#33 best destination in the world

 

Mercury Fountain

• Fountain constructed for use with mercury rather than water
• Mercury fountains existed in some castles in Islamic Spain, the most famous one was located at the Kasr-al-Kholaifa in Córdoba

Palau de la Música Catalana

• Concert hall designed in the Catalan modernista style, built between 1905 and 1908 for the Orfeó Català, a choral society founded in 1891 that was a leading force in the Catalan cultural movement
• Financial contributions also came from Barcelona’s wealthy industrialists and bourgeoisie
• Musical performances in the Palau range from symphonic and chamber music to jazz and Cançó (Catalan song)
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

Casa Batlló

• Building designed, in 1904, by Antoni Gaudí, and is considered one of his masterpieces
• Identifiable as Modernisme or Art Nouveau
• The roof is arched and was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur

Casa Milà

• Modernist building also known as, “the stone quarry”, a reference to its unconventional rough-hewn appearance
• Built between 1906 and 1912
• At the time, it was controversial because of its undulating stone facade and twisting iron balconies
• Several structural innovations include a self-supporting stone façade, and a free-plan floor, underground garage and the terrace on the roof
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

Sagrada Família

• Large unfinished Roman Catholic minor basilica in Barcelona, which began construction in 1882 and is estimated not to be completed until 2026
• Antoni Gaudí, who took over as chief architect, transformed the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms
• Relying solely on private donations, the Sagrada Família’s construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War
• In 1936, revolutionaries set fire to the crypt and broke their way into the workshop, partially destroying Gaudí’s original plans, drawings and plaster models, which led to 16 years work to piece together the fragments of the master model
• Some of the project’s greatest challenges remain, including the construction of ten more spires, each symbolizing an important Biblical figure in the New Testament

Parc del Laberint d’Horta

• Historical garden and park that comprises an 18th-century neoclassical garden and a 19th-century romantic garden
• On the lower terrace is the hedge maze that gives the park its name

Palma Cathedral

• Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral located in Palma
• Constructed from 1229-1601

Naveta d’Es Tudons

• A naveta is a form of megalithic chamber tomb unique to the Balearic island of Menorca
• The site was founded in 2000 BC and abandoned in 750 BC
• One of the oldest buildings in the world

Platja d’Illetes

• #14 of the top 25 beaches in the world
• White-sand beach on a narrow strip of land with views of the sunset and fancy boats docked nearby

Dolmen of Menga

• One of the oldest buildings in the world
• Megalithic burial mound called a tumulus, a long barrow form of dolmen, dating from the 3750-3650 BC
• One of the largest known ancient megalithic structures in Europe

Dolmen de Viera

• Dolmen, a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb
• Built around 2000 BC
• One of the oldest buildings in the world

Alhambra

• Palace and fortress complex constructed as a small fortress in 889 AD
• Built over the remains of Roman fortifications
• The site of the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella, who Christopher Columbus received royal endorsement for his expedition
• Islamic architecture combined with 16th century Christian building and gardens
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba

• Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
• #5 of the top 25 landmarks in the world
• Regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture
• Originally a small Visigoth church, in 784, the construction of the Great Mosque began under Abd al-Rahman I
• The city returned to Christian rule in 1236 during the Reconquista, and the building was converted into a Roman Catholic church
• Since the 2000s, Spanish Muslims have lobbied the Roman Catholic Church to allow them to pray in the cathedral, though this has been rejected by church authorities

Ronda

• Village in the Spanish province of Málaga, it now is one of the towns and villages that is included in the Sierra de las Nieves National Park
• Around the city are remains of prehistoric settlements dating to the Neolithic Age, including the rock paintings of Cueva de la Pileta
• Ronda was, however, first settled by the early Celts, who called it Arunda in the sixth century BC

Plaza de España, Seville

• Plaza in a park, built in 1928
• #2 of the top 25 landmarks in the world
• Great example of Regionalism Architecture, mixing elements of Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival styles

Alcázar of Seville

• Royal palace built for the Christian king Peter of Castile
• It was built by Castilian Christians on the site of an Abbadid Muslim alcazar, or residential fortress
• It was destroyed after the Christian conquest of Seville
• The palace is a preeminent example of Mudéjar architecture in the Iberian Peninsula but features Gothic, Renaissance and Romanesque design elements from previous stages of construction
• The upper storeys of the Alcázar are still occupied by the royal family when they are in Seville
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

Teide

• Active volcano in the Canary Islands, with a height of 12,198 ft
• Most recently erupted in 1909
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

Playa de Cofete

• #11 of the top 25 beaches in the world
• Located near a small village by Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

Museo del Prado

• Art museum largely considered to have one of the world’s finest collections of European art
• #5 of the top 25 museums in the world
• Art dates back to the 12th century to the 20th century
• Collection comprises drawings, paintings, prints, and sculptures

Aqueduct of Segovia

• One of the best-preserved elevated Roman aqueducts and the foremost symbol of Segovia
• Completed in approximately 112 AD
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

Santiago de Compostela

• Capital of the autonomous community of Galicia
• The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St. James, a leading Catholic pilgrimage route since the 9th century
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

Beach of La Concha

• #16 of the top 25 beaches in the world
• Crescent shaped urban seaboard of the city of San Sebastián located at the Bay of La Concha
• Sandy beach and shallow substrate, in which the tide fluctuation greatly affects the area available for use

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Costs

Number of Days: 41 days

Best Time To Fly: April-May, Sept-Oct

Airline tickets: $1,741

Seattle -> Barcelona (round trip) = $1,147
Barcelona -> Palma (one way) = $25
Palma -> Minorca (one way) = $91
Minorca -> Ibiza (one way) = $153
Ibiza -> Valencia (one way) = $29
Valencia -> Málaga (one way) = $197
Seville -> Tenerife (one way) = $53
Tenerife -> Madrid (one way) = $46

Ferry/cruise tickets: $154

Cala Jondal -> Playa de Ses Illetes = $154

Food: $38/day x 41 days = $1,558

Rental car: $41/day x 33 days = $1,353

Gas: $137

Entertainment: $271

Airbnb: $140/day x 39 days = $5,460

TOTAL: $10,674