Barcelona-101 reasons

why I love Barcelona and why you should go.

My overall feeling about Barcelona was incredible... I think it is such an amazing city and that it is well worth the trip. I started planning my next trip back 4 hours after I arrived ;)

Well... it's easy enough to give you 101 reasons as to why I think this city is fantastic.... so here you go, in no particular order!!! Pictures are also self explanatory and count as reasons too :)

1- so diverse
2-Proud Catalonian culture
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Catalonia (Catalan: Catalunya, IPA: [kətəˈɫuɲə]; Spanish: Cataluña, IPA: [kataˈluɲa]; Aranese; Catalonha) is a nation^[1] within the Kingdom of Spain and one of its seventeen autonomous regions. Its capital city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an official population of 7,504,881.^[2] It borders France and Andorra to the north, Aragon to the west, the Valencian Community to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the east (580 km coastline). The official languages are Catalan, Spanish and Aranese.

Catalonia is actually one of the oldest nations in Europe: as far back as in 1539, Baltasar de Romaní, who translated Ausiàs March sonnets into Spanish, described him as a "caballero valenciano de nación catalana" ("Valencian gentleman of Catalan nation")^[3]

4- rich in art
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6- beautiful architecture
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8- Gaudi

Antoni Plàcid Guillem Gaudí i Cornet (Catalan pronunciation: [ənˈtoni gowˈði]), (25 June 1852–10 June 1926) was a Spanish Catalan^[3] architect who worked during the Modernist style (Art Nouveau) period but became famous for his unique and highly individualistic designs regarded as beyond the scope of Modernism.^[4] He is sometimes referred to, in English, by the Spanish translation of his name, Antonio Gaudí.^[5][6][7]

Artistic Style:

Gaudí's first works were designed in the style of gothic architecture and traditional Catalan architectural modes, but he soon developed his own distinct sculptural style. French architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, who promoted an evolved form of gothic architecture, proved a major influence on Gaudí. The student went on to contrive highly original designs – irregular and fantastically intricate. Some of his greatest works, most notably La Sagrada Família, have an almost hallucinatory power.

He once said on the subject of gothic architecture:

Gothic art is imperfect, it means to solve; it is the style of the compass, the formula of industrial repetition. Its stability is based on the permanent propping of abutments: it is a defective body that holds with support... gothic works produce maximum emotion when they are mutilated, covered with ivy and illuminated by the moon.^[19]

Gaudí spent ten years working on studies for the design of La Sagrada Família and developing a new method of structural calculation based on a model built with cords and small sacks of lead shot. The outline of the church was traced on a wooden board (1:10 scale), which was then placed on the ceiling of a small house next to the work site. Cords were hung from the points where columns were to be placed. The sacks of pellets, weighing one ten-thousandth part of the weight the arches would to support, were hung from each catenaric arch formed by the cords. Photographs were then taken of the resulting model from various angles. When the photographs were turned upside-down, the lines of tension formed by the cords and weights revealed the lines of pressure of the compressed structure. This is one of the ways that Gaudí obtained natural forms in his work.

The same expressive power of Gaudí's monumental works exists in his oddly graceful chairs and tables. Gaudí's architecture is a total integration of materials, processes and poetics. His approach to furniture design exceeded structural expression and continued with the overall architectural idea.
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10- La Sagrada Familia

It's hard to explain the feeling you get when you walk out of the metro, not knowing which way to go, but you see tourists all looking up at something behind you with their cameras out.... you turn around, and your eyes get wider as you look up and up in amazement... wow... a masterpiece in the making. Info for you:

The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (official Catalan name; Spanish: Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia; "Expiatory Church of the Holy Family"), often simply called the Sagrada Família, is a massive, privately-funded Roman Catholic church that has been under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain since 1882 and is not expected to be complete until at least 2026. A portion of the building's interior is scheduled to open for public worship and tours by September 2010.^[1]

Considered the master-work of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), the project's vast scale and idiosyncratic design have made it one of Barcelona's (and Spain's) top tourist attractions for many years. The church is to be consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on November 7, 2010, during his visit to Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona.^[2]

