Barcelona
In the second ‘Hot Heritage Abroad’ this year, I compare Spain’s biggest seaside city, Barcelona, with England’s most exciting seaside resort, Brighton.
Both Brighton and Barcelona are blessed with a wealth of historic buildings. Both are surrounded by sea and hills though the scenery around Barcelona is certainly not green. It’s not until going abroad that one appreciates the beauty of the English countryside. Both are soulful, exciting, vibrant, compact and friendly. Sadly, both (in places) are dirty and smelly. Brighton obviously has the superior football team.
Barcelona has a population of 1.6 million, so it is perhaps really an unfair comparison though there are many similarities. Exciting projects are on the go in both places such as La Sagrada Familia, which just might be finished by 2040. And we complain that the West Pier is taking ages!
