Cataluna is made up of four provinces - Barcelona, Girona,
Tarragona and Lleida (Lerida), each with a capital city of the
same name. Barcelona is the place people want to visit and the
capital is now very much an international city. The area enjoys
a varied landscape from the high sierras of the Pyrenees, to
the Mediterranean coast and the central lowlands. There are two
Cataluna coastlines - the Costa Brava with its cliffs and deep
coves (Costa is Catalan for coast and Brava means Rugged) - and
the Costa Dorada (Gold Coast) with long, wide and gentle beaches.
There are three airports - Barcelona, Girona and Tarragona. There
are two international rail stations at Estacion de Sants and
Estacion de Francia, both in Barcelona.
Lleida (Lerida) is located in the
province of Lleida in northern Spain on the River Segre. Lleida
is currently the eastern terminus of the Spanish state railway's
AVE high-speed rail line, serving Zaragoza, Calatayud, Guadalajara,
and Madrid.
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Lleida is a traditional Catalan-speaking
town. The older parts of the city on the right bank of the river
Segre are a maze of narrow and crooked streets, surrounded by
ruined walls and a moat, and commanded by the ancient citadel
overlooking the plains of Noguera to the north and Urgel to the
south. The suburbs, laid out in broad, regular avenues of modern
houses, are on the left bank, connected to the older quarters
by an iron railway bridge and a fine stone bridge. There are
some interesting historical monuments worth visiting, the old
cathedral is a late Romanesque building and the church of San
Lorenzo is noteworthy for the beautiful tracery of its Gothic
windows. Other buildings are the Romanesque town hall, the bishops
palace and the military hospital, formerly a convent. |