While Barcelona is a modern, cosmopolitan city, traces of its medieval past are very much in evidence. Buildings in the old quarter attest to a glorious past, thronging with Crusaders, Italian merchants, the nobility and a powerful clergy. Scattered in between Baroque, Neoclassical and Modernist constructions, a host of Gothic buildings are still standing, notably the Cathedral, the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar and the Palau de la Generalitat. But, what many Barceloners are unaware of is that old Barcelona also boasts a considerable number of exquisite Romanesque complexes which have survived to the present in excellent condition.

Romanesque in the Heart of Plaza de Catalunya

Few Barceloners suspect that one of the city’s leading Romanesque monasteries is sited hard by the central Plaza de Catalunya. I am referring to Santa Anna, a church and former monastery dating from the 12th century, featuring a cloister and a chapterhouse which still serves parishioners. The building was designed by the architect, Ramón Amadeu, but construction work continued for three centuries thereafter, making for a marked amalgam of various Romanesque and Gothic styles, although the former is more in evidence. To reach the church from Plaza de Catalunya, go along Calle Rivadeneyra (next to the Hard Rock Cafe) or Calle de Santa Anna.

12th-Century El Raval

Pressing on with our itinerary, take Calle Santa Anna towards La Rambla and walk down this colourful boulevard as far as Calle Hospital. Turning right along this street takes you into the heart of the multicultural El Raval quarter, graced with such striking buildings as the MACBA, the Palau Güell and the Biblioteca de Catalunya. This route leads into Plaça del Pedró, an important square in that standing in its centre is the Santa Eulàlia Fountain, regarded as one of Barcelona’s oldest monuments. Also in the square is the 12th-century Romanesque Church of Sant Llàtzer. The latter was once part of a leper hospital which operated from the 12th to the 15th century. Since being deconsecrated in 1913 and following a number of refurbishments, it has since been in use as a secular building.

Still in El Raval, the Calle de la Riereta leads into Calle de Sant Pau, which houses one of the finest Romanesque landmarks in Barcelona, the Monastery of Sant Pau del Camp. The building dates from the 12th century, although the precinct is thought to have been founded in the 9th century by Wilfred II, who is buried there. The monument also has a small, 13th-century cloister which is noteworthy for its storied capitals depicting hunting scenes, warriors, sirens, animals and plant motifs. Still standing in the monastery garden is the former abbot’s residence, built from the 13th to 14th century and extended in the 18th century. Before entering, be sure to look at the facade, as the doorway is flanked by two columns with Visigoth capitals, while in the tympanum we see Christ with SS Peter and Paul and an ancient inscription, which invite us to enter.

To Sant Pere de les Puel·les

After touring El Raval, we return to La Rambla along Calle Nou de la Rambla with its striking little palace, known as the Palau Güell, the work of de Antoni Gaudí. We forge ahead as far as Barcelona Cathedral, next door to which is the Chapel of Santa Llúcia, The chapel is located in the corner of the Cathedral cloister and has a doorway onto the street. It was built in late-Romanesque style in the second half of the 13th century and originally served as the Episcopal Palace of Barcelona. This is a good moment to visit the Gothic Cathedral, take a seat on one of the pews and relax.

The next stop on our itinerary is the Born quarter, one of the liveliest in the city, with a lot of cultural activities on offer. Well worth seeing is the Palau de la Música Catalana and El Born Market archaeological site. On the opposite side of Via Laietana you can take Calle de la Bòria as far as Plazoleta de Marcús, a small square where the Marcús Chapel is located. A 12th-century construction, it was sited alongside the old Roman road out of Barcelona. Many of the original elements on the facade have been preserved, as well as its Lombardic arches. Strolling further into the quarter you come across the last stop on our itinerary, the Royal Monastery of Sant Pere de les Puel·les, of which only the parish church has survived to the present. Founded in the 5th century, it has undergone major alterations over time, although part of the Greek cross structure is still intact, as are the Corinthian capitals surmounted by a 12th-century dome. The so-called “bird campanile” is also from the Romanesque period. This monument is key to an understanding of Barcelona in the Middle Ages.