Construction History

The Sagrada Familia was designed by Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), who worked on the project from 1883 and devoted the last fifteen years of his life entirely to the endeavour. In 1882, prior to Gaudí's involvement, Francesc del Villar was commissioned to design a church on the site. He resigned a year later and Gaudí was appointed the project architect, redesigning the project entirely. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2026. On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have remarked, "My client is not in a hurry." After Gaudí's death in 1926, work continued under the direction of Domènech Sugranyes until interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Parts of the unfinished barn and Gaudí's models and workshop were destroyed during the war by Catalan anarchists. The present design is based on reconstructed versions of the lost plans as well as on modern adaptations. Since 1940 the architects Francesc Quintana, Isidre Puig Boada, Lluís Bonet i Gari and Francesc Cardoner have carried on the work. The illumination was designed by Carles Buigas. The current director and son of Lluís Bonet, Jordi Bonet i Armengol, has been introducing computers into the design and construction process since the 1980s. Mark Burry of New Zealand serves as Executive Architect and Researcher. Sculptures by J. Busquets, Etsuro Sotoo and the controversial Josep Subirachs decorate the fantastical façades.

According to the newspaper El Periódico de Catalunya, 2.26 million people visited the partially built church in 2004, making it one of the most popular attractions in Spain. The central nave vaulting was completed in 2000 and the main tasks since then have been the construction of the transept vaults and apse. As of 2006, work concentrated on the crossing and supporting structure for the main tower of Jesus Christ as well as the southern enclosure of the central nave, which will become the Glory façade.

Recently,^[when?] the Ministry of Public Works of Spain (Ministerio de Fomento) projected the construction of a tunnel for the high speed train just under where the principal façade of the temple is to be built. Although the ministry claims that the project poses no risk to the church, its engineers and architects disagree — there is no guarantee that the tunnel will not affect the stability of the building. A campaign against the AVE was begun by the Sagrada Família preservation society (Patronat de la Sagrada Família) and the neighbourhood association (AVE pel Litoral).

The construction of the church is as much part of its attraction as the church itself. Many tourists come to admire the artists and construction workers in the process of contributing to the completion of Gaudí's masterpiece.

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12-13- Parc Güell

So amazing.... wow... I love this park!!!! It's so neat, to get there, they have set up outdoor escalators!!! I love it!!!! It's super steap...but that's another reason why this city is so amazing (14), because they spend their money well on things such as escalators to help you get up to the top of the mountain... the ease to get move and visit the city's treasures.
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Park Güell (Catalan: Parc Güell) is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of el Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Works of Antoni Gaudí".

Origins as a housing development

The park was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site, the idea of Count Eusebi Güell, whom the park was named after. It was inspired by the English garden city movement; hence the original English name Park (in the Catalan language spoken in Catalonia where Barcelona is located, the word for "Park" is "Parc", and the name of the place is "Parc Güell" in its origin language). The site was a rocky hill with little vegetation and few trees, called Montaña Pelada (Bare Mountain). It already included a large country house called Larrard House or Muntaner de Dalt House, and was next to a neighborhood of upper class houses called La Salud. The intention was to exploit the fresh air (well away from smoky factories) and beautiful views from the site, with sixty triangular lots being provided for luxury houses. Count Eusebi Güell added to the prestige of the development by moving in 1906 to live in Larrard House. Ultimately, only two houses were built, neither designed by Gaudí. One was intended to be a show house, but on being completed in 1904 was put up for sale, and as no buyers came forward, Gaudí, at Güell's suggestion, bought it with his savings and moved in with his family and his father in 1906. ^[1]

Municipal garden

It has since been converted into a municipal garden. It can be reached by underground railway (although the stations are at a distance from the Park), by city buses, or by commercial tourist buses. While entrance to the Park is free, Gaudí's house, "la Torre Rosa," — containing furniture that he designed — can be only visited for an entrance fee. There is a reduced rate for those wishing to see both Park Güell and the Sagrada Familia.

Park Güell is skillfully designed and composed to bring the peace and calm that one would expect from a park. The buildings flanking the entrance, though very original and remarkable with fantastically shaped roofs with unusual pinnacles, fit in well with the use of the park as pleasure gardens and seem relatively inconspicuous in the landscape when one considers the flamboyance of other buildings designed by Gaudí.

The focal point of the park is the main terrace, surrounded by a long bench in the form of a sea serpent. To design the curvature of the bench surface Gaudí used the shape of buttocks left by a naked workman sitting in wet clay. The curves of the serpent bench form a number of enclaves, creating a more social atmosphere. Gaudí incorporated many motifs of Catalan nationalism, and elements from religious mysticism and ancient poetry, into the Park. The visitor was originally greeted by two life-size mechanical gazelles (a major euphemistic symbol of 'the young beloved' in the Hebrew strand of the medieval love poetry of the region), but these have since been lost during the turbulence of war.

