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Madrid's Puerta de Europa twin towers (which lean by 15 degrees). |
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Gran Via - Madrid's Broadway
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The Royal Palace in Madrid. |
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The Throne Room in the Royal Palace.
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The dining room in the Royal Palace. |
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A museum next to the Royal Palace in Madrid.
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One of several entrances to the "main square" of Madrid. |
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Inside the "main square."
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Madrid's post office. |
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Plaza de Cibeles - The patron goddess of Madrid.
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An apartment building restored by the architect Antoni Gaudi in the years 1904-1906. |
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Apparently, Barcelona has some of the nicest beaches in the
world. Here's one (topless) beach.
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Las Ramblas is a popular area for shops and sidewalk cafes in central Barcelona. |
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Another building designed by the Catalan architect Antoni
Gaudi. Built in 1905-1910.
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Torre Agba is one of the more interesting buildings at night. It is apparently in one of the rougher parts of town as a local advised us not to go there at night (who apparently has never been in South Central LA). We did anyway, no problemo. |
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At the end on Las Ramblas is the Columbus Monument. It was
constructed in 1888 and is located at the site where Columbus
returned to Spain after his first voyage to the Americas.
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Placa De Catalunya is a large square in central Barcelona that is generally considered to be its city center. |
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A side street that crosses/enters Las Ramblas. EVERY
afternoon it was like this!
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Barcelona Cathedral was constructed throughout the 13th to 15th centuries. The roof is notable for its gargoyles, featuring a wide range of animals, both domestic and mythical. It is located in the medieval Gothic Quarter. |
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The interior of the cathedral. Pictures do not do it justice.
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According to a sign at the entance, this alley (Carrer del Bisbe - Bishop Street), next to the Cathedral, was once a Roman aqueduct built in 10 BC. |
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A sculpture in an alley square (Placa del Rei). These street
performers were making giant bubbles.
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The La Sagrada Familia is a church that Antoni Gaudi dedicated the latter part of his life to. It's still not finished after more than 100 years of construction, but should be done between the 2020s and 2040s. When completed, there will be a 500 foot spire jutting up from the center (about twice the current height of the existing spires). |
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The exterior includes a variety of sculptures, some classical and some, like these,
cubic.
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More classical sculptures on the other side of the church. |
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The interior, which can hold 13,000 people, is modeled after biological
things (like trees). Note the design of the columns.
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This fortress was built at Montjuic in the 1700's. It overlooks the harbor. |
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Another view of the fortress.
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A view of Barcelona from the fortress. Note the Sagrada Familia on the left side and Torre Agba on the right side, both in the distance. |
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The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (National Art Museum
of Catalonia). It is housed in the Palau Nacional, built for
the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. Located on the
Montjuic hill at the end of Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina.
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Looking up towards the dome of the National Art Museum. Beautiful. |
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A view of the main hall of the National Art Museum.
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Looking down the Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina from the National Art Museum of Catalonia. |
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A fountain at the Placa d'Espanya, one of Barcelona's most
important squares, built on the site of the 1929 Exhibition.
The square had been previously been used for public hangings.
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