DREAMSCAPES SPRING/SUMMER 2024
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F U N F A C T
Founded in 1725, Madrid's Casa Botín is the world's oldest
restaurant. It makes an appearance in Ernest Hemingway's first
major novel, The Sun Also Rises. Suckling pig and roast lamb,
Castilian style, have probably been served throughout its 299-
year history.
Spain's
Urban
Lifestyle
GO LIKE A LOCAL
IN SPAIN
BY DARCY RHYNO
L
a Sagrada Família, Barcelona's nearly completed cathedral,
is easily Spain's most visited tourist sight. Antoni Gaudí's
design features give the soaring structure an organic feel. In
fact, three Gaudí creations—including Parc Güell and Casa
Milà—in Barcelona make Spain's top five tourist sights. While Gaudí's
works make Barcelona popular with tourists, other Spanish cities
where visitors can live like a local deserve much more attention. Here
are five we recommend.
MADRID
Madrid's famous art museums, the Prado and the Reina Sofia, where
works by Miró, Dalí and Picasso—including Picasso's Guernica—are
found, rank 8
th
and 9
th
on Spain's most visited sights. Once the
museum tours are over, it's time to explore the capital's abundant
green spaces. Stroll beside Madrileños through Retiro Park, an urban
oasis reputed for its formal design and crystal palace. In the much
larger Casa de Campo, home of an artificial lake, follow cycling,
walking and even rowing routes to terrace cafés.
GIJÓN
On the northern coast, Spain's 15
th
largest city of Gijón is defined by
the twin beaches that frame tiny Cimavilla Peninsula, a Gijonés
favourite for rest and play situated in the city's historic heart. Roman
thermal bath ruins discovered in 1903 are now a museum beneath
the city's cathedral square. Here, open air cafés overlook San Lorenzo
MALLORCA CATHEDRAL, PALMA DE MALLORCA
SAGRADA FAMÍILIA, BARCELONA
REINA SOFIA MUSEUM, MADRID
