Welcome to Barcelona – the capital of Catalonia. This cosmopolitan city has a magnetic, cultural charm that remains unbroken with time. As one of the busiest ports on the Mediterranean, there are endless bars, cafes and restaurants where you can soak up your spare time. Team Curso/CTR Barcelona

1. from
barcelona, with
love
download E-Book: http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/from-barcelona-with-love/15151835

2. Meet the team:
Jamie Charnock, 23, England
NATHEY POMAR, 21, AUSTRIA
RINA ELECCION, 18, GERMANY
LAURA TIMMANN, 22, GERMANY
Emma Pearce, 21, England
Johanna thoresen, 21, germany
Alana Breen, 23, Ireland.

3. BIENVENIDOS AMIGOS!
Welcome to Barcelona – the capital of Catalonia. This
cosmopolitan city has a magnetic, cultural charm that remains un-broken
with time. As one of the busiest ports on the Mediterranean,
there are endless bars, cafes and restaurants where you can soak up
your spare time.
Although Barcelona is the second biggest city in Spain, it has the
power to make you feel at home straight away. Give yourself the
chance to get lost in its beauty whilst exploring the many different
streets. Divided up into barrios or zones, it feels like lots of smaller
towns, brought together. Each barrio has its own unique character
drenched in history, however each section of the jigsaw that is Bar-celona,
fits together perfectly meaning you never feel out of place or
uncomfortable.
As this guide will prove, there are many reasons why you should
visit Barcelona at least once in your lifetime. As you browse through
this guide, you will have your eyes opened to whole new Barcelona.
From tourist spots to hidden gems, we have it all for you!!
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and explore…

4. A COLOURFUL HISTORY OF BARCELONA:
The origins of the name of Barcelona are
unclear, but there are various legends about
the city’s foundation: Some people think
that Barcelona was founded by Hercules;
another theory in the 3rd century BC refers
to the Carthaginian General Hamilcar Bar-ca,
Hannibal’s father, who named the city
Barcino after his family.
In 15 BC, the Romans establis
hed a military camp, centred on a hill
called Mons Taber, which was located near
the Contemporary City Hall, Plaça de Sant
Jaume. The small colony was called Iulia
Augusta Paterna Faventia Barcino.
The city was conquered by the Visigoths in
the early 5th century and became capital
of the whole of Hispania. The Arabs con-quered
the city in the 8th century and by
1137, all of Catalonia was under control of
the Count of Barcelona.
From the 4th to the 13th century, a major
expansion took place and a second wall was
built around the Cathedral of Santa María
del Mar. The city’s growth increased by
the beginning of the industrialisation and
Barcelona flourished particularly because
of the trade with former colonies, such as
Cuba and Costa Rica.
Nevertheless, the real expansion took place when
the original walls were pulled down and the
area l’Eixample was constructed. This growing
industrial prosperity was reflected in Barcelona’s
architecture and the city also hosted the world
exhibition in 1888. One of the most popular
architects at that time was the Catalan Antoni
Gaudí, who designed buildings like the Sagrada
Familia or Parc Güell in Art Nouveau.
Castile and Aragon were united when Isabella
I of Castile married Ferdinand II of Aragon in
1469 and Madrid became the centre of political
power.
As a consequence of the War of the Spanish
Succession (1701 – 1714), the bourbon Philip V
finally conquered Barcelona on September 11th
in 1714, which led to Catalonia losing its author-ity
and political power.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Barcelona
was transformed into a modern city, which came
to an abrupt end with a dramatic coup d’état
against the government of the so called ‘Segun-da
República’ in 1936. The Spanish Civil War
between Republicans and Nationalists, who were
led by General Francisco Franco, ended in the
victory of the Nationalists in 1939. At that time,
the autonomous institutions of Catalonia (Gen-eralitat
de Catalunya) were abolished. Catalan
language was suppressed in public places,
schools and publishing and there was a lack of
Catalan culture and identity. After 36 years of
Franco’s dictatorship, King Juan Carlos I came to
power, which led to the transition to democracy.
Catalonia’s Statute of Autonomy was recognized
in 1978.
Barcelona gained international recognition by
hosting the Olympic Games in 1992 and today,
it’s considered one of the most popular tourist
destinations in the world.
Catalonia and Independence
Due to the linguistic, historical and cultural
differences in comparison to the rest of Spain, a
lot of inhabitants define Catalonia as a nation.
In a symbolic referendum in 2009, 95 per cent
of the voters were in favour of Catalonia’s inde-pendence
from Spain and wanted it to achieve
statehood, but there was a low voter turnout
(only 27 per cent). On Catalonia’s National
Holiday (‚La Diada’), 11 November 2013, hun-dreds
of thousands of people demonstrated in
Catalonia for the independence from Spain
and the right to decide about their future. To
draw attention to their claim to independence,
they formed a human chain across Catalonia,
with a remarkable length of 400 kilometres.
On 9 November 2014, Catalans want to hold a
referendum on Catalonia’s political future and
take a vote on the independence from Spain.

