Sites of Interest

Palau Guell Mansion

One of the great architectural works of Antoni Gaudi was Palau Guell, a mansion that he designed and constructed for the Guell family in the heart of downtown Barcelona.

A lot of religious symbolism went into designing this palace. The basement, which was the horse stables was a representation of hell and the roof represented heaven. The roof has abstract sculptures, covered with glazed ceramic, marble and crystal. One of the main hallways was built to represent Purgatory. One side of the hall had huge windows allowing natural light and the other side was a false wall with frosted glass windows.

Museu de Picasso

Pablo Picasso went to art school and grew up in Barcelona. Hence Barcelona has the largest Picasso museum which houses most of his work. On display are his sketches on scrap paper, paintings, full portraits,and other articles he once used.

Palau de la Musica Catalana

The Palau de la Música Catalana is one of the world's leading concert halls. It was constructed by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner in the twentieth century. Stained glass, mosaics and ceramics were used extensively on the roof, walls and floor. Large sculptures and statues adorn the interior.

La Pedrera (Casa Mila)

One of Gaudi's projects to create a completely new form of housing. The result was the asymmetrical Casa Mila. There are no square edges on the building reflecting Gaudís creativity and true architectural genius. It was constructed with massive blocks of stone and ironwork. According to Gaudi there are no straight lines it nature and hence he constructed the whole structure in a curvilinear fashion. With flower plants in the balconies and creepers and trees on the out side this structure was built to represent nature.

Las Rambla del Mar

La Rambla is a great tree canopied parkway leading to the Mediterranean sea. Las Ramblas is rich in tradition and history and is usually crowded with performers, artists and vendors. At the sea front is a monument of Christopher Columbus, 'Monument a Colom', pointing towards the New World. The Barcelona Aquarium is located on the Las Ramblas. It is a huge aquarium containing several hundred species of tropical fish including sharks. It also has an 80 meter long underwater tunnel of glass through which visitors can walk through and admire the sea creatures.

Boqueria

The Boqueria market in Barcelona is one of the oldest and best markets in Europe. It is a huge complex of endless shops and stalls. As you wind your way through the bustle of the market you can see fruit and vegetable sellers, butchers cutting fresh meat, fish mongers selling all kinds of sea food, bakeries with mouth watering pastries, every kind of cheese made in Europe and the list is endless. There are several restaurants where you can enjoy a freshly cooked meal.

Monestir de Montserrat

Monestir de Montserrat is a monastery, known as the holiest place in the entire region of Catalonia. The monastery is located atop Montserrat. The monastery dates back to the 9th century. It was destroyed in the War of Independence against the French and later rebuilt. Public access to the monastery is possible via a cable car that provides an excellent view of the countryside below including the small chapels on every peak of the mountain range.

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