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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.
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.
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.
 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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