7 NOVEMBRE 2010 BARCELONA DEDICACIÓ DE LA SAGRADA FAMÍLIA

BARCELONA, 28 October 2010.

Barcelona has been making a determined bid to grab the world's attention since twenty-five years. In the run-up to the Olympics, the city has put itself through a transformation without equal anywhere in Europe. Barcelona has become a point for architects and designers where extraordinary architecture can appear on any street corner like the Sagrada Família, The Barcelona's most famous landmark.

BARCELONA
GETTING AROUND

Luckily, for the visitor, Barcelona is compact. Many of the major sights are grouped close enough to walk between, although the hillside location encourages use of the subsided transport system. Wandering around, taking in the streetlife, between frequent stopovers in cafes and restaurants, is as enjoyable as visiting specific sights. Most people begin from the central meeting point of la Plaça de Catalunya – the center of the city -, itself a source of endless fascination. El Metro = subway is quite safe but dangerous at the same time because usually pickpockets attack visitors. Taxis: are coloured yellow and black and are reasonably easy to find. There is never any shortage of information sources for the visitor to Barcelona due to both the city council and the Catalan government have their own tourist information offices, all tourist info offices have English-speaking staff and can provide maps and free leaflets.

LA SAGRADA FAMÍLA

La Sagrada Família. Gaudi’s masterpiece to which he dedicated himself exclusively for the last fifteen years of his life, often sleeping on the site, though the project had in fact been initiated by another architect, Francisco de Villar, in 1883. Only the crypt, the apse and the four towers of the façade of the nativity, along the corner Carrer Marina, were completed in his lifetime. The museum, in the crypt, contains models and a history of the project, and other information on Gaudi. An essential part of any visit is to attempt the climb up the towers beyond the level that can be reached by lift. Work on la Sagrada Família was resumed in 1952 by some Gaudi’s assistants, who drew up plans on the basis of some of his sketches because Gaudi never used detailed plans.

ANAR A INICI