PT x Other Countries RR - Group 9

More spanish cards but these are from a postcrossing RR, the Portugal x Other Countries RR, group 9 Portugal x Spain.

I happy to received cards from places or monuments that i've alreaby been to. I've always wanted to visit the Sagrada Família and visited it in 2005. I really would live to visit Barcelona again. This card was sent by Clara "klayreh".

"Sagrada Família, is a large Roman Catholic church, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in November 2010 was consecrated and proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI.

Though construction of Sagrada Familia had commenced in 1882, Gaudi took over in 1883, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style — combining Gothic and curvilinear, Art Nouveau forms with ambitious structural columns and arches.

Gaudi devoted his last years to the project and at the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete. Sagrada Familia's construction progressed slowly as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War — only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the mid-point in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026 — the centennial of Gaudí's death.

The basílica has a long history of dividing the citizens of Barcelona — over the initial possibility it might compete with Barcelona's cathedral, over Gaudi's design itself, over the possibility that work after Gaudi's death disregarded his design, and the recent possibility that an underground tunnel of Spain's high-speed train could disturb its stability." - in: wikipedia

I believe this is my 1st card from Santander, the capital of the Cantabria community, in northern Spain. The card was sent by Rosa "earwen".
The Magdalena Palace is an early 20th-century palace in Santander. "Its construction was initiated in 1908 by the local government of Santander for the purpose of providing a seasonal residence for the royal family of Spain. Funding was provided via popular subscription of the local populace.

The design and construction of the palace were overseen by architects Javier González Riancho and Gonzalo Bringas Vega, with construction completed in 1912. King Alfonso XIII and his family first arrived at the Palacio de la Magdalena on August 4, 1913, and returned annually to summer at the palace thru 1930. The royal family used the palace as a base for numerous recreational and sporting activities, and the king sometimes also held government meetings at the property. The annual trips ended with the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931.

Beginning in 1932, the palace was used to host summer courses through the International University Menéndez Pelayo. The palace, which was declared an historical monument in 1982 and renovated between 1993 and 1995, continues to be used as a conference and meeting hall today. It is the most visited place in the city of Santander." - in: wikipedia

And the last card of this RR was sent by Aurora "cucutrashhh". She sent this view of Almagro's Town Square. Almagro is a city situated in Ciudad Real province, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha.
Almagro's Town Sqaure was originally Conceived as a place of arms. It is flanked by arcades with tuscan pilars. It houses the City Hall, a construction of 16th century.