Frommer's Barcelona
Chapter One
The Best of Barcelona
With its agricultural wealth, excellent harbor, and industrious population,
Barcelona has always managed to flourish through both good times and bad.
When Madrid was still a dusty Castilian hamlet, the Ciudad Condal (as it's popularly
known) was a powerful, diverse capital with a Mediterranean empire that extended as far
as Athens. Influenced over the centuries by Romans, Visigoths, Franks, and even Castilians,
it absorbed a little of each of their influences to become the fascinatingly complete
city it is today.
Landmark Gothic buildings and world-class museums fill the historic center, and the
whimsical creations of the modernisme movement and cutting-edge contemporary architecture
line the wide boulevards of the newer city. An array of nightlife (Barcelona is a
big party town) and shopping possibilities, plus nearby wineries, ensure that you'll be
entertained 'round the clock. It makes for some serious sightseeing; you'll need plenty of
time to take them all in and just as much to appreciate the city ... read full excerpt from Frommer's Barcelona (Frommer's Complete #645) ebook
