A Week in Spain with My Fujifilm X-Pro 2

A Week in Spain with My Fujifilm X-Pro 2

Welcome to the sixth episode of Photovlogs, 
where we will be visiting three cities in Spain Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid. 
It’s kind of hard to believe that it’s already been three years since this 
trip, but hey, better late than never. I’m really excited for this video because I 
really loved this trip. I loved the culture, the people, all the architecture and the food. it was just so beautiful, so 
photographable, It was a good trip. I flew in to Barcelona from Manchester, 
and that flight itself was stunning. I watched the sunset over by the water and 
quickly descended into the hills of Spain. I made my way to my hostel 
and settled in for the night. Good morning. I woke up early to start my day and 
made my way to the Catalonia Square, which is the central square. And oh my gosh, there were so many 
pigeons just sprawled out all across the floor. I really liked it though. It’s just such a 
quiet and peaceful morning, you know, just watching the sun slowly spill into the plaza. 
And yeah, just watching the world wake up. European architecture never 
gets old. I’m always in awe of just how historical and intricate it all is. And since I’m in Spain, of course I have to visit. Casa Batlló and Casa Milà, two iconic buildings by Anthony Gaudí If you are unfamiliar, Gaudí is a renowned architect 
that’s known for his, you know, organic and whismical style and a 
lot of Barcelona’s architecture is heavily influenced by Gaudí which was 
really, really cool to see in person. I grabbed breakfast at a local cafe, got myself 
a little pastry and chai, and just journaled after that I headed a to Park Güell. And let me tell you, that was a trek upwards. Oh my goodness. I did not expect this park to be so high. But we made it. And of course it was worth it. Park Güell is another creation by Antoni 
Gaudí and it was honestly so cool to see, how visually striking the park was. 
And just like how his organic style, was really implemented in all of the man made, structures, it was, you know, filled with so much tiles and textures and how, like really blended in with all of the nature that was around it. And it was just. Yeah, so beautiful. [Music] [Music] And my next stop was the Sagrada Família. I have heard amazing things about this 
place, but nothing would have prepared me for the experience I was about to have. You 
know, watching it and seeing it in person. I was just, speechless. It was the first time a piece 
of architecture has left me with no words and just in complete awe. The high rise ceilings, the way the light 
was pouring in everywhere, the colours, it all just felt so heavenly. I can’t 
fully explain it, but I can show you. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] To end the day, I headed to the Ciutadella Park, which was just absolutely glowing. The sun was starting to set, people 
were out, people were playing music, and people were dancing. And it was overall just such a joyful atmosphere. And it really 
felt like the perfect way to end the day. Good morning. Today’s stop is the 
National Art Museum of Catalonia. Once again, it was a trek to get up there. But it was worth it. I love art museums. I think they are just such a 
huge source of inspiration. And it’s just always so fun to be able to see art in person rather than, 
you know, consuming it online. And yeah, it was really nice. I walked 
through the museum and unfortunately all of the descriptions of all the 
artworks were completely in Spanish, so I didn’t get to understand 
the full context of it, but it was still fun to just 
walk through and enjoy some art. There was one painting I really loved. It’s called 
the public exhibition of a painting by Joan Ferrer Miró. It felt like a 
documentary and a street photo. there’s just so much happening within the scene. There’s people crowding around a photo shop, someone was also walking out with a framed picture. There’s a boy tying 
his shoe while his dog waits, and all these pops of red were just like, 
breaking up this neutral palette. And overall, I just really loved it. I love the 
composition and all of its layers. After the gallery, I walked around the 
area. The museum sits on like this huge hill. And so it kind of overlooks, the city of 
Barcelona. And you can see the Sagrada Família in the background. And it was just so cool to 
see, you know, the whole city. And I was just, observing all the people, all the nature 
and, you know, just following the light. [Music] Afterwards I wandered through Las Ramblas, which is a pedestrian street in Barcelona, and it was midday, so the light was quite harsh. But I 
tried to play with some of the light and shadows, in my photos. I had also walked through the Gothic Quarter 
and stopped by the Cathedral of Barcelona. felt like walking through time. I didn’t shoot much here. I was mainly just, 
like, passing through. But I do have to say who thought it was a good idea to put this 
gigantic, massive ad on the cathedral? Horrendous. I stopped by, Royal Square. A little square in the Gothic 
Quarter. The golden light was hitting all the buildings so beautifully. But the sun was starting to run out. To catch the last light of the 
day. And to watch the sunset, I made my way over to the 
Barcelonetta neighborhood. It was so heartwarming to see so many 
people doing the same thing as me. You know, just sitting on the lawn by the 
water and just watching the sunset. I found the spot. I sat down and watched the sunset and it felt like, yeah, 
the perfect way to end my day in Barcelona. [Music] The next morning, I checked out my hostel and I 
took a three hour train south down to Valencia. Right away, I fell in love with all the palm 
trees and all the sun soaked architecture, and I had no real concrete plans 
for my time here in this city. So I just wanted to take it slow 
and just walk around the city. I wandered through multiple plazas here. Queen square, the Virgin Square, 
and the Valencia Cathedral. The city felt really warm, peaceful and vibrant. One spot that stood out to 
me was the Town Hall Square. And that is Valencia’s largest public square. big surrounding buildings, you know, from the 
19th to 20th century, which is so stunning. And the way the sun was hitting off of the buildings and 
