OPENING RECEPTION – 5:30pm, Monday, May 18th
The organizing committee welcomes you to join us for an opening reception starting at 5:30 pm on Monday, May 18th.
PROGRAM COMMITTEE DINNER – 8:00pm, Tuesday, May 19th
The PC dinner will take place at La Traviata, located near Hotel Catalonia Rigoleta, at Sabino de Arana, 22-24, 08028, Barcelona.
CONFERENCE EXCURSION – 5:30pm, Wednesday, May 20th
All conference participants are invited to join their colleagues on an excursion to the Gothic Quarter and the Rambla at the conclusion of the technical program on Wednesday, May 20th.
Plaça Catalunya and the Rambla are located right in the city centre; the Rambla is a boulevard known around the world. Pure Mediterranean in nature, it leads visitors down to the sea through a variety of contrasts: old-style shops, ultramodern cafes, landmark buildings like the Liceu Opera House, and, in the centre of the boulevard, there are, street artists, newspaper, flower, and bird stalls, etc.
Boqueria Market
Barcelona’s most popular and exotic market, it dates back to the 12th Century when farmers started to sell fruit and vegetables in the Pla de L’Os. Later, in the 16th Century, the first flower stalls appeared. Open from 8 to 8, the market sells quality fresh produce from around the world.
Plaça Reial (Royal Square) Lamp Posts
Inspired by neoclassic French urban architecture, in the centre of the colonnaded square is the Fountain of the Three Graces and the 2 lamp posts designed by Gaudí.
Carrer Ferran
This was one of the main commercial centres in the 19th Century. There are no street trees and the lamp posts hang from the buildings so there is nothing to block the view of the shop windows.
Plaça del Pi
Charming square with a beautiful gothic church, Santa Maria del Pi, with a 10m diameter rose window. Notice the sgraffito (patterns) on the façades of the houses.
Carrer Petritxol
One of the narrowest streets in the city, it is full of art galleries and cafes where you can have a “suïs” (hot chocolate topped with cream). The ceramic tiles depict historical events that have happened in this street.
Plaça Sant Jaume
Historically, the city’s two major Roman roads, the cardo and the decumanus crossed here. This square is the centre of the city’s political activity with the City Hall facing the Palau de la Generalitat, the seat of the Autonomous Catalan Government.
Plaça del Rei (King’s Square)
Right in the centre of Barcelona we find the Gothic Quarter, medieval marvel, which includes: the Look Out of King Martí, a rectangular tower, 5 floors high which was built for king Martí the Humane in 1555; Santa Àgata’s chapel (15th Century), built for Bertran de Riquer, and the Saló del Tinell (medieval hall) (1359-1362), built for king Pere the Ceremonious. The hall is large (35 metres long by 17 wide and 12 high) and was used to receive ambassadors and hold banquets. It is said that the Catholic Kings, Isabel and Ferran, received Columbus here on his return from America.
Plaça Sant Felip Neri
One of the city’s most beautiful squares, away from the tourist circuit, it is framed by the baroque church Sant Felip Neri, and the façades of the houses of the shoe makers’ guild (now the shoe museum) and the boiler makers’ guild (now a public school).
Cathedral
Gothic cathedral with 3 naves, built on top of an early Christian basilica (4th Century). Started in the 13th Century and finished 6 centuries later, the Sant Iu door marks the oldest part and the façade, the newest. Take note of the chapels and the 15th Century cloister guarded by geese. We recommend visiting the Cathedral between 8 am and 12 am and 5 pm and 7 pm on a working day, if no celebration prevents it.
CONFERENCE BANQUET – 7:30pm, Thursday, May 21st
The organizing committee welcomes you to join us for the conference banquet. We will be departing from UPC at 7:30 pm on Thursday, May 21st, and traveling by underground to the dinner. We will then return by bus at the conclusion of the banquet.