Visiting Barcelona Through Puzzles
As we head into summer in the northern hemisphere, it is perhaps not surprising that folks are itching to spend time out in the sunshine and travel! Here on the Jigsaw Junkies blog, we’ve recently toured Paris and London, and I’m here to continue our European tour with another iconic city: Barcelona! I was fortunate enough to travel to Spain about fifteen years ago, and I’ve enjoyed reliving my travels through puzzles. I had plenty of options to choose from, as Puzzle Warehouse has a whole category of Spain puzzles!
One of the things that impressed me most about Spain was the great variety of architecture, from castles to cathedrals to aqueducts. In Barcelona, the most memorable buildings were designed by Antoni Gaudí. This first puzzle, Collage Gaudi Mini in 1000 pieces by Educa (which is fittingly made in Spain), features several of Gaudí’s iconic buildings. My personal favorite from my trip is the Casa Batlló, which we called the dragon house, since its winding profile looks like the back of a dragon. The swirly ceilings inside always left an impression too, though my photos from then just don’t do it justice
This puzzle was particularly tiny, and I kept dropping the itty bitty pieces, but it was still enjoyable (Read more about mini puzzles here!) You can also see many of Gaudí’s landmarks in the 200-piece puzzle by Educa called Barcelona.
Of course you can’t talk about Gaudí without talking about the Sagrada Familia, an amazingly impressive cathedral that has been under construction since 1882. It is so immense, with several amazing towers, and every inch of wall both inside and out is covered in fantastic details. Beyond the overwhelming details, I remember the construction, though word is the cathedral should be finished up in the next couple years!
The Sagrada Famila is understandably featured in many puzzles, including the aptly named Sagrada Familia Spain in 1000 pieces by Tomax, Sagrada Familia in 1000 pieces by Educa, Spain Mini Puzzle in 500 pieces by Tomax, and Barcelona in 500 pieces by Clementoni. Another iconic spot designed by Gaudí is Park Guell, and I enjoyed once again visiting the park through Barcelona Park Guell in 1000 pieces by Eurographics.
I actually started with the monochrome pieces, which deceptively went together very quickly, and ended with the mosaic wall itself, which was challenging! The view from the park is a common theme in puzzles, and many brands have their more colorful take on this view, including Dowdle, Lucky Puzzles, Educa, Clementoni, Karmin International, and Trefl in both 1000 and 1500 pieces.
Beautiful mosaics and tile work are also featured in this 500-piece puzzle by blanc puzzles (from Buffalo Games) called Spanish tiles. I loved the variety of colors in this puzzle, though I’m not sure where in Spain this particular photo was taken. I’d love to visit in person! Also in this vein are Tiles for Miles Spain in 500 pieces by blanc puzzles and Mosaic Hall in 500 pieces by Galison.
Although you wouldn’t know it by the puzzles in this post so far, I usually prefer images with artwork rather than photos or buildings. So while I was thinking about Spain, I couldn’t help but put together a few that weren’t tied to any specific place. I also loved the colors in this next one, a 1000-piece puzzle by Eurographics called Spanish Fans
And of course no trip to Spain is complete without some paella! I’ve definitely got the craving after putting together La Buena Vida, a 1000-piece puzzle by Hardie Grant. This was another fun one with lovely colors, and I’d love to walk into that scene and enjoy the beautiful view.
Someday I hope to return to Barcelona and see more of Spain (perhaps for a World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship while it’s there?), but in the meantime, I’ve enjoyed reminiscing through puzzles!
- Gail, @jiggies_and_gems
