A work colleague has just returned from a five week vacation in Europe. I asked her which places she enjoyed the most. Her answer was London, Paris and Barcelona. No doubt many of you are familiar with London and Paris. You may not know so much about Barcelona. If not, read on.
Barcelona on the shores of the Mediterranean is the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous community of Spain. The city was showcased to the world during the 1992 summer Olympics. Who can forget the spectacular lighting of the Olympic cauldron as the archer shot his arrow into the cauldron? Apart from enjoying the best in sport at the time I also remember the spectacular sights from around the city during the Olympic coverage.
Some places of interest you should see during your visit to Barcelona include La Rambla, Barri Gotic, Museu Picasso, La Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, Montjuic and Tibidabo.
The locals known as Catalans are fervent defenders of their language, culture and traditions, normally define their identity as Catalan ahead of Spanish. Add this fantastic city to your must visit destinations and book your accommodation in Barcelona!
La Sardana, a traditional dance, forms part of their surprising folklore which is still alive today. The participants form a circle, take each other by the hand and dance to the sound of the tamberines, wind instruments and rustic flutes. Els Castells is another very famous tradition. These human towers require alot of skill and an almost blind trust in your partner. For many, it is a symbol of courage and the solidarity between Catalans.
Catalan, together with Castellano, is the official language of the community. Keeping the language alive is one of the most important aspects for the catalan people and with regards to the situation of bilingualism, Catalan is the language most used here. Therefore, making an effort to learn the basic vocabulary for conversation in Catalan would be very useful if you are considering coming to Barcelona, as a mark of repect. It is also the first step to integration.
With regards to the typical Catalan character, from a general perspective, it is said that you have to really get to know the person well to find out. Catalans generally steer away from superficiality and prudency, but after the first impression and once you really get to know them, “the Catalan” can normally be a loyal and very fun kind of person. It could also be said that the Catalan character is a species that consists of a mix between good (seny) and excessive (rauxa). You just have to look at Gaud? and Dal? to see this! Make sure when you come to this wonderful place, you stay in a Barcelona apartments or a hotel in Barcelona
Sports fans are well catered for in Barcelona. Even if you are not a football or soccer fan it would be worthwhile attending a Barcelona Football Club match at Camp Nou. This huge stadium can host close to 100,000 fans. There is also an annual Formula 1 grand prix. In 2009 the F1 race will be held on 8-10 May. Tennis fans can enjoy the Open Sabedell Atlantico ATP tennis tour event in April each year.
