李　芳

Spain is always related with bold and unrestrained character. Barcelona, a beautiful city of Spain, is the most famous city in Spain.

Compared with Madrid, the capital of Spain, Barcelona has a much longer history. In the 8th century, Moors conquered Spain. Barcelona acted as the focal point for the exchange of scholar and scientific knowledge between the European and Muslim world. Before the 16th century, it was the center of Spain. In 1493, the monarch received Columbus in the Royal Palace in Barcelona. In the 16th century, Spain stepped into its golden age. The Monarch made Madrid, which is in the center of Spain, the capital of Spain.

Because both the orient and west cultures have deep influence to Barcelona, today we can see many Christian buildings as well as Islamic buildings there. Gothic Quarter is the old town district. Many old houses and monuments are found there.

There are many beautiful parks in Barcelona. Giudadella Park is the most famous one. Its designed so well that UNECO declared it as a world heritage site.

Barcelona has many interesting festivals. Giants, Big-head figures, precessions, musical performances, fireworks, cultural and sport events and open-air dancing are held in the city.

西班牙總是和熱烈奔放聯(lián)系在一起。位于西班牙東北部的巴塞羅那是西班牙的一顆明珠。

與首都馬德里相比，巴塞羅那的歷史更為長遠和悠久。公元8世紀，阿拉伯摩爾人占領(lǐng)了西班牙，帶來了東方發(fā)達的文化。巴塞羅那成了東西方文化的交匯點和交流中心。直到16世紀，巴塞羅那一直是西班牙的政治文化中心。1493年王室在巴塞羅那皇宮接見剛從美洲回來的哥倫布。16世紀時，西班牙進入黃金時期，才遷都到西班牙中部的馬德里。

因為東西方文化的共同影響，在巴塞羅那，你既可以看到西方的哥特式建筑物，又可以見到東方的穆斯林建筑物。哥特區(qū)是巴塞羅那的舊城區(qū)，保存有許多舊房子和紀念碑。

巴塞羅那有許多精美絕倫的園林。最有名的是蓋達得拉公園，設計精巧，被聯(lián)合國教科文組織定為世界文化遺產(chǎn)。

巴塞羅那有許多很有特色的節(jié)日，常舉行各種活動。人們可以觀看巨人、大頭人、焰火和文藝演出，參加游行、文化體育活動和露天舞會。