5. Getting around in barcelona.
The first thing you need to know about transport, and also the
thing that may leave you most confused when arriving in
Barcelona, is how to get from the airport to the city.
There are many different ways to make this journey, including
taxis, shuttle busses and trains. The taxi service, although relatively
cheap compared to most taxi services, would not be the recom-mended
choice, as the airport offers much better options.
An “Aerobus” runs regularly between the airport and the city cen-tre,
making it easy for visitors to make their flight with plenty of
time to spare! The cost of a single ticket is €5.75 and a return is well
priced at €9.95 and lasts for 9 days, if you are staying in Barcelona
for a bit longer.
There is also a train that runs from the airport, however you will
have to change to the metro when you get closer to Barcelona,
which may not be a lot of fun when you’re dragging that per-son-
sized suitcase around in the heat!!
When it comes to getting around the city, there are many different
transportation modes to keep you connected, and what’s even bet-ter
is that you can use the same ticket on both the metro and buses
throughout Zone 1 of Barcelona.
The TMB, or Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, offers a wide
variety of tickets. A T10 is a good option for short stay visitors, rea-sonably
priced at around €10 this ticket allows you to have ten rides
throughout your stay. Alternatively there is a T50/30 if you’re plan-ning
on staying longer. This ticket allows you to make 50 journeys
over 30days for €42.50.
If you’re not one for the hot and crowded metros, or even if you are,
then you should definitely take the time to travel around Barcelona
by foot. It is such a beautiful city and you can walk from one end of
the city to another in about an hour!

6. Plaça d’Espanya
Address: Placa D‘Espanya
Metro: L3 Espanya
Price: Varies depending on attraction
Opening Times: N/A
Website: N/A
Plaça d’Espanya, also known as Plaza de Española in Spanish, is one of
Barcelona’s biggest and busiest squares, with many of the city’s main
roads, for example, Gran Via, running through it. Built in 1929, it was to beco-me
part of the site of the International Exposition, which celebrated
Catalan industry and progress and financed much of the construction around
Montjuic. The centre point of the square is a beautiful fountain,
designed by Josep Maria Jujol, who collaborated frequently with Antoni Gau-di.
You can begin your journey of the Plaça at the Palau Nacio, the National
Museum of Catalan Art, which stands regally on the side of Montjuic
Mountain. You can even have a nosey round the exhibition if you fancy seeing
some of Catalonia’s most famous works of art, such as, Ramon Casas’ „Toros
(Cavalls morts) o A l‘estiu, tota cuca viu“ A student gets an attractive 30%
discount and the museum is free on Saturdays after 3pm. The Palau boasts in-credible
views of the square itself and there is never a better time to take in its
beauty than when it is lit at night, with the Font Magica in its wake.
One of the square’s main attractions is the impressive Arenas de Barcelona.
This old Bullring is now home to a six-storey shopping centre, which is a Mec-ca
for the local fashionistas. The unique viewing platform offers panoramic
views of Barcelona for only €1 and if you choose to
eat on the rooftop terrace your entry fee is
reimbursed.

7. El parc de la cituadella
Address: Avinguda del Marques de l‘Argentera
Metro: L1 Arc de Triomf
Price: Free
Opening times: 10.00 - dusk
Website: N/A
There are lots of gorgeous local parks in Barcelona, but el Parc de la Ciutadel-la
is a parc young people have to visit. You may think it is just a stereotypical
touristic park, because of its location next to the Arc de Triomf, but you would
be wrong.
For non-residents and locals the park builds an island of calmness, brimming
with beautiful fountains and attractions, within the hustle and bustle of
the centre of Barcelona.
You can see people sleeping like a log or doing sports and arts, which empha-sises
the calm nature of this parc, as you can do whatever you want to do in
peace and quiet. When you visit, there will always be the mix of tranquility
and serenity against the sound of drums, guitars and jolly people.
In addition to that, you can hire a small boat and canoe through the parc’s
lake or experience all the great artwork that is presented next to important
buildings like the Catalan Parliament or the monumental waterfall. You can
spend hours in the parc without doing a thing or you can spend your time ex-ploring
all the many wonderful things that are on offer. El Parc de la Ciutadella
is a beautiful and magical place that is well worth a visit!

