National Geographic Traveler: Barcelona

The National Geographic Traveler: Barcelona is an excellent resource and is so readable that a traveler to Barcelona should consider reading it prior to travel as well as taking it for a guide. The book is a little heavy to carry around in your hands but fits nicely into a backpack. The book is full of colorful photographs and drawing and is extremely user friendly when trying to find your way around Barcelona. The book contains area maps where you can orient yourself to particular neighborhoods and the sites. Also suggested walking tours are included with well detailed maps. There are also larger excursion maps should the traveler wish to leave the city for such wonderful sites as Montserrat with it's cliff hidden Monastery and mountain hiking trails. There is a brief history of Barcelona and Catalunya. I suggest reading it so that you understand why the high school Spanish you learned is not quite appropriate here in Barcelona, an area that considers itself culturally and linguistically separate from the rest of Spain. There is a tension between Madrid and Bracelona and understanding the history helps the traveler enjoy and appreciate Barcelona even more. The parks located on Montjuic, overlooking the city, can be accessed by bus or climbed for those in good shape. Nestled in the park is the wonderful Miro Museum, comprehensive and interesting. The useum is primarily devoted to the vast works of Joan Miro but other artists are displayed, especially if the work is compared to Miro's styles. Parc Guell, designed by Gaudi, in all it's colorful whimsical fantasy is captured. The amazing mosaic tile work on benches, bridges, columns, buildings throughout the park make it very visually stunning and unique. Don't miss Gaudi's Casa Batllo, the most odd house imaginable. The roof tiles are like fish scales, the balconies are shark jaws, the wall are covered with coral and starfish patterns. It is if a giant fish had been turned into a multistory home. You have to walk across the street to appreciate the structure. The giant structure, La Pedrera is at least 8 times larger than Casa Batllo and evokes caves and moon landscapes. There is no way to describe La Sagrada Familia by Gaudi. It seems like a Disney world structure gone amok. The Gothic architectural details burst into fruit and vegetable clusters, with cold gray limestone contrasting against loud bright pastels. The city life of La Rambla, the main artery of Barcelona, is a site of constant entertainment. From early morning to late at night the streets are active. The residents of Barcelona eat dinner so late that even at midnight the side-walk cafes are full of merriment. Trees line the street so you will protected from sun-burn as you stroll up and down this main street of the city. The Gothic Neigborhood, the oldest part of the city, is well described with a detailed map. In this neighborhood is the ancient Cathedral with its wonderful lush interior tropical garden. Stop and rest in th

Great photos and drawings. The biggest differences between this and the Eyewitness Guide: 100 pages longer on the same material. This Nat'l Geo guide gives much more information on the individual sights, for example 6 pages on the Gothic cathedral, 2 full page photos, one almost full page drawing of the cathedral plan, 3 pages of smaller photos and text telling not only of its history, but giving a laid out tour through the cathedral. The book also includes individual walks through parts of the city (eg: Roman Barcelona Walk), It has the best information on festivals, bullfighting, and does the best job of describing the Catalonian sights outside Barcelona. Instead having maps at the back, the maps are included as the various sections of the city are described. The only real fault is their decision to list hours closed instead of hours open for sights ("closed 1 to 4"; does that mean it is open at 3 in the morning?). A real nice book, definitely keep in your hotel room in BCN, and maybe take on the street with you, at 270 pages a wee bit bulky, but dimensions same as Eyewitness and not that heavy.