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Conference Location
The conference will be held in the
Hotel Barceló Sants, Barcelona, Spain.
Catalonia is 1 of the 17 Autonomous Communities that make up
Spain.
Known as one of Europe's playgrounds, with a wide array of
beaches for the holiday-maker and a mass of places to visit,
Catalonia has something to offer every visitor.
The region
benefits from a mild climate and a culture all of its own.
In a privileged position on the northeastern coast of the
Iberian peninsula and the shores of the Mediterranean,
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain in both size
and population. It is also the capital of Catalonia.
There are two official languages spoken in Barcelona: Catalan,
generally spoken in all of Catalonia, and Castillian Spanish.
Barcelona is the cultural and industrial capital of Catalonia
and is well worth a visit. Pilgrims may go to Montserrat for
its scenery and religious background, known as the religious
centre of Catalonia.
Barcelona contains monuments and remains from all the
different stages in its history, and therefore is a very old
city with a rich and varied past.
Most places of historic interest are to
be found in the confines of the old town, which is a maze of
narrow streets, easy to navigate by foot.
The
old town spreads northwest from the harbour and at its heart
is the Barri Gòtic, the medieval nucleus of the city where you
will find the Cathedral and several of the major museums.
At the western edge you will find the Ramblas,
Spain's most famous street,
a series of five, short, lively streets that combine to make a
broad avenue.
The Ramblas is a highlight to any trip
to Barcelona and is lined with cafes, shops and restaurants as
well as being the location for several important buildings and
monuments.
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The medieval streets continue on either
side of the Ramblas, reaching northeast through the Barri
Gòtic (Gothic Quarter), past the Museo Picasso and southwest to the
fortress-topped hill of Montjuic where the city's best museums
and the Olympic stadium are located.
The historic centre is imbued with a bohemian atmosphere which
you can discover as you walk through the Gothic Quarter, and
the Ribera and Raval districts. This is one of the world’s
best-preserved medieval quarters. However, if Barcelona is
famous for anything, it must be the buildings in the Eixample.
If you take a walk around this neighbourhood you will be able
to admire architectural masterpieces such as the Sagrada
Família and La Pedrera, among other wonders inherited from
Antoni Gaudí and the other architects of the city’s home-grown
art-nouveau movement, modernisme.
Top
tourist attractions in Barcelona include the Parc
Güell, Las
Ramblas, the Parc de la Ciutadella,
Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia, the
Casa Milá and The Eixample.
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There are also many important museums
and art galleries in Barcelona and the most popular is
Barcelona's Picasso Museum.
Among the things to watch for in the old
town is the Placa de Catalunya, a large square with gardens,
fountains and seats.
Barcelona is without doubt one of the
most exiting cities to visit in the Mediterranean, and with
glorious beaches and a history stretching back over 2,000
years, Barcelona deserves to be seen and enjoyed.
How to Get to Barcelona
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