So, it went quiet there for a while.

The tourists are back in force like they never went away. Turns out they were missed, in a way.

The fabulous Ada Colau has been replaced by (her ex-first deputy mayor) Jaume Collboni as Mayor, a more centrist-socialist proposition.

Already the municipal websites have returned to treating the city like a cash cow, and gone is the refreshing resident-focused ideology of the previous regime.

That revolutionary spirit will still be there somewhere, we’ll be on the hunt…

What’s new? Well it’s estimated around a third of restaurants have closed ……Some old gems have bitten the dust, such as Agut and Senor Parellada. High profile casualty Ferran Adriá closed pretty much all his Barcelona restaurants, including Tickets. His alumni have popped up all over, including at luxe cocktail “drinkery” Sips. Initially looking overly fancy, we’ve been turned by their seductive Spotify playlist. Will report back.

In other news, apparently the Sagrada Familia is set to “finish” in time for the centenary of Gaudí’s death in 2026. Except for a humungous great staircase that even to long-time SG fans seems bombastic. Having just gobbled up Gijs Van Hensbergen’s biography of the architect, we find it hard to imagine Gaudí would have been up for displacing around 1000 families & small businesses. When he presented the plans in 1915 the site was farmland.

This Spring is all about Sense of the City, so watch this space for upcoming flurry of activity.