A Historical Spanish Holiday

One of the locations very few would want to miss while visiting Madrid, Spain is the Puerta del Sol, or ‘Gate of the Sun’. This is a roadwork system that looks much like the sun. It starts with a slab outside the Casa de Correos, and going out from that slab are the set of six roads that make up the highways of Spain. As you begin your holiday of exploring Madrid, this is the place to begin.

At one time, the gates were the entryway into Madrid.  Back in the 15th century it was important to be fortified and the city was encompassed by a protective wall.

Now your holiday to this area will find less in the arena of military fortifications and more in the arena of interesting attractions.  Among them, a massive bear sculpture. He is eating fruit from a madrone tree. The tree is where the city gets it’s name, and the Bear is a symbol of strength for the people of the city.

As you continue your travel into the city down Alcala Street, stop at the Regina Hotel. From this location you can see the unique statues on top of the banks before your continue your trip.

One of Madrid’s most important sites is not far away. It is the House of the Post Office.  You will spot this building as the one with the large clock face on the side of the tower. It was built in 1768, and if you happen to be in the area around the New Year Holiday, this will be the location of the major celebrations.  The holiday celebration is the traditional festival eating of Twelve Grapes.  When the clock chimes, all will cheer in celebration of the New Year.

In addition to being a location for celebration and merriment during holiday times, the Puerta del Sol is also a location that has more serious moments as well. It is commonly a location where political demonstrations and protests are held. It is very possible you will see one during your travels.

Also in this area are all the other things you will be looking for on your vacation. There are a large number of shops that offer anything from department store shopping to specialty shops, antique shops and other venues. There are also a number of attractions to view, as well as a great supply of restaurants so you can try out a lot of the local fare.

You will not be at a loss for night life when you visit Madrid.  Often some areas just start kicking into high gear after midnight. There are street musicians, and a festive attitude as well as a number of bars and dance establishments to keep you busy until the wee hours of the morning. And when morning comes and you are ready to take up touring again, you are just a short distance from the Royal Palace or Palacio Real, parliament, Plaza Mayor, and many more shops and restaurants waiting for you along the way

Travel to Spain: Barcelona and Madrid

Spain boasts long stretches of sandy beaches and once you leave the spurious glitz of the tourist resorts, you'll find the real Spain which shimmers to the strum of flamenco guitars.

Accommodation: Luxury to budget stays
The internet can offer some of the best information on the cost, range and location of Spain hotels.

Madrid: the city that loves art
Madrid is not a sightseeing haven like Paris or Rome but there are a host of attractions like the Prado museum, Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace. Sit at one of the many cafes and observe the passing procession and the street artists.

Transport: how to get there and around
Madrid’s large airport, Barajas, is accessible by metro from the city. Once downtown you can walk around as the area is quite compact. Transport options include the bus, metro and taxi.

Weather
As a whole, Spanish weather is glorious from April to November. Madrid’s summer reaches 30 C where as the winter can drop to 0 C.

Accommodation: Luxury to budget stays
The internet can offer some of the best information on the cost, range and location of hotels in Madrid.

Attractions & Events
Spanish people love to celebrate, Festivals are part of their culture. You can enjoy the best of the festival fun during Semana Santa and also from Sept to Oct.

*The popular Carnevale is held from February to March.

*During May there are two main events to mark in your diary – 2 May, The Fiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid and 15 May, Fiestas de San Isidro.

*The bullfighting season starts in February, Madrid hosts the world’s largest bullfighting ring.

Barcelona: vibrant metropolis
An increasingly popular destination, Barcelona’s modern face is fashionable and vibrant but still holds the Spanish traditional spirit. Parts of the city are haunted by the spirit of the eccentric genius Gaudi who fantastic architecture dazzles the imagination.

Transport: how to get there and around
Barcelona’s international airport is located only 7.5 miles out of town. It is also possible to travel internationally to Barcelona by train. If coming from Italy or the Balearic Island another options is the ferry.

The town is pedestrian friendly which helps when exploring the sights on foot. If you want a faster way to get around, the metro is an easy option.

Weather
Summer temperatures can reach a simmering 34 C. The most pleasant weather is between May and July. When October comes around it starts to cool off with a little rain.

Accommodation: Luxury to budget stays
The internet can offer some of the best information on the cost, range and location of hotels in Barcelona.

Attractions & Events
With 15 official holiday days annually, Barcelona likes to celebrate.   

*There are 10 days of fancy dress and dancing parades during Carnaval in Feburary-March.

*Catalunya's patron saint, Sant Jordi is celebrated on the 23rd April.

*For dancing, music and theatre don’t miss Festival del Grec, from June to August.

*For something a little different, Festes de la Merce, has a swimming race and a fire race on the 24 September.

La Sagrada Familia - Past And Future

La Sagrada Familia can be found in Barcelona, in Catalonia in Spain and is renowned as Antoni Gaudi’s masterpiece.

Although thought of as a cathedral, it is in fact, a basilica – the cathedral in Barcelona is the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia.

Gaudi was handed the project in 1884, but only after the founding association and the original choice of architect Francesc del Villar had irreconcilable disagreements with those behind the project.

Gaudi went back to the drawing board and came back with a completely new design. He worked on the project for more than 40 years and during the last 15 years of his life, he devoted his entire efforts to it.

As the building began to take shape, and reach further and further into the sky, the building began to take on a much talked about fantastical shape and the now world famous four spike shaped towers were crowned with geometrically shaped tops that were most likely influenced by the Cubist movement. The complicated decorations covering the basilica are rooted firmly with Art Nouveau styles.

Unfortunately, in 1926, before La Sagrada Familia could be completed, Antoni Gaudi died. The iconic towers were originally intended to be three times higher than they were. At this time, the Spanish Civil War broke out and parts of the unfinished basilica and Gaudi’s models and workshop were destroyed. No plans were left for the completion of the building and since then, work has continued on it with a variety of different architects, including Francesc Quintana and Lluis Gari. Famous sculptors such as J. Busquets and the controversial Josep Subirachs have work decorating the facades.

Work has continued on La Sagrada Familia with the original plans being reconstructed from historical notes and adapting it to modern times.

As Gaudi intended, every part of the basilica’s design is rich with Christian symbolism. He wanted the church to be “the last great sanctuary of Christendom”. In all, there will be 18 of the striking towers, representing in ascending order of height, the 12 Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and tallest of all – Jesus Christ. The four Evangelists towers will be topped with their traditional symbols, an angel, a bull an eagle and a lion – representing St Luke, St Matthew, St Mark and St John accordingly. The tallest tower will be surmounted by a huge cross.

There will be three grand facades – the Nativity, the Passion and the unfinished Glory façade. The Passion façade includes strikingly emaciated figures of Christ being whipped and crucified and the doors on this façade reproduce words from the Bible in various languages, including Catalan, and the Glory façade is to be decorated with words from the Apostle’s Creed.

La Sagrada Familia was the most popular tourist attraction in the whole of Spain in 2004 with 2.26 million people visiting the unfinished building.

It is hoped that, with the advent of quicker building technology than in the 1900’s when La Sagrada Familia was started, it will be finished in 2026 – the centenary of Gaudi’s death.