The 2nd International Workshop on Hybrid Metaheuristics (HM 2005) will be held in the city of Barcelona, the exciting capital of Catalonia. Both in Barcelona and Catalonia you can find many valuable cultural events and plenty of touristic possibilities.
WORKSHOP LOCATION
HM2005 will take place at the Dept. de Llenguatges i Sistemes Informàtics of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. The department is located at the following address (c/ states for street):
Campus Nord UPC
E-08034 Barcelona
The department is very close to the RESIDÈNCIA UNIVERSITÀRIA TORRE GIRONA (the university residence we recommended in the "accomodation" section), so those who are accomodated there just need a 5 minutes walk to reach the workshop location. Those who are accomodated in other hotels will have to reach the campus by some other transport. The closest metro stations are PALAU REIAL and ZONA UNIVERSITARIA, which are the last two stations of the L3 (the green line).
- Click here for information on how to get to Barcelona when arriving by plane and by train.
- Click here to download a map of the campus with all the above mentioned references emphasized.
- Click here to download transport guide indicating the closest bus and metro stations to the campus.
More information...
The size of Barcelona makes it possible to use the bicycle to move around. Check this website if you want to reach the workshop location by bike.
Did you know that 73.8% of those living in Barcelona see themselves as walkers more than as drivers? Did you know that 37% of the trips in the city are done by foot? Barcelona is clearly a city to enjoy by foot at any season of the year. Check this website if you plan to walk around the city and/or to the workshop location.
Locate any address in the city in the following website, and check how to go from one place to another in the following website. In general, you will find all kind of information about the city in the website of the city hall.
Know a little more about the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya (short virtual tour)
BARCELONA
The city of Barcelona is slightly over 90 km2 in area, and has a population of 1,700,000 inhabitants. It is the centre of a large metropolitan area which has over three million inhabitants. Over two thousands years old, Barcelona is the capital of the historic nation of Catalonia.
There is not just one Barcelona, but several. The old city (Ciutat Vella) offers the visitor a wide range of routes to follow and reconstruct the history of Barcelona by starting at the Roman walls, moving to the medieval streets of the Gothic Quarter and going to the popular promenade know as La Rambla. From there you can discover the architectural and decorative models of the Modernism, with many works of Antoni Gaudi such as the Sagrada Familia.
Barcelona is a city fomous for its cultural tradition. The city has over twenty museums, covering all aspects of art and culture. The best known are the National Museum of Art of Catalonia with one of the major collections of Romanesque and Gothic art, the Museum of Historic Art, the Picasso Museum, the Miró Foundation and the Tàpies Foundation. The Science Museum also presents a wideranging display of scientific and technological advances. The Fòrum de les Cultures recently buit is another cultural target.
Besides some major art show rooms, most musical events take place in three large venues: the Palau de la Música Catalana, a real modernist gem, the Auditorium, and the Gran Teatre del Liceu, which is a leading opera house, reconstructed after its burning. Many stage troupes and actors in Barcelona are the best in Spain, and achieve international acclaim. A glance at the programme of cultural and entertainment events published in the Barcelona daily newspapers is the best way of keeping abreast of what is in the city.
For thousands year Barcelona has had a strong trading tradition. You can buy all kinds of goods in Barcelona. Althought purchasses can be made all over the city, there are certain particular shopping areas such as the Avinguda Diagonal, the whole Eixample, the old town...
More information on Barcelona can be found in the following Web sites:
- Ajuntament de Barcelona. Offitial web
site of Barcelona's Council. Contains a presentation of the city, its
agenda and many points for visitors, citizens as well as bussiness
information. The climate
information and touristic trials are also available there.
- Transports Municipals de Barcelona.
Web site for public transports in Barcelona. Contains information
on the subway, bus lines, tickets, the touristics bus...
- Excite Travel: Barcelona.
- Views of Barcelona.
Web site with many pictures of Barcelona.
- La Guia del Ocio. Journal on cultural and recreational
activities in Barcelona (films, theater, museums, restaurants...)
- Barcelona Food & Drink.
A gastronomic guide of Barcelona.
- Barcelona Airport.
CATALONIA
Catalonia is a European Mediterranean country. A modern, advanced country, with a strong personality and very attached to custom and tradition.
The Catalonian landscape is very varied. The Pyrenee mountains contrast strongly with the coastal regions, although the pleasant environmental quality is generalised. Catalonia is a very pleasant country to live in. One look at life expectancy figures shows that the Catalans are among the longest living in the world. Their secret is a combination of good environmental conditions, a healthy diet, good health and social services and a life style in which, despite the hard work, one always finds time for leisure.