Roadways around the park to service the intended houses were designed by Gaudí as structures jutting out from the steep hillside or running on viaducts, with separate footpaths in arcades formed under these structures. This minimized the intrusion of the roads, and Gaudí designed them using local stone in a way that integrates them closely into the landscape. His structures echo natural forms, with columns like tree trunks supporting branching vaulting under the roadway, and the curves of vaulting and alignment of sloping columns designed in a similar way to his Church of Colònia Güell so that the inverted catenary arch shapes form perfect compression structures.^[2]

The large cross at the Park's high-point offers the most complete view of Barcelona and the bay. It is possible to view the main city in panorama, with the Sagrada Familia and the Montjuïc area visible at a distance.

The observant visitor will notice green birds flying around amongst the pigeons and sparrows. These are monk parakeets, either deliberately released to add further colour to the park or escapes from captivity. Like the pigeons they nest in the tall palm trees. Another bird to look out for is the hummingbird that can be seen on some days, if you look hard enough.

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25- the beach
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27- the vibe
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29- bike friendly streets
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31- the Mediterranean
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34- green spaces
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36-
37- the market: La Boqueria
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The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, often simply referred to as La Boqueria, is a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and one of the city's foremost tourist landmarks, with an entrance from La Rambla, not far from the Liceu, Barcelona's opera house. The market has a very diverse selection of goods.

The first mention of the Boqueria market in Barcelona dates from 1217, when tables were installed near the old city gate to sell meat. From December 1470 onwards, a pig market was held at this site; at this time it was known as Mercat Bornet. Later, until 1794, it was known simply as Mercat de la Palla, or straw market. In the beginning, the market was not enclosed and had no official status, being regarded simply as an extension of the Plaça Nova market, which extended to the Plaça del Pi.

Later, the authorities decided to construct a separate market on La Rambla, housing mainly fishmongers and butchers. It was not until 1826 that the market was legally recognized, and a convention held in 1835 decided to build an official structure. Construction began on March 19, 1840 under the direction of the architect Mas Vilà. The market officially opened in the same year, but the plans for the building were modified many times. The inauguration of the structure finally took place in 1853. A new fish market opened in 1911, and the metal roof that still exists today was constructed in 1914.

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42- the freshly squeezed tropical fruit juice
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44- the maracuya juice (passion fruit)
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46- the South American presence
47- the Latino culture
48- the ease to get around
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50- The typical tourist but super practical for short trips: Double Decker Tourist buses.
51- *** Air conditioned metro cars
52- The love for music
53-Spanish Guitar concerts
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56- street musicians
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58-Spanish men playing Gypsie King music while you eat on a...
59-Great patios
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61- the freedom to sunbathe topless
62-the fact that you're on a beach with loads of other people, but people are just doing their own thing, soaking in their own rays.
63-the breeze
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65- La Rambla

La Rambla can be considered a series of shorter streets, each differently named, hence the plural forms Les Rambles (Spanish: Las Ramblas). From the Plaça de Catalunya toward the harbor, the street is successively the Rambla de Canaletes, the Rambla dels Estudis, the Rambla de Sant Josep, the Rambla dels Caputxins, and the Rambla de Santa Monica. Construction of the Maremàgnum in the early 1990s resulted in a continuation of La Rambla on a wooden walkway into the harbor, the Rambla de Mar.

La Rambla can be crowded, especially during prime time tourist season. Most of the time, there are many more tourists than locals occupying the Rambla, which has changed the shopping selection, as well as the character of the street in general.^[1] For this reason also, it has become a prime target for pickpocketing.^[2]

Spanish poet Federico García Lorca once said that La Rambla was "the only street in the world which I wish would never end".

The name rambla refers to an intermittent water flow in both Catalan and Spanish, and is derived from the Arabic 'ramla' which means 'sandy riverbed'. The name of the city of Ramla, now in Israel, shares the same origin.

66- The people that take the time to dress themselves up to the nines and stand in the hot sun for HOURS and take pictures with tourists. Props to them...

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70- the Gothic Quarter

El Gòtic, also known as Barri Gòtic ('Gothic Quarter' in Catalan; Spanish: Barrio Gótico) is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to Ronda de Sant Pere.

Despite several changes undergone in the 19th and early 20th century, many of the buildings date from Medieval times, some from as far back as the Roman settlement of Barcelona. Remains of the squared Roman Wall can be seen around Tapineria and Sots-Tinent Navarro to the north, Avinguda de la Catedral and Plaça Nova to the west and Carrer de la Palla to the south. El Call, the medieval Jewish quarter, is located within this area too.