8. Camp nou
Address: Avinguda Aristedes Maillol
Metro: L3 Palau Reial/L5 Collblanc
Camp Nou Experience: €22.50
Opening Times: 9.30 – 7.30 (NOT open on Match Days)
Website: www.fcbarcelona.com
Just a short walk from the metro station, visitors will find themselves on Car-rer
d’Arístides Maillol looking up at the spectacular concrete giant that is the
Camp Nou. Home to one of the world’s biggest clubs, this impressive stadium
is the largest in Europe, with a capacity of 99,354.
The Camp Nou has been the FC Barcelona stadium since it’s opening in Sep-tember
1957 and was designed by architects Francesc Mitjans Miró and
Josep Soteras Mauri, however throughout the decades the ground has undergo-ne
many renovations, leaving the monumental shell that is present today.
Entrance 9 gives you access to the Museum’s entrance, where you will undoub-tedly
notice the ticket sales queue, which are to be expected from one of the
city’s most popular museums. To avoid being squeezed through the long run
of steel barriers with hundreds of other visitors, buy your tickets online before
you arrive.
Once inside the museum boasts an impressive array of Cups, trophies and
other memorabilia, including posters, worn kits, and even a letter of gratitude
from Barack Obama himself. And just incase you needed a subtle reminder of
quite how amazing this club is, big names such as Maradona, Cruyff and Messi
loom large upon the walls throughout the museum.
Informative exhibits trace the club’s colourful history back to 1899, when it was
co-founded and chaired by Englishman Arthur Witty. The highpoint of the
tour is the behind-the-scenes access you get. The club offers a once in a lifetime
chance to visit the press box with panoramic views of the stadium, the locker
rooms where the players share their emotions on matches and the chapel where
many of the more religious team members go before entering the pitch.
Although the tour does require patience, as you battle with Nikon cameras and
tourists galore, it is a must see for anyone who appreciates the beautiful game.

9. Aquarium
Address: Moll d’Espanya del Port Vell, s/n 08039 – Barcelona
Metro Station: Barceloneta
Price: €20 adult/€15 child/€5 toddlers
Opening Times: 9.30-21.00, weekend: 9.30-21.30, July and August: 9.30-23.00
Website: www.aquariumbcn.com
The amazing aquarium of Barcelona, located in the Port Vell, opened in 1995.
You can see over 11,000 different underwater creatures and 450 different species,
making it one of the largest aquariums in Europe.
There are 35 different aquariums within the building, some smaller and some
that are much bigger, some even have a large window built into them allowing
you to see the beautiful flowers and fauna in the Meditteranean sea.
A special highlight is the glass tunnel that gives you the unique opportunity to
see sharks and other creatures extremely close up. The aquarium even offers its
visitors a once in a lifetime diving experience where you can swim alongside the
sharks with a qualified scuba diver, however this does cost a steep €300.
Over every tank there is detailed information provided about the aquariums
inhabitants, in English, Spanish and Catalan, making this a wonderful day out
for everyone!
The aquarium is almost always pretty crowded so you need to leave enough time
to get through the whole aquarium. Or why not buy your tickets online before
you arrive? Not only will this save queuing but it will also save you €2 per ticket!
This wonderful, underwater adventure is a must see in Barcelona..

10. El Refugi 307
Address: Carrer Nou de la Rambla, Poble Sec
Metro: L3 Para-lel
Price: €4.30 adult admission
Opening Times: Monday – Saturday only open to groups with advance reser-vations.
Sundays: guided tours at 10.30, 11.30 and 12.30.
Website: http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/MUHBA---Refugi-307
On the surface, Barcelona may seem like a model of the 21st century city, with
a multicultural population and streets filled with arts, modernity and innova-tion.
However lying two metres below ground are numerous refugis aeris, or
public air raid shelters which were constructed during the Spanish Civil War.
Located in Poble Sec, El Refugi 307 is a fantastic example of just how far
Barcelona has come. The 400 metre long tunnels bear testament to the years
between 1937 and 1939 when Barcelona became the first city in the world who-se
civilian population was targeted by air attacks.
The shelter was numbered 307 by the civil defence organisation and when
approaching its entrance at the bottom of Montjuïc, this number is displayed
proudly on the door. Built to protect Barcelonans from the raids instigated by
Franco and his army, the shelters were built under houses, in metro stations
and throughout the city, creating an underworld and involving great cooperati-on
between the people of Barcelona.
El Refugi is a unique and moving experience that evokes a flood of feelings.
You get the chance to discover what the living conditions were like within the
tunnels, see different rooms including toilets and temporary hospital area. Gui-ded
tours are given in English, Spanish and Catalan making this hidden gem a
must see!