The Catalans have always placed a high value on work and have distinguished themselves with their capacity for improvisation. This has allowed Catalonia to grow into a solidly structured country, with a well developed civil society and an active work culture.
More information on Catalonia can be found in the following Web sites:
- Generalitat de Catalunya. Web site
of the Catalan government. Contains information on the history of
Catalonia, The national symbols of catalonia and its language, the
territorial organization and general topics.
- A close look to Catalonia.
Another web site of the Catalan government. Contains information on
the country, its identity, economy, touristic resources, cultural facts,
sport events...
- Turistex.
A data base for tourism in Catalonia.
- Views of Catalonia.
Web site with many pictures of Catalonia.
- Where
are you from? A Web designed to clear up any doubts you might have
about the sociolinguistic situation in Catalonia and the UPC.
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Tradition.Catalonia's festivals and traditions unify Catalan society and help to give it its particular character. Amongst the most striking of festive events are the 'correfocs', in which devils play with fire and with the people. These devils are not the incarnation of evil; they are sprightly and festive, dancing to the sound of the tambour and the traditional oboe, while they set off their fireworks. But perhaps the most spectacular of the Catalan festivals are those of the 'colles castelleres', groups of enthusiasts who form impressive human towers. This is an old tradition of the Tarragona region, which has now spread to many parts of Catalonia, and has become a real spectacle, or sport, that attracts thousands of Catalans. Amongst other important festivities are the carnival in Vilanova i la Geltrú and the Patum in Berga. Then, there is the very special music of the cobles, the wind bands that play 'sardanas'. The sardana is a circular, open dance, that originated in the north of the country, and is now danced in many squares and streets. Anyone can join in. |
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Language.Catalan is the native language of Catalonia. It is a Romance language derived Today 93.8% of the population of Catalonia speak Catalan, 68.3% can speak it and 67.6% can write it. Catalan is also spoken in a large part of the region of València, the Balearic Islands, the part of Catalonia under French administration and the town of L'Alguer (on the island of Sardinia). More information can be found in Where are you from? a Web designed to clear up any doubts you might have about the sociolinguistic situation at UPC and in the catalan language pages of the Generalitat. |
 
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Arts.Traditionally Catalonia and her people have taken keen interest in the cultivation of the arts. There are many Catalan artists who have been highly successful and are recognised all around the world. Painters such as Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró or Antoni Tàpies, singers such as Josep Carreras, Jaume Aragall, Joan Pons, Montserrat Caballé, musicians such as Robert Gerhard, Enric Granados, Francesc Tàrrega, Ferran Sors, Jordi Savall, acclaimed architects such as Josep Maria Sert, Oriol Bohigas or Ricard Bofill, theatre companies such as El Tricicle, La Fura dels Baus, the Comediants or Josep Maria Flotats, the former director of the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, popular singers such as Lluís Llach, Joan Manuel Serrat, Maria del Mar Bonet or Raimon provide a small sample of the artistic activities of Catalans of the past and present. Many of these have become veritable ambassadors of their country wherever they have gone. This was the case with the outstanding'cellist Pau Casals who, at one of the worst moments in Catalonia's national life, addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations to reaffirm his nationality and the desire of all Catalans for national redress. The admirable work of Jordi Savall, both as conductor and instrumentalist, should also be mentioned. Because of this relationship with the Catalan language, Catalan literature is a very special aspect of the national culture. Many important works are written in Catalan, and increasingly these are appearing in translation in other languages. Since the Middle Ages, Catalan literature has been able to boast authors of outstanding significance, such as the mediaeval writers Ramon Llull, Ausiàs Marc anb Joanot Martorell, or Salvador Espriu and Mercè Rodoreda in the 20th century. |
 
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Gastronomy.Catalan cooking is above all a gastronomic version of the famous Mediterranean diet. Therefore, it combines a very special quality with healthy eating. Notable is fish on its own, or in a multitude of more complex dishes such as suquet, or in combination with rice. Rice is the basis of a number of gastronomic delights such as arròs a banda or 'arròs negre', which are other examples of seafood dishes. Vegetables are another crucial component, either raw in several sorts of traditional salad, or cooked, as in espinacs a la catalana (spinach), escalivada (red peppers and aubergines) or 'samfaina' (peppers, tomato, onion and garlic). The calçotada. One of the typical vegetables of the country, calçots, spring onions grilled over hot embersis the centre of festive gatherings spent in the countryside, at which the main event is the meal. Meat also plays an important role, with Catalan beef being exported all over Europe, as well as pork products. |
