabilbao.com), an…

Lisbon. Carcavelos

Life by the ocean is pretty much about the ocean. About going by the ocean, staying on the beach or in the water, disconnecting, relaxing.

Bilbao. The Guggenheim

Since it opened, more than 20 years ago, the Guggenheim has held over one hundred exhibitions and received over ten million visitors. And it is something pretty unique. It is iconic for vanguard architecture and stands out as a symbol of how a city can re-invent itself. Today the Bilbao or Guggenheim effect means heavy cultural investment that…

Milan. Lumio

Imagine a book that lights the book you’re reading at night.

Cascais & Guincho

In between Lisbon with its vibrant city life and the natural park of Sintra with its unspoiled forests and windy beaches, Cascais is a peaceful town just perfect for one day trip.

Cyclades & Company

The Cyclades in Greece are one of the best destination one can choose. The atmosphere is laid back, the colours of the sea are stunning, the food is great, the people are nice, and it’s easy to reach almost any island by boat or ferry, not to mention that they are extremely diverse as landscape…

Travelling in Black and White | 4 Cities

A fashion store in Milan. An exhibition of a conceptual and minimalist artist, in Santander. A light festival in Barcelona. A pavement design in Lisbon. All of them, in black and white.

Porto. She Changes

By the Atlantic shore, between a 17-century fort and a contemporary, super conceptual cruise terminal, both placed on rocky piers, She Changes dances onshore, with the wind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6bCVv76eLg She Changes creates one of the most original shorescapes of the entire Portuguese coast. It’s in the town of Matoshinos, former fishermen village now part of the greater…

A Way to Surf

To DO list: 1. learn to fly. 2. fly away.

The Roofs of Lisbon

Portugal’s capital sits on seven hills just like Rome, still the hills of Lisbon are somehow more steep so the rooftop terraces offer some unique views.

A Way of Colors. Walking on a Dream. Lauro Samblas

Maximo Contraste and El Médano (photo above) are two graffiti in the area of Vila de Gràcia, created by visual artist Lauro Samblás. He focuses upon handmade collage, and explores geometry saturated with colors and the emotion that light evokes. He creates artwork, set design and styling for Adobe Remix, Desigual, or Perrier, as well as graffiti and…

Lightforms Soundforms

The Lightboxes are paintings of lights that constantly evolve. They can be viewed as moving paintings, or visual music. Brian Eno

Azores. White Light, Black Sands, Shifting Ideas

There’s something equally beautiful and strange in living in the Azores, right in the middle of the Atlantic.

Moodboard | Barcelona

‘Stories have no end. Countries have no line. Everything you think you know Maybe blurred and remade In other lights, at other times.’ @piecesoflonging

1.618…

If you graph the numbers of any system, patterns emerge.

Lisbon’s Patterns and the 17 Ways to Symmetry

Opposites may attract in infinite ways. Symmetry, though, can only be achieved in 17 ways. And this exact number was proved by Mr. Evgraf Fedorov in 1891.

The Other Side of the Visible

To understand is to transform what is.

A Way to Lagos

It is really amazing how Portuguese little towns, with their traditional small white houses and their nice, cozy, old-school vibes, can also be the scene of some stunning optical designs.

Around Time in Three Quotes and One Drawing

Every once in a while, a train leaves to a place where lost memories are remembered.

Blue, the Story of a Word

Almost no one would name the color blue until modern times. The blue pigment was referred to as indigo. So, did the word simply came out of the blue?

On Wandering

Sometimes, I wander in circles. Closed circles. Other times – in extended spirals that go, further and further, away from the point I’ve started.

Cascais. Lumina

Merging the realm of kinetic light sculpture and performance, creating ephemeral light forms floating in the air: ceremony, entertainment show, or should they be called light instruments?

Cascais | Light & Shadow

‘You Say Light – I Think Shadow’ book was revealed in the shape of a light installation in itself, as pages from the book were projected on the walls of the exhibition space.

Lisbon. Lightopia

Lightopia is a special space, conceived in the shape of a traveling exhibition, that tells the story of modern light design. The Light Colors Carlos Cruz-Diez (1923-2019), kinetic-optic artist and theorist of color, created an installation as a walk inside shades, as there are several light sources, each of them changing its color, each of them…

BCN | Llum Light Festival

No, you don’t shoot things. You capture them. Photography means painting with light. And that’s what you do. You paint a picture only by adding light to the things you see. Katja Michaels Light festivals express exactly the idea of a live act of painting with light – of playing with perception, of reshaping the concrete reality into…

Patterns & Trips & Everything In Between

Gin is way better if you add some herbs or spices in it. Also, a travel might be more interesting if you see it through a certain new, unexpected, fresh filter.