Europe

[Visited: October 2002]

When you have seen most of the sights of Barcelona, it is nice to have a view over the city. Actually, this is easy to do. I took a subway to Plaza de España and then walked up and around the hill that dominates the Barcelona skyline. This is a hill with a history; in earlier times, whomever possessed this hill, was also master of the city. Also in Franco's times, the castle on the hill was used for political purposes. The hill is topped by a castle, which has been built on the remains of a Jewish cemetery. hence the name: Montjuïc literally means Jewish Mount.
From a strategically and militarily important area, Montjuïc has now turned into a sightseeing area. It was a venue for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, there are several museums, it is a pleasant area to walk around, and of course it offers some splendid views over the second largest city of Spain. In short, it has been transformed from an area with a sometimes sinister significance, to an area full of attractions for a wide public.
After walking up the stairs leading to the former National Palace, which has been turned into the National Art Museum of Catalunya, I turned right and walked towards the easily visible Olympic Needle, a high white structure, one of the symbols of the 1992 Olympics. From there, I walked towards the Poble Espanyol, an exposition with replica's of Spanish towns and cities. I saw old Spanish people play in parks on my way up to the Miramar esplanade which, after passing through gardens with clear views of the city, gradually drops down to the city itself. Because of the fine weather, I decided to leave a visit to the museums to a later visit.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Montjuïc (Spain). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Montjuïc.
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Montjuïc > Spain > Europe

[Visited: October 2002]

Around the World in 80 Clicks