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Barcelona Zoo

Зоопарк Барселоны Barcelona Zoo de Barcelone
No matter what the defenders of animal rights may say, but to admire our smaller brothers is an inexhaustible source of joy for our children. Therefore, we never miss the opportunity to spend a day with children at the Barcelona Zoo. The Zoo is located in a very pleasant area of the city, in Ciutadella Park, which has an interesting history.
The park was created on the site of a fortress once built by the Spanish King Philip V after the siege and capture of Barcelona in 1714. The inhabitants of the city did not like this reminder of the military defeat of Barcelona; when in 1888 the question of choosing a place for the World’s Fair arose, the project of demolishing the hated fortress was quickly implemented. Now, on the site of the fortress, there is one of the favorite places for walking among Barcelona residents and guests of the capital of Catalonia. The zoo appeared here in 1892, when one of the wealthy townspeople donated his collection of exotic animals to the city hall. Today the zoo occupies about one third of the territory of Ciutadella Park.

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“Catalonia in miniature” Park

"Catalonia in miniature" Park

Want to see all the main attractions of Catalonia at once in one place? Visit the “Catalonia in miniature” Park, which is located in the picturesque town of Torrelles de Llobregat, 19 kilometers from Barcelona. Here, on an area of 35,000 square meters, you can see about 130 miniatures, reproducing in detail the most significant and most popular sights of Catalonia. Only here you can take a full-length photo next to the famous Sagrada Familia!

Useful information for planning your visit to “Catalonia in miniature” Park and photographs of miniatures can be viewed at the link.

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Dinosaur Exposition in Girona 2015

Dinosaur Exposition in Girona 2015

The traveling dinosaur exhibition Dino Expo XXL is moving around the cities and villages of Europe – a real holiday for children. This time it made a stop in Girona; representatives of all sorts of prehistoric dinosaurs housed in a large tent on an area of 1300 square meters. Also here represented various scenes from the life of our distant ancestors, or rather, survival in this harsh world of giant predators…

Photo report about the visit to this fascinating dinosaur exhibition in Girona can be found following the link.

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Butterfly Park in Castell d’Empurias

At the entrance to Empuriabrava – our “Spanish Venice”, a city on the water, in the small old town of Castell d’Empurias, there is a Butterfly Park – an amazing place that adults and children love. Here, on a small covered territory, not only butterflies of various species and sizes live, but also all kinds of tropical parrots, toucans, red ibis, iguanas, chameleons, bats; small deer live in the fenced area in the open air (at the time of our last visit there was even a kangaroo!), and turtles swim in the pond. In addition to living creatures, the park has many representatives of exotic fauna, for example, a banana tree.

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Puigcerda

Puigcerda

In the northern part of Catalonia, just 1 kilometer from the border with France, on a high hill there is a lovely picturesque town called Puigcerda. Translated from Catalan, “Puig” means a hill – beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and valleys open up from the city. The city enjoys particular popularity during the winter holidays; lovers of alpine skiing come here to ride in the nearby resort of La Molina.

Among the attractions of the city should be called the lake of the same name, the church of Santa María de Puigcerdá next to the remnants of the bell tower of the XII century on the main square of the old town; the church Església de Sant Domènec, as well as the pretty building of the railway station.

A detailed story of our visit to the city of Puigcerda, accompanied by photographs, can be viewed at the link.

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North Catalonia – Cerdanya

North Catalonia - Cerdanya

In each respectable and prosperous family in Catalonia, it is customary to have several houses; one for permanent residence, the other – on the Costa Brava for summer holidays, and another one – in the mountains in the north of Catalonia – for winter holidays and summer walks in the fresh air.

We got into one of these houses at the invitation of our good-natured neighbor, in a small village called Riu de Cerdanya. The village is located in the mountain fold almost immediately away from the famous Túnel del Cadí – five-kilometer tunnel on the road from Barcelona to Andorra.
Near the village is the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park, but without a natural park, the landscapes that open during a short mountain walk are simply amazing. You can virtually eat air with a spoon, you can preserve it in tins and sell it to residents of megalopolises…

A short story about our trip and some photos of what a real Catalan village in the mountains looks like, you can read following the link – Riu de Cerdanya.

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Ice circus show in Girona 2015

Ice circus show in Girona 2015

The report on the Circ Nadal de Girona – the circus show that we visited yesterday was an unreal fantastic performance, beautiful memorable acts, beautiful costumes, a stunning setting! Compared with the popular circus shows in Catalonia, it’s just heaven and earth … The show directors, as well as some of the artists participating in this wonderful circus show, are our compatriots. This apparently explains the highest level of professionalism and the number of positive emotions received by the audience…

Photo report of the Ice circus show in Girona 2015 can be viewed at the link.

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Live nativity scenes in Tossa de Mar

Live nativity scenes in Tossa de Mar

After visiting similar Christmas performances in Pals and Castell d’Aro, we could not resist and went to see live nativity scenes to Tossa de Mar. The entourage of an old fortress with evening lighting makes a serious contribution to the overall impression, almost complete immersion in the atmosphere of two thousand years ago…

Unlike the two above-mentioned cities, in Tossa, the show is represented in the form of a theatrical performance. The local residents who took part in the production and dressed in the clothing of “those times” played 10 scenes related to the story of Christ’s birth. After each scene the narrator escorted the group of spectators to the place of the next scene, and their place was taken by a new group of people eager for bread and entertainment… Of particular note is the scene with the traditional Catalan shepherd-caganer, I believe you know what it means😁.

The photo report about Live nativity scenes in Tossa de Mar can be viewed at the link.

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Live nativity scenes in Castell d’Aro.

Live nativity scenes in Castell d’Aro.

Having received an incredible charge of impressions after visiting the traditional Catalan live nativity scenes (Pessebra Vivent in Catalan) in Pals, we hurried to see a similar performance that takes place close to our home – in the medieval part of the city of Castell d’Aro and on the bank of a creek flowing nearby. As it turned out, the local performance is one of the oldest in Catalonia, it has been held since 1959.

Unlike in Pals, the participants of the performance are separated from the audience and depict scenes of the rural life of the time of Christ’s birth. And there is absolutely a complete impression that, contrary to all church canons, Jesus was born here, in Catalonia😃.

We invite you to make a short virtual walk and to enjoy live nativity scenes in Castell d’Aro.

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Live nativity scenes in Pals.

Рождественское представление в Пальсе.

Live nativity scenes in Pals.

Having decided to take a walk on Sunday evening in the wonderful medieval town of Pals, we quite by chance discovered an amazing local tradition unfamiliar to us; namely – live nativity scenes (Pessebres vivents in Catalan). These Christmas shows take place in various towns and villages in Catalonia. These are illustrations of the story of the birth of Christ – here you will find the conversation between the angel and Mary, and the census of the population in Bethlehem, the wanderings of Mary and Joseph, the arrival of the Kings of the East with gifts, and, finally, the blessed birth of Christ in a stable. Local residents, in appropriate vestments, depict the inhabitants of Bethlehem, each engaged in his own craft; the imperial guards walk menacingly through the streets of the city, and a whole brood of devils hides behind bars in a small den!

We present to your attention a few photos of this wonderful performance.

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