Eager to discover Barcelona’s Romanesque past? Book your Vueling here.

Text and images by Aleix Palau for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Prague is a monumental city, with great historic buildings that bring unique, elegant and refined atmosphere to the city. But a contemporary artist got to the city to turn upside down its classic harmony with some of his weird work.

Born in Prague, David Černý is a controversial, irreverent and disturbing artist who loves to provoke the audiences. And he does so! His sculptures, with a remarkable social criticism, against power and authority, disturbed some of his audiences.

David Černý started his career as a provoking artist when, along with his colleagues at the arts school, painted in bright pink a tank from the soviets at the garden of the German Embassy -a monument to Czechoslovakia liberation in 1945-. Černý was arrested for his colourful attack but now this tank is exposed at the Military Museum in Lešany, 20 kilometers away from Prague, ad a freedom symbol.

His work is all around the city where this artist was born. There are many, but this is a little route to the most shocking and remarkable work.

Quo Vadis?

His first work, Quo Vadis?, was located at the German Embassy in Prague (Vlašská 19, Malá Strana). In Quo Vadis? Černý reinterprets Trabant, the most common car at East Germany, putting legs instead of wheels. It’s a tribute to over 3.000 Germans from the East who invaded the garden of this embassy on summer 1989, short after the fall of the wall.

The dead horse in Saint Wenceslaus

We already said that Černý’s work is the opposite to the classicism of this city. Thus, the dead horse of Saint Wenceslaus is a good example of that, oppositely to the classic stature located in the square of the same name. Saint Wenceslaus is, indeed, a symbol to the national Czech identity, and saint patron of Bohemia.
The version by Černý of this statue is pretty close to the original, at Lucerna avenue, but the horse is upside down, death and with its tongue out.

Viselec

You should pay attention when passing by the centric street of Husava, at Staré Mesto. Actually, you should look at the sky if you don’t wanna miss it. Above, you’ll see the hanging stature, a human figure that looks a lot like Sigmund Freud.
As with most of the work by Černý, it’s open to interpretations and the artist was never willing to reveal the actual meanings.

Piss

Located by Franz Kafka Museum, at Cihelná 2b, 118. These are two figures that move thanks to an electric mechanism who are peeing in a small pool with the same shape as the Czech Republic as they write quotes, from famous local authors, with the effluent.
Next to this sculpture there is a phone number where you can send SMS suggesting your own quote to be written by this peculiar sculpture.

Miminka babies

About 216 meters high, Žižkov is the telecommunications tower in Prague and the highest building in Czech Republic. Right here, David Černý located his disturbing work of ten dark babies who climb the building while crawling.
This sculpture can be seen also from the park at Kampa island, near Charles bridge.

Klaus & Knizak

At Futura Art Gallery (Holečkova 789/49), you should go by the stairs to find two great figures that are the bottom half of a human body to put your head by the hole on their bum. Inside, a satirical video is projected featuring the former president of the Czech Republic until 2013, Václav Klaus, and the artist Milán Knížák, feeding each other while the song "We are the Champions" is played.
This is a critic to the Czech politics and also to the voyeur viewer who just observers their actions without taking part.

Shark

In 2005, this work was presented for the Bienal in Prague, but it was forbidden in other exhibitions in Belgium or Poland. This piece presents Saddam Hussein’s image captive, on his underwear and bound hand and foot, immersed in a tank of formaldehyde. The work is signed by Mahoma and was presented one year before Hussein was killed, in 2006.

Quo Vadis? by VitVit | Pink tank by Hynek Moravec| Miminka by Evrik| Piss by UkillaJJ

So you feel like visiting Prague, do you? Book your flights here!

