Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
INTRODUCTION TOBARCELONA
Barcelona-Spain'ssecondcity,andtheMediterranean'smostexcitingdestination-sets
the template for urban style, hip design and sheer nonstop energy. Where others tinker
at the edges, time and again Barcelona has reinvented itself, from medieval maritime
powertoOlympiccity,fromneglectedFranco-erabackwatertodominantnationalforce,
while its celebrated - often outrageous - architecture speaks volumes about the city's
tireless self-confidence. This is a place whose most famous monument, Antoni Gaudí's
Sagrada Família, is an unfinished church of indescribable invention; whose most celeb-
rated street, the Ramblas, is a dawn-to-dark maelstrom of human activity; and whose
vibrantrestaurants,bars,shopsandgalleries areinthevanguardofEuropeanstyleand
fashion.Visitforthefirsttime,expectingatraditionalcitybreak,orthefiftieth,thinking
you know it inside out, and Barcelona never fails to surprise.
MuchoftheimpetusforBarcelona'salmostoverpoweringself-promotionstemsfromitspolit-
icalandcultural identity.You'releftinnodoubt-bywayoflanguage,tradition, cuisine,even
sport - that, whatever the map might show, you're no longer in Spain but in the autonomous
province of
Catalunya
(Catalonia in English), which can trace its distinct history back as far
as the ninth century. This makes Barcelona the capital of what many regard as a nation, and
adds another level to the pride the locals naturally feel for their city. Galleries and museums,
for example, hold “national” collections of Catalan art and history, while the 1992 Olympics
- which kick-started the dynamic rebuilding process - were indisputably Barcelona's Games,
andnotSpain's.Thecityfostersanindependentspirit,settingitselfapartfromthewidercoun-
try and single-mindedly pursuing its own social, economic and cultural agenda.
NowhereisthisseparatefaceofBarcelonaseenmoreperfectlythanintheotherworldly
mod-
ernista
(Art Nouveau) buildings that stud the city's streets and avenues, dating from an earlier
period of renewal in the nineteenth century. Antoni Gaudí is the most famous of those who
have left their mark on Barcelona in this way: his Sagrada Família church is rightly revered,
butjustasfascinatingarethe(literally)fantastichouses,apartmentbuildingsandparksthathe
and his contemporaries designed.
Barcelonaalsoboastsanextensivemedievaloldtown-fullofpivotalbuildingsfromaneven
earlier age of expansion - and a stupendous artistic legacy, including major galleries contain-