onto the people, it was just beautiful. That evening, I just sat in a park 
journaling during golden hour. After sunset, I grab some tapas 
and I headed back to rest. The next morning I went to visit the City of Arts and Sciences. I didn’t get to go inside, but I just wanted to 
see the architecture and it did not disappoint. It felt so futuristic and honestly massive. And I 
really enjoyed the curvature of these buildings. the light reflecting off the glass and water 
created some really cool visual elements. [Music] that day, since I had no set plans, 
I looked up what there was to do in Valencia and you know what came up? Valencia is home to Europe’s largest aquarium. I’m not a huge aquarium person. 
But, you know, I figured why not? and Oh, my God, it was actually so fun. They didn’t just have marine 
animals. They also had birds, flamingos and way more. The space was huge and so beautifully designed. I spent a lot of hours here, you know, 
just wandering through all of the exhibits, just like a little kid. And I 
thoroughly enjoyed everything. I even caught a marine show with the dolphins! [Music] After that, I headed to the beach. 
And I don’t remember the name, but, you know, I just walked around and enjoyed, the golden hour. I spent the evening just walking, observing 
and photographing the beach and its people. It was really peaceful and 
kind of a reflective moment. Solo travel can sometimes get lonely. But the 
freedom that it gives you is unparalleled. And speaking of freedom, what did 
my 21 year old self decide to do? Get a tattoo. I found a local tattoo studio over by 
the beach, and I made my way there. As soon as I got there, There was a bunch of people 
sitting outside the studio, and, I asked the tattoo artist directly, like, how much 
would it be for? like simple script like this? He said it would only be like €50. 
And I was like, yeah, let’s do it. in hindsight, I know that’s 
not the smartest decision. And you should definitely do research 
on your tattoo artist beforehand. But you know what? It was a spontaneous decision, and I was doing it for the plot, and 
it ended up actually really nice. Afterwards I treated myself to some paella. you could tell this my first time, 
because I actually had burnt the roof of my mouth and it left blisters 
for days. And so that wasn’t fun. But the food was really good. The next morning I boarded my train to Madrid. 
I love train rides. I feel like it’s just such a nice time to reflect and, you know, watch the 
world go by and it always makes me so grateful. Once I arrived, I was completely in awe. 
European architecture truly never gets old. unfortunately, there was a lot 
of construction everywhere, and the weather was also really gloomy. And 
so I didn’t get to shoot that much that day. My first stop was the Prado Museum, Unfortunately, they didn’t let you take photos 
inside, so I didn’t get to take any photos, But it was pretty amazing to see significant 
works by Francisco Goya and the iconic Las Meninas by Diego Velasquez. had studied that painting in high school, 
and seeing it in person was actually crazy. I had no idea that that painting was 
ten feet tall. I was like, whoa! After a few hours at the museum, 
I wandered to see the Retiro Park. and I was hoping to see the Alcalá gate, but of course 
it was under construction. And so, I mean, at least they put 
a photo of it on top of it. The next day was pretty busy. I visited the main 
square and I was just admiring all the buildings. It was really rainy and quiet, 
and I also wasn’t just feeling the best that day. But that’s all 
right. We all have those days. I had stopped by a chocolate shop for 
some churros. And so I had some thick hot chocolate, a must try in Spain. I continued exploring through the neighborhood, and because it was so rainy 
and gloomy, I just tried to, play around with compositions and, you know, with architecture and just 
trying to identify pops of color. I stopped briefly at the San Miguel 
market for a bite, and then visited the Almudena Cathedral, where some kind of service was happening. Honestly, I was more focused on not 
getting soaked. It was just pouring. eventually the sun came out just as I reached 
the Royal Palace. And the way the sun was just reflecting off the buildings and the 
puddles on the water, it was just divine. [Music] Afterwards, since the Sabatini 
Gardens were nearby, I just wandered through. And I was 
really grateful for some sun. I had marked off the day by checking 
out one more thing on my list, And that was going to the Temple of Debod. I was hoping for sunset and 
to be able to capture some of the reflections off of the 
water that would be there. But there was no sunset. It was really 
cloudy and there was also no water. But you know what? It’s off season, so I really can’t fault the city. But still I just walked around 
and enjoyed people watching. To end the trip, I visited the Gran Vía, Which is Madrid’s bustling 
shopping and theater street. Sadly, the main building was under construction, so I wasn’t able to see a lot of the 
structure. But, you know, it’s it’s okay. It’s November in Madrid. And so it’s understandable. and that wraps up my time in Spain. I mean, despite all of the gloomy weather 
and construction in Madrid, I really had a beautiful time 
in Barcelona and Valencia. yeah, I hope one day I’ll be able to come 
back to Madrid to see it in all of its glory. but that’s it for this photo 
vlog. I hope you enjoyed it. And for the next one, I’ll 
be seeing you in Portugal.

come with me as i visit three beautiful cities in spain, barcelona, valencia, and madrid ❤️ i hope you found it as breathtaking as i did.

all images were shot with my beloved fuji x-pro 2 paired with the 23mm f2 lens. vlog footage taken on my iphone mini.

#photovlog #spaintravel #travelvlog

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instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaycielinh/
website: https://www.jaycielinh.com

timestamps
0:00 – Welcome to the Photovlog!
0:49 – Welcome to Barcelona!
3:17 – La Sagrada Família ❤️
4:53 – Good morning Barcelona!
8:07 – Heading to Valencia
9:25 – Valencia Day 2 🙂
12:23 – Let’s go to Madrid!
13:27 – Madrid Day 2

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