Madrid and Barcelona Apartments, Spain

In Barcelona , you can choose between holiday apartments, hotel accommodation or even a combination of the two called Aparthotels. Few tourists think of renting a holiday apartment but if you are visiting Barcelona in a group of three or more people, then booking an Apartment in Barcelona can work out cheaper than hotel accommodation. Furthermore, who wouldn’t prefer staying in an exclusive apartment, with all the modern conveniences, at the same price as hotel accommodation?

The Aparthotel is a rather new holiday accommodation development in Barcelona. It is a small apartment that is situated within a hotel. It offers a cost-effective alternative for groups or families that want to stay together, or for groups of business colleagues that are spending time in Barcelona. Aparthotels holiday rentals normally have en-suite kitchens that enable you to store and prepare your own food.

Once your holiday accommodation has been booked, look at some of the top tourist attractions that Barcelona has to offer. Most people love Sagrada Familia by Antonio Gaudi (although a minute few hate it). It basically is a giant temple that has been under construction ever since 1882. To top this, they are planning to still be busy for another thirty to eighty years (depending on how much resources and funds will be at their disposal) before it will be finalised.

L’ Aquarium de Barcelona is a popular Barcelona attraction, especially for the kids and young ones. The aquarium is based at the at Port Vell (in the Barcelona Port Area)

The Spanish Village (Poble Espanyol de Montjuic) is a tiny Spanish village with different areas that replicate architecture styles from different districts of Spain. The Spanish Village is also home to a great many workshops and specialist craft shops where visitors can see some traditionally made Spanish goods. The Spanish Village is also where the Famous Flamenco show is held at tablao de Carmen, which may help boost it’s popularity.

La Pedrera (Casa Mila) is another one of the great Antonio Gaudi masterpieces. It is also another one of his designs that forms part of the top 10 most visited sites in town. This building was always called Casa Mila but today it’s more commonly known as La Pedrera, which means literally means “quarry”. Gaudi was instrumental in completing this special building with his characteristic and unique colourful tiles mixed with wavy brickwork.

If you are a beach enthusiast, be sure to book hotel accommodation adjoining one of Barcelona’s 7 beaches, which totals 4.5 kilometers of its coastline. The Sant Sebasti and Barceloneta beaches are both 1.1 kilometers in length, and are the oldest, biggest, and the most visited beaches in Barcelona. Its Olympic port separates it from the other Barcelona beaches: Nova Icria, Mar Bella, Bogatell, Nova Mar Bella and Llevant.

Barcelona is all about the arts. They are at the core of its identity, and not just through the traditional institutions. They are eclectic, often edgy, sometimes outrageous. On the streets. Out there. In your face.

Much of the action, but far from all of it, centers on the famous Las Ramblas, a long, tree-lined shopping/dining/arts boulevard that has few if any peers in the world.

Ramble along Las Ramblas on any day and you will encounter, for example, various living "statues" - gargoyles, bicyclists, "beheaded" ghouls, angels and princesses, perched in their assigned spots, ready to spring to life and coax a little cash out of the tourists who pose with them. You will see musicians, caricature artists, jugglers, acrobats, even the occasional weird mime act.

Such life pervades the city. A classical cellist plays music from "Phantom of the Opera" outside the cathedral walls in the Gothic Quarter. Performers on indescribable, exotic instruments enchant passersby along narrow, winding side streets. Guitarists ply their trade at outdoor cafés, and diners often are in a generous mood, given the vigor of the local sangria.

All this goes on until at least 2 a.m. In Barcelona, you dine late and party long.

Here is clearly a city in which an artist can make a good living independently - and many do. Barcelona nurtures and encourages that.

It's smart for the city's bottom line, because the arts, Barcelona obviously understands, is not just about fun. It is tied to commerce.

Barcelona is the heart of Catalonia, an autonomous and culturally distinct region that is Spain's principal economic engine. Catalans have a reputation as the nation's most businesslike, innovative and savvy people. Noted for its arts, architecture and industrial design, Barcelona is Europe's sixth-richest city, with a per-capita income 44 percent above the continent's average.

