"Ancient, vibrant, colorful, tasty,... " a Barcelona Travel Page by acemj

As I was approaching Barcelona by airplane, I noticed that it was reminiscent of my old hometown of San Diego, CA. High, semi-arid peaks surround the city like guards watching over a vault of jewels. And in a real sense, Barcelona is a vault of jewels; jewels imagined by Antoni Gaudi's visionary architectural genius; jewels in the form of surviving structures from the Roman Empire; jewels in the spirit of a people who know how to live life.

That spirit is the very spirit of Catalunya. The people of Barcelona are proud of their distinctive culture and very welcoming in sharing it with visitors. If at all possible, try to give yourself a few extra days in Barcelona; days designated for doing nothing but sitting in a public square, sipping cafes, eating tapas, and talking with the friendly locals. You won't be disappointed.