Whether you’re a Temple student currently studying abroad in Oviedo, Spain or are interested in attending or visiting in the near future, here are three cities worth seeing. Welcome to Barcelona, Valencia, and Orihuela.
Barcelona is located on the upper east side of Spain and on the outskirts is the Balearic sea, which is very popular among tourists and locals alike.
Barcelona is also home to many architectual treasures, many designed by Catalonian architect Antoni Gaudí. One of Gaudí’s pieces includes La Casa Batlló. Gaudí remodeled this house built in 1904. Today, the tour of the house features a virtual reality aspect that shows what the house might have looked like back in the day. The virtual reality also highlights Gaudí’s love of the ocean and ocean life, converting the windows into turtles and describing how the curves of the house are like that of a wave. One of Gaudí’s masterpieces, still being constructed to this day and projected to be completed around 2026, is the Basilica i Temple Expiatory de la Sagrada Familia, or La Sagrada Familia for short. Gaudí combined gothic and curvilinear art nouveau forms to create the Roman Catholic Church. Gaudí was also famous for his incorporation of color in his pieces, which can be seen in the glass stained windows in the church.
If you’re a soccer fan you won’t want to miss Camp Nou, home to the FCB Barcelona team and museum. The Museum is dedicated to the history of the club and team and has an exclusive area dedicated to the Argentinian soccer player, Lionel Messi.
Valencia is home to Europe’s largest aquarium, L’Oceanogràfic, located in the City of Arts and Sciences. One of their many activities includes a dolphin show. Also in the city of arts and sciences, but featuring less animals of course, is the Museum of Science that showcases the human body, dinosaurs, and also shows the process in which chickens are born, among many other things.
Last but certainly not least, is Orihuela. Although a small town, Orihuela is home to Miguel Hernández, a famous Spanish poet and playwright. The town has many references to Hernández including various quotes along the streets.
That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about Barcelona, Valencia, and Orihuela. Until next time, I’m Monica Logroño reporting for Temple Update.
This semester, Temple Update is launching a brand new page on our website to accompany our latest endeavor: Lo ultímo, our Spanish speaking newscast. Stay tuned this semester for more updates from the Lo ultímo team!
Be the first to comment