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By Joanna Tweedy
Sno joke: Usually backed by a blue sky, Antoni Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece La Sagrada Familia got a dusting of snow yesterday as bad weather hit Barcelona.Britons heading to Barcelona this week will find the usually reliable Catalan sunshine has gone into hibernation after north-east Spain was yesterday hit by some of the worst snowfall the region has seen in 25 years.
The city's popular tourist landmarks including Gaudi's famous La Sagrada Familia have been blanketed in a layer of snow after up to 50 centimetres fell.
Transport to the region has been affected with Ryanair flights out to Girona Airport, an hour north of Barcelona, cancelled this morning. However, flights to the city's main hub are operating a normal service with just a few disruptions.
Transport connections in the city left thousands of commuters trying to find alternative ways home after buses and trains ground to a halt. City authorities ordered the Barcelona metro system to be kept open all night in a bid to help ease the travel problems. Schools in the region were closed yesterday and hundreds of homes affected by power cuts.
And you thought Britain was having a chilly week: a Catalan man braves the cold in a snowy tree-lined street in Barcelona.On the French and Spanish border, emergency services workers had to rescue some 500 passengers who were stranded while travelling on a train between Barcelona and Portbou. The rail service broke down due to a lack of power caused by the bad weather.
More than 60 roads in Catalonia have either been closed or have restricted access with Spain's border with France at La Jonquera also closed, causing some 4,000 trucks to be stranded.
At Barcelona's Nou camp, the club's footballing multi-millionaires were forced to train in freezing temperatures. It's not all doom and gloom though, one group of Catalans, clearly inspired by the recent Winter Olympics, staged an impromptu
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