"Cousin Luisa and Family Live There" a Barcelona Travel Page by atufft

Finding a nice centrally located apartment in Barcelona is no easier than any other great city, and so I am very fortunate that my wife's cousin Luisa has one with a view across to Sagrada Familia by way of her laundry porch. A metro station is one block from the ground floor entrance to her building. The apartment is small and comfortable, and I love to eat jamon serrano and tomato on top of a slice of French Bread (I would prefer the bread be San Francisco Extra Sour Dough, but I can't have everything). She is very old now, and we haven't visited her since 1998, so I keep telling my wife, it's time to return to Barcelona. This is one of my favorite cities to just wander around. It's generally very safe and clean, and the architecture of Gaudi among many other great Catalan architects, is wonderful to look at.

an old tower of the Sagrada Familia. It could have killed someone, but instead it landed nearby a tourist. I went there almost every chance I had to watch the construction cranes working on the newer sections of the building. Sagrada Familia is Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece because he died in a trolley accident. For many years after his death, there was no money and no agreement on what to do with the building. Then, it was agreed that Gaudi's sketches could serve to guide architects complete the building. The newer sections are probably better build than the original Gaudi work, and have a simplified modern look to distinguish them from the original.

Just outside Barcelona are many small villages, many that can be reached by metro train within a matter of minutes, and others that may require a rental car. The roads in the part of Spain are excellent and the traffic well mannered. After browsing my Barcelona Things To Do tips, I highly recommend browsing my Off-The-Beaten-Path tips for Ripoll, Monserrat, Castel-Fullit, Olat, San Juan de las Abadesas, Nuria, and other local places just outside Barcelona. Barcelona and surrounding Catalunya can keep a visitor occupied for a week or more.