"The Crown Jewl of Catalonia" Barcelona by cwest03

The first stop on our first trip to Spain recently was in Barcelona. We had taken the night train from Paris and arrived at about 8 in the morning. The day was a bit grey, the ground was wet and an occasional drop of rain hit me as my girlfriend and I walked with our baggage to find our hotel.

The weather did not discourage me one bit. I had dreamt of coming to Barcelona since I had been introduced to Gaudi by a Catalan student and friend in college. Ever since that day I knew I had to see Sagrada Familia and Gaudi's other works for myself.

We only spent two days here this time but I hope to go back at some point. Barcelona is a wonderful place that has a big city name with a not so big city feel. There is plenty to do from arts and culture to night life and the beach. If I had to pick one city in Spain to live in it would be Barcelona.

• Pros:A beautiful city with lots to do and see.
• Cons:It's a big city
• In a nutshell:Barcelona is a culturally rich city that is big but has a comfortable feel to it