Barcelona

Located next to the Mediterranean Sea, the city of Barcelona is one of the main choices of tourists because of the great importance concerning culture, commerce or even finance of this cosmopolitan city. 

Talking about Barcelona is talking about António Gaudí. This city owes much of its worldwide fame to this genius of architecture. The controversial church of the Sagrada Familia, commissioned to be a simple neighborhood church, has become one of the most fantastic works of the twentieth century. Gaudí wanted to leave for the future something that no one had ever seen ... and no doubt he succeeded. As a result of profound knowledge of engineering and architecture, this church was inspired by the "Mother Nature" to give the motto to her project. The whole temple is loaded with religious symbolism and everything has a meaning. At a certain distance, the elements that jump immediately in sight are its towers which, when completed, will be 18 in all. When you get closer, that’s the details of the three façades that capture visitors' interest: the façade of the Birth of Jesus, the façade of the Passion of Jesus and the façade of Glory. And all this involved in vegetable motifs and colourful fruits, giving a special life to the sumptuous temple. When you get in, you have the sensation of being in a wood, whose tree trunks are the columns that support the building.

If this is the masterpiece of the Gaudí’s talent, there are others that will forever mark the life of the city of Barcelona. Nobody is indifferent to the architecture of Casa Batlló. It's like a myth of architecture that hides the fantastic world from the imagination of its creator. Also, the Casa Mila, known as "La Pedrera", is another example of the peculiar universe of Gaudí that, from trivial elements such as the ventilation towers, manages to transform into amazing sculptures of petrified warriors.

And the legacy of Gaudí does not end here ... The Park Güell is the fruit of one of the ramblings of the genius. The project would be the construction of a whole neighbourhood of luxury, where with all of the public services such as a simple market, but after that, Gaudi changed his mind: it became then a fairy tale scenario. The whole park is full of columns with the appearance of trees, geometric figures contrasting with vegetation, figures of animals, sinuous forms studded with religious and political symbolism ... and all based on poor materials: remains of tiles and glass. 

But the is much more to say about Barcelona... its historic centre encloses a small, but rich, Gothic Quarter, where the Cathedral is the building that stands out.

From here the emblematic Las Ramblas is a short walk away. This lively street is full of tourists, street artists, bars and terraces where it is pleasant to sit and watch people moving from one place to another.

Praça de Espanha (Spain square) is like a giant door to Montjüic. It was on this small mountain of the city that the Universal Exhibition of 1929 and the 1992 Olympic Games were held. This is where the Magic Fountain is located, a water, light and sound scenario that has been marvelling its visitors since 1980. Further up, we can find the National Art Museum of Catalonia. Going up to this point of view, and passing the Olympic Stadium, we can have a breath-taking view over the city.

There is much more to discover, day and night, in this charming city.