Happy 2009 everyone. Having trouble juggling the hours in the day....but have managed to come throu...
Happy 2009 everyone. Having trouble juggling the hours in the day....but have managed to come through with a review at long last. :)
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If you're in Spain (Catalonia to be precise) I advise you to visit my favourite city: Barcelona! I have visited five times, both during the day and at night - I haven't got bored yet and aim to go again as soon as I can! It can get very hot and crowded in the high season...I would recommend going during the cooler, quieter months.
Barcelona is located by the Mediterranean, at the north eastern end of the Spanish coastline. The city of Barcelona has a population of 1,510,000, but this number increases to more than 4,000,000 if the outlying areas are also included. Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain in both size and population. It is also the capital of Catalonia, an Autonomous Region within Spain. There are two official languages spoken in Barcelona: Catalan, generally spoken in all of Catalonia, and Castillian Spanish...a lot of people will understand English, so don't worry. The currency used is now the Euro (which equals around 63 pence, sterling).
It's easy to get there too. Most nearby resorts (Salou, etc) have bus and train services that run there. Trains arrive in the centre of the city and you can then connect to the metro system, or walk out into the city. Most holiday companies offer tours of the city; some to see the city by day and some to take in the night-time
atmosphere. Watch which tour you take because some repeat the same destinations (we went on a day tour AND a night tour the first time we were there; BOTH went to the Football Stadium, but NEITHER went to the Olympic Stadium!
It's a great city; cosmopolitan, historical and full of life! It has great architecture and has much to appeal to visitors and residents alike. There are monuments from many historical periods, sitting side by side with modern sculpture and state of the art buildings. Barcelona is a city for everyone! There are shops, museums, sporting facilities, a beach and street entertainment to visit during the day. By night there are many bars, discos and leisure facilities. My friend lived there for a year as part of a nursing exchange programme and said she always felt welcome and at home there.
My favourite places are the buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi. Over the last one hundred or so years Barcelona has become a centre for Modernist architecture, and Gaudi is a major example of this style. You will be able to visit the famous Sagrada Familia church; a masterpiece that is still being built today. This great cathedral was inspired by the gothic style and is in fact not much more than a façade; the inside is empty. Gaudi died before he could finish his biggest and most beloved piece of work. The people of Barcelona hope that one day this massive landmark will be completed. It's a strange building - each face has a different theme; some of the faces are a little disturbing and some were apparently based on people that Gaudi knew.
Other places designed by Gaudi that you can visit in Barcelona include:
THE CASA MILA - A building in the futurist style, reminiscent of sand dunes. It is considered to be a great landmark in Modernist architectural design. It is a really cool building - very difficult to describe, but a must if you are in Barcelona.
PARC GUELL - A fascinating combination of gardens and architecture. Well worth a visit!
PALAU GUELL - One of the works created for his friend and sponsor the industrialist Eusebi Güell. A very impressive building, which is usually pointed out during tours of the city.
CASA CALVET - One of Gaudi's most traditional pieces and the one that he received his only bit of admiration from the City when it was built! Whereas most of Gaudi's buidings were considered to be "strange" and were a bit unpopular, this building was liked instantly and bought Gaudi the respect he deserved!
There's more to Barcelona than Gaudi though! There are loads more monuments to see and much more to do. There are too many places to mention, but here is a selection:
GOTHIC CATHEDRAL - This is located, quite obviously, in the Gothic Quarter of the City. This is a very impressive building, built between 1298 and 1450. The Gothic Quarter itself is well worth a look, although make sure you keep track of where you are. It's very easy to get lost because a lot of the streets look very similar. We did get lost the first time we went, but there were plenty of people to ask directions.
LAS RAMBLAS - A long and busy street that stretches about 2 kilometres, between Plaza de Catalunya and the port area. Here you will see all aspects of life in Barcelona; street entertainers, stalls selling flowers and birds, cafes and bars and lined with shops and theatres! My favourites were the portrait artists and the living statues; people who dress up (often painted from head to foot) and stand motionless until you give them some coins. They then spring into a dramatic pose! Some are very good and when they are still they DO resemble statues. Be very careful on Las Ramblas - as you would expect it gets very crowded and there are the inevitable pickpockets around. Keep your valuables close to you, especially if you are watching the entertainers and not concentrating.
MONTJUIC - The mountain of Montjuic was the backdrop for The World Exposition in 1929. It is surrounded by a beautiful park and gives some gorgeous views of the city.
PUEBLO ESPANOL - Also built in 1929, this museum has buildings which represent all the architectural styles typical of Spain. I really enjoyed this museum and would recommend you to go and visit. Allow a good couple of hours to see it all and don?t forget your camera?.you can go home and show off your photos and everyone will think you have been on a tour of Spain!
There are loads of museums - Check out http://www.red2000.com/spain/barcelon/museum.html for a full list. Here you will find the opening times, where they are and what you can see there. This is much better than me trying to tell you all about them in this review (and I haven't had time to visit them all yet)!
SPORTS - You really can't visit Barcelona and not notice its sporting connections. The city hosted the Olympics in 1992 and many tours will take you to the magnificent Olympic Stadium on Montjuic. Here you can visit the Olympic Museum and look out onto the sports ground that all those famous athletes competed on. Even for a non sports fan like me it was a fantastic sight and well worth a look. The entire city was affected by the Olympics and as you travel round you will the Athletes' Village and other facilities that were built for the event.
Barcelona is also famous for its Football club - Barcelona FC. I really enjoyed my visit to the massive Nou Camp Stadium, even though I'm not a big football supporter. It's a huge place that holds 98,000 people! There's a museum and a shop, as well as the chance to go onto the stands and take photos of the pitch. It really was awe inspiring to walk out and see the sheer size of the place!
I really can't praise Barcelona enough. It has every thing that you could want in a city! It's really easy to get around too - either use the Metro (underground) System, the Tourist Buses (that stop at 27 of the most famous Barcelona sights), or walk along the Ramblas! On the Tourist bus you can either go on the Northern or Southern route, depending on which places you want to visit. Once you have a ticket for the bus, you can hop on and off as many times as you like. There is a guide on board who tells you were they are stopping next so you won't be confused. This is a great way to see the city without fear of getting too lost! There' an information guide in several languages too - very useful and very interesting!
So, I'll leave it at that for now...there's loads more, but you really need to visit this marvellous place for yourself and discover the delights first hand! I couldn't begin to describe it all. Visit by day and shop and sightsee 'til you drop. Visit by night and see the interesting nightlife and the see the Illuminated Fountain show...but please visit Barcelona!
Great review - just reminding myself what it's like before I go next Friday. You captured it well.One of my favourite cities too. I really like the musical fountains :-)
ShoppingGirl 02.02.2003 00:54
Awesome! I'm off to leave lots of tedious questions in your GB... Cheers, Kaz
purdy 08.12.2002 11:26
Great op- lm going to Barcelona at the end of Jan so lm doing loads of background reading at the moment - you op has certainly given me plenty of info about where to go and things to see! Ta Heather
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Advantages: *Great transport *Attractions for everyone, any age, any interest *City and beach Disadvantages: *Food prices/quality in the centre *Very busy in peak seasons
Jul 30th, 2002
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