"Barcelona needs little introduction " a Barcelona Travel Page by monkeyfeesh

As Barcelona is one of the most famous cities in the world, there is little I can say that you're unlikely to have heard or read elsewhere. But I'm not going to let that stop me droning on.

It's a city with incredible architecture, ranging from the modernista delights of Gaudí and Domonech i Montaner to the ultra-modern (although to my eyes it looks like an oversized gherkin) Torre Agbar. It's the city of history. It's the city of the future. It's a city in progress. You can visit here once and feel at home, and feel like you know it; you don't. You can and will find something new every time you go and everywhere you go. You'll love a lot of it. You won't like all of it. In a living city, you never do, and Barcelona is most certainly that.

I've visited Barcelona four times since 2002, with each trip arranged around one of the major music festivals. The first three trips revolved around Sónar, the self-styled festival of advanced music. Sónar plays host to major international acts such as Jeff Mills, Bjork, and Massive Attack alongside a whole variety of lesser-known names spanning several different genres but with a general focus on electronica and hip-hop. The most recent trip was to Primavera Sound, a much more indie-rock oriented festival which this year featured performances by Sonic Youth, Patti Smith, and Modest Mouse.