Terminal 4 at Madrid-Barajas Airport.

Madrid's Terminal 4 at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport is a relatively new structure. Completed in 2006, the terminal remains one of the largest airport terminals in the world. The design by Antonio Lamela and Richard Rogers utilizes large undulating canopies with domes which allow natural light to enter into the terminal area. The use of large expanses of windows also gives the terminal an open. light feel.

Many of the design elements seem futuristic, unusual, and abstract. The colors also vary, giving the travelers a sense of play and variety.

Throughout the Terminal, one finds food courts and shopping areas making the experience and stay at the airport more relaxing and welcoming.

The Terminal offers connection with Madrid´s Metro system and with the interurban rail service. In addition,  express buses link the airport to various parts of the city.

The Spanish Ministerio de Fomento has renamed the airport Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez, Madrid–Barajas. This change seeks to honor Suárez's role as the first Prime Minister of Spain after the restoration of democracy.with the dissolution of Franco's Dictatorship.

Hopefully, you will have the opportunity to fly into Terminal 4 and experience its unique spaces.

Tramvia Blau

Un transport singular

One way to explore the various neighborhoods of Barcelona is to ride its public transport. The Tramvia Blau is a heritage streetcar line serving a hilly area of the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district between Plaça Kennedy and Plaça del Doctor Andreu (the terminus stop for Funicular del Tibidabo). The line winds through a historic residential area with fine examples of modernista architecture and ends at the foot of the Tibidabo funicular. From there, one can ride to the top of Tibidabo mountain which offers many several interesting sites, including an amusement park and the Temple de Sagrat Cor. The terminus of the tramvia affords spectacular views over the city and the surrounding coastline.

Inaugurated in 1901, the line has a distinctive blue livery which gives it the name of Tramvia Blau. The trolleys slowly climb some 300 feet at a gradient of 8% to the Plaça del Doctor Andreu. The streetcars once connected at Plaça Kennedy with the trams of Barcelona's city system. With closure of those routes in the 1960s  and 1970s, the Tramvia Blau remained the sole tramway operating in the city until the opening of the Trambaix and Trambesòs lines in 2004. 

The line's fleet of trolleys retains their historic characteristics. The

interiors harken back to an earlier area. The trolleys have large windows, wooden benches, and two doors on each side. The streetcar has a capacity for approximately 32 seated passengers.

Some have called the trolleys of the Tramvia Blau a trip into the city's past. Many have marveled at the views from the trolleys as they rise to the foot of Tibidabo. The ride indeed affords a glimpse into the city's distinctive, urban landscape.

View of Barcelona from the Plaça del Doctor Andreu