Barcelona City Council....Ready for NX!

Dear News Xchange Community,

We are ready to welcome you to Barcelona! Maybe this is your first time in our beautiful historic city or maybe it's your 10th visit. Either way, we know you are going to fall in love with our Catalonian capital. To get you ready, here is a little information we think you'll find interesting.

Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, was founded on the Mediterranean coast, between two rivers, over 2,000 years ago. It is located in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula, just a short distance from France. Since then, it has been the traditional gateway to Spain. Like News Xchange, Barcelona has its roots in international community for through its walls it entered Romans, Arabs and Christians, as well as many other diverse cultures. And, just like with News Xchange, these cultures enriched our heritage.  The traces of this history and diversity can be followed as you walk through the city; through its Gothic Quarter, built on the Roman ruins; through its Art Nouveau Eixample district, presided over by Antoni Gaudí’s exuberant architecture, which at the same time reveals an ordered and rational urban layout. This diversity and harmony are also apparent in the character of the people of Barcelona, who are enterprising and hard-working, enjoy life and, in particular, have great civic pride and are lovers of culture.
 
These characteristics have made Barcelona into a first-class tourist destination and the ideal setting for meetings and congresses. This open, welcoming city, which shed its skin and opened up to the sea in order to host the 1992 Olympic Games, has since then focused its energies on another major global project: the 2004 Forum of Cultures. This event, the renewed expression of Barcelona’s vocation to be an international benchmark for meetings and dialogue, has made it possible to complete the city’s seafront, and improve significantly its range of services in the field of congresses, hotels and catering and culture.This is why we know that your global conversation will be very special --- here in a city of global conversations.
 ?In just over two decades, Barcelona has completely transformed its range of facilities and attractions. It has done so by displaying a dynamic character and pioneering spirit, which are perfectly visible in its new urban and architectural layout. The city continues to enjoy spring-like weather conditions, and offers the visitor its own unique lifestyle, which is particularly evocative and appealing. It perfectly combines the gentleness of the Mediterranean coast with the thrust and capacity for innovation of a young society. It is a unique combination on the European continent; a privileged geographical enclave whose inquiring yet serene population is already enjoying the Mediterranean metropolis of the 21st century.
 
Barcelona City Council warmly welcomes the participants of News Xchange  to our city. We hope that you will be able to make the most of your stay and that you are able to share experiences with other participating journalists and media organizations to disseminate truthful and independent news. We hope that you will return to Barcelona soon. But, in the meantime, we look forward to seeing you on 14 November and saying, officially, Benvinguts a Barcelona.

Bienvenidos a Barcelona!