Art in barcelona
by veroniquecassar
the Casa Batilo is a real piece of art! also check out the Wax museum and the bar of the Wax Museum. they are found in ramblas santa monica. the bar is so nicely decorated with trees, nymphs and other such wax characters! it felt like going into a different world out of an enid blyton or celtic myths book!
sagrada famiglia, casa gaudi, parc guell and erotic museum all have intersting art pieces to see.
In Placa Espanya there is the Palau Nacional which is the Museum of Catalan art. By night this is such a beautifully lit up place. Unfortunately we missed the Magic Fountain shows. worth checking!!!
But my all time fave is el poble espanyol, the spanish village. so artistic and beautiful! we went there on easter sunday. it has a mixture of artisan shops and beautiful houses and a sculpture garden. I was amazed. A wonderful afternoon spent exploring this village. when it started raining, it was beautiful. everything except for the pick pockets and dodgy trannies
Las Ramblas.
by Maurizioago
Las Ramblas is a 1,2 km long pedestrian promenade situated between Plaza de Catalunya and the harbour. It is made by six sections. For this reason its proper name is Ramblas; plural.
Each section of this street has a name. The first, coming from Placa de Catalunya is named Rambla dels Canaletes; then we find Rambla dels Estudis; Rambla de les Flors; Rambla dels Caputxins; R. de Santa Monica and Rambla del Mar.
The name rambla derives from the Arabic word ramla, meaning sandy riverbed.
On this boulevard there are various shops, stalls; cafes and restaurants.
The nearest metro stops to Las Ramblas are; Liceu; Drassanes (green line); or Catalunya (green or red line).
Catalan customs!
by crazyguitar
Take a look to the local customs in my Catalonia page. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia. You can have an idea about different local customs as the 'human- towers' , national celebrations...
http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/2312d/c1/a/#T
Barcelona's beaches
by nancyread
Barcelona's Council trumpets its new beaches, 'built' in the period since the 1992 Olympic Games in the city. Certainly, no one misses the wharves and industrial wasteland the beaches replace.
On the other hand, tourists should realise that the city's beaches are far from being idyllic Mediterranean strands, despite the carefully framed camera shots in the brochures. Anyone who has seen pristine beaches in Turkey, the Caribbean and elsewhere is going to be bitterly disappointed. Barcelona's beaches compare poorly even by Costa Brava resort standards.
Despite generally reasonable water and sand quality, showers and other facilities, the beaches suffer from regular storm damage, and bad episodes of pollution. Litter and petty crime are also problems.
Things are unlikely to get better - the Spanish Ministry of Works is refusing to foot the bill for more beach replacement.
UPDATE 9/6/04:
Today's El Periodico newspaper (p.43) carries a grisly article. Two human hands and a womb were found in a plastic bag on Barceloneta beach. Forensic experts say that whoever was responsible had considerable anatomical knowledge. Could it be that Jack the Ripper has tired of foggy London and has shifted operations to Barcelona? Surfing
Forget it, I have watched people trying to body and board surf in Barcelona. It's a dead duck - there simply aren't the right kind of waves (and most of the time, the Med. is as calm as a millpond). This holds true even in major storms, when sand vanishes from Barcelona's artificial beaches faster than you can say 'Jack Robinson', revealing underlying industrial detrius (pulverised concrete, coke, etc.) in the process.
Diving
Forget this too unless you are interested in prospecting for heavy metals and other reminders of the city's grim industrial past. Go to Roses instead - there is great diving around the Illes Medes [Medes Islands] (forthcoming tip).
Curiously enough, there is a longish undersea 'hill' 1 km long and some 20 metres high just off the city shore at Sant Adria. It has a thriving population of worms. Unfortunately, the explanation for this curious geographic feature lies in the sediments discharged by the nearby sewage farm - yet another reason to forget diving here.
PARC GUELL
by Helga67
In the park grounds, the Sala Hipóstila is a forest of 84 stone columns, originally intended as a market. Above it is a broad open space whose centrepiece is the Banc de Trenadis, a tiled bench curving sinuously around its perimeter.
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Tibidabo, Church and Carousel
A vision of shimmering glass
Barceloneta beach meets the Mediteranean Sea.
palm trees
