FC BARCELONA
BARCELONA AND THE FOOTBALL
The Barcelona supporters are all around the world ever since the Club was born. The FC Barcelona is one of the most prestigious clubs in Spain and one of the most unbeatable teams in Europe. For the past two decades, the Barça supporters have enjoyed the presence of some of the most relevant world football stars. Barcelona has become one of the most visited cities in the world both for its Football Club and its cultural interest.
BARCELONA: LOCATION, CLIMATE AND TOWN
Barcelona is situated in the centre of the Catalan coast as a privileged city in terms of communications, industry, art and environment. The Passeig Colón, famous for its statue dominates the charming avenue "Moll de la Fusta".
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The climate in Barcelona is Continental-Mediterranean. That is, if you visit the city during the summer season you will have to walk around the city lightly dressed, and use caps to protect yourself from the sun. Don't forget to bring your swimming costumes and visit the excellent beaches around! The winter is usually mild but it is also true that in the past few years there has been more than one exceptional snowfall.
The spring and the autumn are the most recommended seasons to visit the city because the temperatures are milder and nice and they also constitute the better seasons to stroll up and down the Rambla. During the springtime heavy but short afternoon storms are quite typical due to the proximity of the sea.
Barcelona is a pioneering city in terms of country design and also has cultural and artistic centres worldwide known. Along with Madrid, Barcelona is the most important business centre in Spain. Barcelona also offers a wide range of leisure activities. Its geographical density exceeds the four million inhabitants, a growing number due to the immigration flows and the birth rate increase of the past years.
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The population of Barcelona is distributed between the city and the towns on the outskirts. This whole metropolitan area takes in half of the municipality of the city. At the beginning, some of these little towns around were just summer locations, or they were dedicated to the fishing industry, but in the past decades, due to the increase in the housing prices, they have become "dormitory cities" for most Barcelona workers.
The distribution of the city comprises different quarters and varied zones, the historical district, the higher areas, the Gothic Quarter with its narrow streets, the Barceloneta, among others.
The road access to the city has improved in the past years thanks to the ring roads, which turn around the outside part of the city. Its main thoroughfare, the Diagonal, crosses the city completely, from one end to the other, and divides Barcelona into two big halves. Hence the fact that Diagonal is the longest avenue in the city (more than 15 km long) and it is also the meeting point for many companies and firms which constitute an important part of the economic activity.
REAL MADRID
MADRID AND THE FOOTBALL
The inhabitants of Madrid share a true passion for football. It is not something to be surprised of taking into account that among the best teams of the city there is Real Madrid CF, the football club which has won more trophies than any other team in the world throughout its history. It has won 9 EURopean Champions Cup Titles, 29 Spanish League Titles, 17 Spanish Cup Titles, 7 Spanish Super Cup Titles, among many others. At the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium the show is guaranteed to entertain and amuse. Madrid hosts the best football players in the world: Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, Raúl and the mythical David Beckham has also joined them this season. That's why Madrid has become one of the most appealing sports cities in the current scene.
LOCATION
The capital of Spain is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, right in the centre of the Castilian plateau. The river Manzanares crosses the city and it is famous for the constant trials of water improvement it has been subjected to.
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CLIMATE
Its climate is Continental-Mediterranean. That is, if you visit the city during the summer season you will have to walk around Madrid lightly dressed, and use caps to protect yourself from the sun. But if you come in winter you will have to bring very warm clothing. The spring and the autumn are the most recommended seasons to visit the city because the temperatures are soft and nice. Regarding rains, days are clear almost all year round.
TOWN
Madrid is a modern and cosmopolitan city and it is also the management, institutional, cultural and communications centre of the country. It is also the usual residence of the King. Along with Barcelona, Madrid is the most important business centre in Spain. Madrid has an intense cultural and artistic activity and a very active nightlife. Its geographic density exceeds the 3 millions inhabitants.
As it is happening in other big cities, this number is increasing due to the constant migratory flows. The population of Madrid is distributed between the city centre and the little towns in the outskirts. Most of them were little rural towns that through the years have turned into little cities perfectly connected to the centre. Others have been absorbed by the city and today they have become very popular districts.
Inside the city one can distinguish the historical Madrid -messy streets in the old quarter- from the new built areas, which follow modern and tidy urban plans. The road accesses to the city have increased in the past few years. There are some roads that cross the city from one end to the other becoming the main thoroughfares for the capital difficult traffic. Some of them are: Paseo de la Castellana, which crosses the city from North to South and the centre to the finances and most important companies in Madrid. And Alcalá, which is born at the famous Puerta de Alcalá.
The remains of the remotest past are fundamentally Baroque and Neoclassical buildings from the 17 th and 18 th centuries as the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace, among others.
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