Bad-minded gossip says that the city of Apostol is the biggest village in Galicia, which paradoxically is something that true-blood Santiago-dwellers take to be a compliment. And it is, because as a parameter for quality of life, there is greenery and vegetation on every corner of the ancient city, and it makes it special. Green clambers over the seven hills; it invades all of the stony gutters in the streets; it even dares to boldly play with the façade of the cathedral.

In "Huertas", the back garden of Obradoiro, urban and rural mix mimetically, without any kind of ego struggle. The city has lately succumbed to the unstoppable advance of the green element. Compostela has always had a kind of contest between the weight of its history and modernity. The presence of what is old is counteracted by ragingly modern avant-garde architecture, and has turned the great green spaces into a network of world level parks. More than a garden city, it is a garden with districts inside it.

Let's assume that the stone forest has overwhelmed you by its beauty, and you now want to meditate. We suggest taking a green route to see a unique side of Compostela. This would be my list of top Compostela parks.

1.-The Eternal Alameda Park. It is not new. It is the nineteenth-century park par excellence. At the foot of Porta Faxeira, and separating the old and new areas, it has been clothed in the history of the city since last century, when it was turned from a private estate into one of the most beautifully classical parks in the world. It has everything it needs to make you fall in love: hundred-year-old trees with their dry, twisted trunks; the Herradura walkway, also called the Cholesterol walk - for recovering from an excess of Galician food; the most beautiful views of all sides of the town; fountains; churches; wrought-iron benches from the turn of the century; and the bandstand that is essential for any provincial city worth its salt.

2.-Bonaval. Design and modernity near the old area: From a domesticated park, we go to a magical place that embraces the historical quarter. The old monastic garden of Santo Domingo always had a slightly esoteric side. Abandoned for years, its soft sloping terraces were taken by Siza and turned from a leafy park into a highly modern piece of design work. Meticulously pruned green areas, caves, an ancient graveyard integrated into the park, and magnificent views of the cathedral are all blended with the existing old stone structures and ruins. Water, cave and "strange" shapes make it modern, enigmatic and special.

3.-Banks of the Sarela. An enchanted forest in the centre of the town: two rivers cross Compostela, in the Barrio del Carmen. When eco-hiking became really fashionable, a decision was made to restore their abandoned banks and make the most beautiful urban-rural walk I have seen. The several kilometres of incessant water of the winding Sarela, babbling springs between wooden footbridges, stone bridges, thick forests and even abandoned tanning works make the place a natural, rustic garden - in the heart of the city.

4.-Belvís. Monastic splendour behind the old part of town: Belvis is a watercourse that was always considered a green backbone to the East of the historic quarter. And it was always abandoned. A passageway between Virxen da Cerca and the traditional Belvis, this park highlights the beautiful hills that surround this hollow. It is a real gift for your eyes: the splendid monasteries of Belvis and the Seminary at the top, the stony Santiago that rises up above, and an always silent and scenic park, whose maze is a perfect place to lose yourself.

5.-Vista Alegre Park. The park of surprises. The wealthy Simeón family opens its small palace and magnificent garden. You enter through the two old gates to the property that are always open, and the pink country-house has all the elements of the Galician country-house, such as the chapel, galleries, etc. If the garden were the prototype of any powerful family, special effort was put into dressing each of its corners with the most florid avant-garde architecture. The SGAE headquarters like the Flintstones' house; Casa Europa; Escola de Altos Estudios Musicales; the Natural History Museum. Four avant-garde structures that lend the finishing touch to a classical garden.

By Fran Camino

We have all heard about Jack The Ripper, surely the first media serial killer in history. His dark legacy has been an inexhaustible source of narrative material for over a century. Those mournful events have spawned both literary marvels and graphic novels such as From Hell, by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, in addition to movies and TV series and even the odd opera. There may be a dose of morbidity involved in the interest aroused by anything relating to the subject. However, what stokes the flames is undoubtedly the fact that the perpetrator of those crimes has never been found, sparking a host of theories on the matter.

