Barcelona,
Spain in February 2006 Was Fabulous By
Philip
Suter
A
short break from the English winter to the warmer climate of Barcelona,
Spain in February 2006 sounded like an excellent idea.
After
leaving London Luton Airport on a dull day to then fly to Barcelona
and just before landing you look out of the window and see the
end of the Pyrenees Mountains, the Mediterranean coat and the
city itself.
The
airport is located by the sea, but unlike Nice in the South of
France you actually taxi around the airport for a considerable
time before the plane arrives at one of the two terminals.
There
are excellent bus connections to bring you into the city centre.
You need to allow plenty of time to make your connections, particularly
in the rush hour or if there are road works as there were in February.
Barcelona
is the capital of Cataloniaand one of the most important
ports in the Mediterranean; it's an eclectic mixture of Gothic,
'modernist' and contemporary architectural treasures.
Once
there whenever possible try walking around, the place is so beautiful
with elegant buildings. When you need to see the tourist attractions
further from the city centre take the underground rail network
or the bus.
All
around are excellent view points and in the centre at the
Placa Catalunya (where the Tourist office is located and a
stop for the airport bus) is the Department Store El Cortes
(National chain of Spanish department stores). Take a trip up
the escalator to the 11th floor restaurant and enjoy the panoramic
views.
A
short bus ride will take you to its most famous landmark is the
Sagrada Familia church. Although not consecrated as a
cathedral yet, no doubt when completed it will become one. 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 and enjoy even more panoramic views
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 (La Rambla) in
the Barri Gothic area (Barri Gňtic), a stone's
throw from the port.
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. 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 Gňtic.
Just
of La Rambla in a small square is very interesting restaurant
called the Taxidedermista that apart from having excellent cuisine
has a part glass floor between the ground floor and the basement
below. It is spacious, comfortable and welcoming. It's unusual
to find memorable risotto outside of northern Italy but this eatery
has found the formula. The pumpkin soup with spinach and mushroom
garnish is magnificent, too.
If
you are staying centrally unless you are full of energy for a
long walk is a must to visit GUELL PARK 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 water sport 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 just
a metre or so from the beach. There are two “twin towers” (but
not identical twins) that are by the Port Olimpic that formed
part of the Olympic village. You can also take a cable car ride
from this location.
After
a good evening meal whilst wandering around the Barri Gňtic
try and find the L'Ascensor bar in the middle of the
Barri Gothic quarter is an intimate little bar, ideal for a nightcap
to finish the day's visits. Named after a “Lift – Elevator” you
actually enter the premises via an old static wooden and glass
lift from the 1930's
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, CATALAN MUSIC MUSEUM — Musica Hall is another
superb piece of modernist architecture, created in the early 20th
century by Lluis Domenech i Montamer. Although in February there
were tours and concerts being held, it is too hot to be open during
the hot months of the summer.
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 winners of the 2006 UEFA Champions League
in Europe in May. On the flight back from Barcelona there were
several fans going to the match against Chelsea in London that
night – A very cold west night, but they had left the warmth of
this great city for the cold of London with high spirits and in
good voice and even the immigration officers at passport control
at London Luton had smiles on their faces. Maybe not had they
been Chelsea fans as Barcelona beat them and also another London
club – Arsenal in Paris to become the UEFA Champions of Europe.
Several
days away in February – fantastic. To be eating out (admittedly
under a gas heater and wearing a coat) at 11.00 at night in February.
Drinking the Spanish version of a gin and to nice. Plenty of gin
with ice and some tonic! Wearing a short sleeve shirt at lunch
at the beach restaurant at La Barceloneta and the one
time it rained it dried up within a few minutes and then to return
to a wet and cold South of England.
Philip
Suter is a Director of jml Property Services; http://www.jmlproperty.co.uk
a UK based company offering Insurance products on line at http://www.jml-property-insurance.co.uk
and a holiday home advertising service http://www.jmlvillas.com
and management training within the uk. He a travel writer and
is a very experienced property consultant with over 30 years work
in the Residential letting business in the UK and served on the
National Council of ARLA. He is a Fellow of the National Association
of Estate Agents (NAEA) and a Member of The association of Residential
Letting Agents (ARLA) Article
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Philip_Suter
N.B.
This information should not be relied on for accuracy and is presented
here without the responsibility of jml Property Service and the
website it is being displayed at. ©jml property Services 06-06
See
also Bed and Breakfast in Barcelona
