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Barcelona
is hip, vibrant, welcoming. The capital of Catalonia
and one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean,
it's an eclectic mixture of Gothic, 'modernist' and contemporary
architectural treasures.
Its
most famous landmark is the Sagrada
Familia cathedral, the
fairy-tale like building in the northern part of the city
centre. Its creator,
Antoni Gaudi, commenced
work on it in 1882 and concentrated all his energies on it
until his untimely death in 1926, when he was run-over by
a tram. The
SAGRADA FAMILIA is
still under construction and may take another 50 years to
complete. You can visit its interior and take a lift to the
top of the building.
 Left:
The Sagrada Familia - Barcelona
Gaudi
was born in Reus, in the province of Tarragona in 1852 and
was the undoubted leader of the 'modernist' movement that
began in the second half of the 19th century. If you want
to see some of the most original buildings, which took the
art nouveau concept to new heights, head for the L'EIXAMPLE
area, to the north-west of the RAMBLAS in the BARRI
GOTHIC area, a stone's throw from the port.
Above:
Las Ramblas - Barcelona
Below
Left: The Port - Barcelona
The
Barri Gothic 'quartier' is the oldest part of the city; a
mix of narrow streets and beautiful squares and for lovers
of Tapas bars, a paradise. The TAVERNA DEL BISBE, close
to the Gothic cathedral, serves wonderful grilled fish such
as calamars, which you can wash down with excellent Rioja.
Hotel Jardi is a 2-star hotel in this area, which
is clean, welcoming and won't burn a hole in your pocket.
It's located in . Plaça Sant Josep Oriol 1, Barri Gòtic.
Left:
Plaça Sant Josep Oriol 1, Barri Gòtic.
Just
off the Ramblas in Placa Reial, is the TAXIDERMISTA
an excellent medium priced restaurant which serves a mix of
Catalonian dishes and ones from other European countries.
It's one of the few restaurants outside of northern Italy
that prepares memorable risotto.
GUELL
PARK
(pictured below)in the north ot the city has wonderful
views of Barcelona and the sea beyond. Another Gaudi masterpiece
appeals to kids of all ages and, importantly, includes the
house where Gaudi lived for many years, replete with the original
furniture - also created by the master architect / designer.
LA
BARCELONETA
at the sea was a shanty-beach before Barcelona was awarded
the 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES. It was part of the Olympic
Port area for the watersport activities of the Games and is
close to the Olympic Village. There is a cluster of good,
medium priced tapas bars and restaurants on the beach, including
AGUA, a neat restaurant that serves delicious food.
The
Twin towers of the 1992 Olympic Village
L'ASCENSOR
(You acually walk through an old lift to enter the bar) the
middle of the Barri Gothic quarter is an intimate little bar,
ideal for a nightcap to finish the day's visits.
L'EIXAMPLE,
north of the Barrio Gothic and west of LAS RAMBLAS, is the
district where most of the 'modernist' buildings of Gaudi
and his contemporaries Puig and Domenech i Montaner created
their original buildings for their clients in the second part
of the 19th century. Definitely worth visiting.
TOUR
AGBAR, designed by Jean
Nouvel, is a dramatic cigar-shaped skyscraper 142 metres high.
It's covered by 60,000 pieces of coloured glass. (Pictured
beow - view from Guell
Park)
CATALAN
MUSIC MUSEUM (La Muisica)
is another superb piece of modernist architecture, created
in the early 20th century by Lluis Domenech i Montamer. (picured
below)
PLACA
REIAL,
close to the Ramblas, is elegant with its palm trees and elegant
arcades.
CAMP
NOU
is home to the FC Barcelona club, currently the best in Spain
and also in Europe.
Enjoy
your visit to Barcelona, Spain
All
photos ©jml Property Services February 2006
©
jml Property Services February 2006
See
also A
Definition of Bed and Breakfast Accommodation in One Place
May Not be the Same as in Another
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