The Barri Gòtic retains a labyrinthine street plan, with many small streets opening out into squares. Most of the quarter is closed to regular traffic although open to service vehicles and taxis.

71-The narrow streets in the Gothic Quarter
72- Getting lost in the Gothic Quarter to stumble upon little squares such as this one.
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74- El born
El Born or La Ribera (and sometimes referred to as El Borne and Born) has been transformed into a very modern and stylish area with trendy and upmarket shops, cafes, restaurants and bars.

It's stylish and modern and at the forefront of fashion and design. It's Spain's most inovative city and many designers and artists are located in Born creating the new styles for tomorrow.

Born is now a very popular area to stay for a city break or romantic getaway. It's separated from the Gothic Quarter by the famous Via Laietana where you'll find the very lovely Palau de la Musica Catalana on the Carrer de Sant Francesc de Paula.Via Laietana is a very long avenue running from Plaça Urquinaona in the Eixample district to Plaça d'Antonio López by the sea.

The Museu Picasso is housed in five palaces on Carrer de Montcada and often hosts special exhibitions presenting artworks by Picasso and other artists. Two of the five palaces are used for these exhibitions.

The former beautiful old iron and glass covered Mercat del Born (once the most famous food market in Barcelona), has been empty for over thirty years.In 2002 it was to be converted into a library but worked stopped when an underground old city was discovered beneath the market foundation.

75- Paella

Paella (Spanish pronunciation: [paˈeʎa]) is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near lake Albufera, a lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.^[1]

Many non-Spaniards view paella as Spain's national dish, but most Spaniards consider it to be a regional Valencian dish. Valencians, in turn, regard paella as one of their identifying symbols.

There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella (Spanish: paella valenciana), seafood paella (Spanish: paella de marisco) and mixed paella (Spanish: paella mixta), but there are many others as well. Valencian paella consists of white rice, green vegetables, meat (rabbit, chicken, duck), land snails, beans and seasoning. Seafood paella replaces meat and snails with seafood and omits beans and green vegetables. Mixed paella is a free-style combination of meat, seafood, vegetables and sometimes beans.

Most paella chefs use calasparra^[2][3] or bomba^[3] rices for this dish. Other key ingredients include saffron and olive oil.

76- tapas

Tapas (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtapas]) is the name of a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or warm (such as chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squid). In select bars in Spain and maybe in North America or the United Kingdom, tapas has evolved into an entire, and sometimes sophisticated, cuisine. In Spain, patrons of Tapas can order many different tapas and combine them to make a full meal.

The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them.^{[citation needed]} Also, in some countries it is customary for diners to stand and move about while eating tapas.^{[citation needed]}

77- the city views
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79- Random sculptures around the city
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88- the great fans
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91- their excuse to always be celebrating
92- the freedom to dress however you please
93- great weather
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95- the residences
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97- One of the many odd ball traditions I unfortunately did not get to witness:
The Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia, created in 1996, are a colla castellera, based in Vila de Gràcia that makes human castles. The colour of their shirts is navy blue.

The first 4 de 8 ( a human castle 8 stories high with 4 people in each level) was unloaded by the Castellers de Gràcia (to unload a castle means to start and finish the castle without falling ) was achieved on August 17, 2003 in the Plaça de la Vila de Gracia.

Their best performance was: 4 de 8, 2 de 7 and 5 de 7.

Until the year 2008, the Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia have participated four times in the Castle making contest, which is celebrated every two years in Tarragona: On 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.

They are commonly known as “The colla of the blue ones”, because of the colour of their shirts or “The colla of the students” because of the young age of most of their members.

Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia appear briefly in the movie L'auberge espagnole by Cédric Klapisch.

98- Free walking tours- always great tour guides, very informative, and they work for tips... so they work hard!!!

99- Hostels- we stayed in a great one.... It was super central and I would def. go back... I made a new friend there too, Javier from Argentina!! I also went to another one that was party central... a little bit further out of city centre, but still very accessible!

100- The best cities on earth are surrounded by mountains, water, city life, and culture.... Barcelona has these.

101- Because it is: AMAZING, ASTOUNDING, BEWILDERING, BREATHTAKING, EXTRAORDINARY, IMPRESSIVE, MARVELOUS, MIRACULOUS, SPECTACULAR, STAGGERING, STARTLING, STRIKING, STUNNING, STUPEFYING, STUPENDOUS, WONDERFUL, AND WONDROUS ... okay, that went over my 101 with all those synonyms, but you get the drift :)