I found Barcelona to be a much friendlier city than Madrid. It is a sprawling city that now is the number one port for Mediterranean cruise ships. One may recall that in 1992 Barcelona was home to the Olympic Games...and much of the venue construction remains in use today.
I began my tour of the city in Placa Catalonia area....it was at one time a tree lined promenade but now is very open....there are a number of side walk restaurants to enjoy the scenery.
One of the ever present things in Barcelona is the motor bike....they are everywhere. A popular alternative to the auto and one which you will see all ages and all professions using....as this picture shows...
Some of these motorbikes are quite classic....
The Gothic District of the city encompasses a number of streets around the Catheral Barri with many of the buildings of medieval origin. The Cathedral is one of the most representative buildings of medieval Barcelona....
The port area of Barcelona was regenerated prior to the '92 Olympics and the promenade of palm trees now lines the way to the infamous Colombus Monument at the round-about....it is 50 meters high and was built for the Worlds Fair in 1888. It commemorates his return from his first trip to America.....
The Montjuic area of the city overlook the port and of course provide panoramic views of the harbour area..it also provided the focal point and main sporting area of the 1992 Olympic Games. Such as the Olympic Stadium...used for opening/closing ceremonies. Interesting that the stadium is a restored building originally dating back to 1929. The entire interior was fully refurbished and only the facade of 1929 remained. Here first is the Olympic torch...
...the building....
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In the Montjuic Park area is the so called German Pavilion (Miles Van Der Rohe Pavilion) it was designed in 1929 for the Barcelona International Exhibition. It was demolished at the end of the exhibit and reconstructed in 1986 on the same site...
The towers formed the entrance into the 1929 Fair....
I am sure the Central Railway Station in Barcelona was a focal point for persons coming to the 1929 Fair as well as the 1992 Olympics. It is here that the railway network of Spain converges and many hi-speed trains arrive and depart daily. The Estacio De Sants is the station I arrived in from Madrid......
The Casa Mila and popularly known as La Pedera is on of Architect Gaudi's greatest works. It was constructed between 1906 and 1910 and was the last civil work by Gaudi before he devoted himself exclusively to the Sagada Family. The main floor of the building was occupied by the owning family and the rest of the apartments were rented.
One other piece of work that is characteristic of Gaudi - although he did not build it - that is not far away is the Casa Batllo. The facade is topped with ceramic tiles to look like fish scales in a rhymthic sequence to resemble the backbone of a dragon - go figure!!!! Anyway....here it is....
Some other highlights....the Hospital De Sant Pau (under rennovation)
The Barcelona markets...
and finally....these are the chimneys from an old power plant. When the plant was taken down the chimneys were left and used as the basis for a new shopping area....quite cool....
Okay.....enough already....next up....some of the great architecture of Barcelona and the F.C.B.!!!!!!
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