BUZZ
IS IN THE AIR
- What to see, where to go
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.
See
La Sagrada Família Visita Virtual
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
©Dick
Suter - for
jml Property Services February 2006 | Photographs this feature
©jml
Images