While the identity of the culprit remains unclear, what is known is the names of his victims and the spots where their bodies were found. Theme tours are based in Whitechapel, the scene of those atrocities. In the late-19th century, the district was a veritable hotbed of crooks and a limitless breeding ground for venereal diseases. Fortunately, it is now a salutary area and one of the major arty districts in London, with the Whitechapel Art Gallery at the forefront. In fact, it has become a must for day trippers, thanks to its second-hand market, which runs up to the Whitechapel Market, where you can pick up bargains from Monday to Saturday in over 80 street stalls, selling anything from fruit to electronics, rugs and jewellery. It is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Dark Route

Regarding the question, Who was Jack the Ripper?, you probably won’t find out after a tour of the area, but you will get an idea of what it was like there in the year 1888, when the deeds took place. Various tours can be joined in Whitechapel. Following are details of some of the areas you will visit if you dare to relive the horrific story.

Osborn Street

This is where the first body of the two under investigation was found, although it wasn’t among the “canonical five” – of all the cases related to the Ripper, five are considered to be canonical, as they have several traits in common. The victim in question was Emma Elizabeth Smith, a prostitute who was attacked and raped in the street on 3 April 1888. She was found dead, with her ears cut off. Currently sited on this street is one of the most fashionable basement spaces in London, Apples and Pears, a designer bar with Japanese decor which is a cocktail bar by day, and a club by night. It has been graced by the likes of Kate Moss and David Beckham.

The Old Truman Brewery

This is where the second victim, Annie Chapman, was found. Over the last fifteen years, the 10 acres of derelict buildings from the former Truman Brewery have been refurbished as offices, retail outlets and venues for leisure and events, as well as art hatcheries. It is now a thriving complex of creative businesses, independent stores, malls, markets, bars and restaurants. At weekends it becomes the nerve centre of flea markets and tapas bars. Business and leisure combine to perfection here.

Durward Street (formerly Buck’s Row)

This is where the body of the 43-year-old Mary Ann Nichols – the first of the canonical five – turned up. The bodies of these women had their throats slit and presented mutilations on the abdomen and genital area, with facial disfigurement or a missing organ. Such was the modus operandi of the macabre butcher.

Mitre Square

On 30 September 1888, the body of Catherine Eddowes, aged 46, was found. She had a slashed throat and a large, deep wound on the abdomen. Her left kidney was missing. The police found part of her bloodied apron at the entrance to a house on Goulston Street. Also murdered on the same day at Dutfield’s Yard – now Henriques Street – was the 44-year-old Elizabeth Strice. Death was caused by an incision on the left side of the throat, which severed her carotid artery. A postcard was received by the Central News Agency by the alleged culprit, who claimed responsibility for the crime.

The Ten Bells Pub

Jack the Ripper and some of his victims are thought to have frequented various pubs in the area, notably The Ten Bells (84 Commercial Street), which has remained open on the same premises since 1752. It lies just a few yards from the Liverpool Street Underground station.

And Also…

Other landmarks you will see include Tower Hill Underground Station, the place chosen by Scotland Yard and the City of London Police to start their beat in search of the culprit, and St Botolph’s Church, a favoured haunt where the prostitutes of the time touted for customers. More information about the tour.

Whitechapel now stands for an alternative setting in the heart of the city. It is both classical and avant-garde, an area with a large number of mosques and such historic buildings as the Royal London Hospital. We urge you to come and discover it, even if you’re not particularly interested in Jack the Ripper. It’s a good opportunity to explore the streets of London’s famous East End, a charismatic district full of history and stories, like the one about the celebrated “elephant man”, as well as the Spitalfields and Petticoat Lane street markets andthe world famous Brick Lane, a street with a marked Asian presence, full of Indian and Pakistani restaurants, at really affordable prices. (There are menus for six pounds which include two or three dishes to choose from, plus rice and a drink.)

Why wait to discover it all? Check out our flights here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación