Tarragona - Spain

Tarragona – Spain

Post published:14 November 2015
Post category:Europe Southern Europe Spain

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Capital of Hispania Tarraconensis

Just a week after being in Barcelona and Girona, we returned but this time with the main objective of spending Saturday sightseeing another city we’ve not been before: Tarragona. This is one of the great advantages of flying to Barcelona, and it’s that the entire autonomous region of Catalonia is filled with history and sights everywhere, hence it’s a perfect place to keep returning year after year. Not only to be with my Catalan friends, but also for going together to the many places around. After all they are also great guides since they’ve been many times before in these cities.

Tarragona was in our agenda for a long time. It is one of the few Spanish cities where so many Roman remains can be visible and integrated in the new city that constantly grew since the fall of the Roman Empire. Nowadays the ruins of Tarraco are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. I can only recall the city of Merida, in Extremadura, as one of the best examples in the whole of Spain for the largest amount of monumental structures greatly preserved from the Roman times.

Once again as it was last weekend in Girona, the city is not too big and it is perfect for a day visit. Majority of tourist are day-trippers from Barcelona or the coastal resorts, and so we were coming for the day from Barcelona where we had our hotel. I cannot imagine however, any longer in the city should be your plan only stay here as you will end up with nothing else to do on your second day. (more…)

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Girona - Spain

Girona – Spain

Post published:7 November 2015
Post category:Europe Southern Europe Spain

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Iberian and Roman Gerunda

One of the yearly commonly weekend trips to Barcelona that we tend to do around October – November, but finally this time and after being so many times in Barcelona we though it was long due the visit to the many other cities and places nearby. To start this weekend, Girona. As for the weekend after this that we will return again to Barcelona, it will be Tarragona the main sight, and so until the next year already when we will book further flights to Barcelona to most likely keep touring around the beautiful region of Catalonia with the countless sights and places to visit on offer.

Girona lies to the north of Barcelona 100 kilometres and it is the last province within Spain, south of the Pyrenees mountain range, before the direct border with France being Perpignan the first large city in France at only 35 kilometres farther north. Conquered by the Moors and reconquered from them saw in turns between the 7th and 10th centuries becoming afterwards one of the most important Jews centres in Europe, finally expelled in 1492. Its legacy can be still seen today as one of the major tourist attractions in the city, the Jewish ghetto, the best preserved in Europe.

The city is filled with charm and history everywhere, with numerous important buildings and monuments of special mention the beautiful examples of Catalan Gothic architecture making it a great tourist destination. Most tourists who visit the city are day-trippers, either from Barcelona or from elsewhere along the coastal resorts, or even from the southern region of France like Perpignan. (more…)

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Barcelona - Spain

Barcelona – Spain

Post published:26 June 2010
Post category:Europe Southern Europe Spain

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Roman Barcino; Ciudad Condal

With so many trips and visits to one of my all time favourite cities in the world; usually coming once or twice a year since 2003 mainly to visit and enjoy being with my friends, it’s finally a great time to create the travel guide for it, no more excuses on why to postpone. And while I am typing these introductory words, I do already know this will be a long guide and harder to create than most of the cities I’ve been, merely because I know it very well by now and can describe lots of facts and places.

Barcelona is a brand on its own. Everyone around the world have heard of it. In fact, although at points painful, many people from non Spanish speaking countries do believe it is the capital of Spain. Well, on the other hand, the city knew well how to sell itself to the world. Adverts, promotions, guides, tourist projects to bring people, great marketing and so on; something Madrid has only started doing recently. But of course, Barcelona has an asset impossible to beat, the sea. It is the 3rd largest city in the Mediterranean only after Istanbul and Alexandria.

Although along the coast, it is not only a seaside destination; it is a major centre for financial, telecommunications, cultural and businesses. Second transport hub after Madrid. Large music, sport and arts city; and an incredible architecture playground unique in Spain. After all, the millions of tourist and business people the city receive per year want to marvel the elegant avenues with the countless collection of Modernist style constructions, having the ones from Gaudi (full name Antoni Gaudi i Cornet) the sight number one. (more…)

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