And it is one of Europe's most creative, embracing, adapting cities. This is no coincidence.

Barcelona is very good at using what it has.

Local architect Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia church, with its organic-looking spires, may be far from finished, but is the city's iconic attraction. A major museum devoted to Pablo Picasso resides in an ancient palace in the La Ribera district. The ultra-modern Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona also does installations in a medieval convent chapel nearby, and the MACBA plaza is one of the world's prime venues for skateboarders. Somehow, it all works.

Barcelona is much larger than Cincinnati - 1.5 million in the city proper, compared to our population of 300,000 to 400,000 (depending on how heavy Mayor Mark Mallory's thumb is on the scale). Barcelona has densely populated, compact historic neighborhoods with structures that date back many centuries - some even to Roman times. It boasts a robust transportation system - five subway lines, high-speed rail, 900 buses, tram lines and cable cars. Yet the central city is very walkable.

Its modern resurgence started with the 1992 Olympics. Preparing for the Games forced the city to reconnect with its long-neglected waterfront and its rich architecture (sound familiar, Cincinnati?). But it sustained the growth long after the Olympics.

Barcelona's embrace of chaotic creativity and tourism has its downsides. Pickpockets are a chronic and serious problem. Banners on light poles warn against people relieving themselves in the streets.

Qatar Airways has launched daily flights between Doha and the vibrant Spanish city, Barcelona.

Barcelona is Qatar Airways’ second city served in Spain, after Madrid, and is expected to receive great response from leisure and business travellers alike.

As Spain’s second largest city, Barcelona is a popular tourist centre on the Mediterranean coastline. It is home to one of Europe’s main ports and has a thriving economic base due largely to its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts and international trade. According to official tourism data, 52 million tourists visit Spain every year, making it one of the most visited countries in the world.

“Barcelona is a vibrant city with incredible appeal among leisure and business travellers, and we are confident that our new daily flights will be equally successful as our daily services to Madrid,” said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker. “With 14 flights a week now operating to Spain, this reflects the high demand we have been experiencing in and out of the region, helped by increased economic ties between the Middle East and the Iberian Peninsula.”

Barcelona is the 2,000 year old capital of the Catalunyan region, an excellent year-round destination, offering art, unique architecture, excellent nightlife, sophisticated shopping and gastronomical delights which cater to travellers of all ages and budgets. On the Doha – Barcelona route, Qatar Airways operates an Airbus A319 in a two-class configuration of 8 seats in Business Class and 102 in Economy.

Qatar champions play for charity in Barcelona
Qatar champs Wanderers participated in a charity tournament in Barcelona and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Spanish superstars Santi Frexia, Leonardo and current captain Pol Amat. The tournament was held for the second year and there was a huge turnout with Wanderers from Qatar being the only non-Spanish team participating.

Having conceded a walkover in their first game, drawn their second and winning handsomely their next three games, Wanderers were unlucky not to make the semi-finals of the friendly tournament. However they won over their Spanish counterparts’ hearts with star players Juned Coutinho and Savio Nayak participating in a skills workshop along with Santi Frexia. Wanderers also shared their goalkeeper Shannon George with one of the other participating teams.

Barcelona is a sexy, seductive city. Like all good courtesans, it will yield up its most treasured secrets to those who can explore beyond the superficial hedonistic image it has acquired since its transformation to celebrate the 1992 Olympic games. Yes, there are phalanxes of drunken hen and stag parties who conga up and down Las Ramblas and in and out of Antoni Gaudí's glorious buildings, but look beyond and you will understand a little of the Catalans' fierce desire to preserve their first city's cultural status. I can't possibly do my favourite European city justice, but here are a few recommendations.

Favourite place to stay
I rarely stay in the same Apartment. I chose an ultra-modern cheap and chic Apartment in Barcelona from ApartmentPlan.es, which manages to flawlessly integrate lime green decor, neon-lit reception areas and minimalist contemporary furniture into two townhouses in the seedy narrow streets of El Raval, the city's old brothel district and favoured stamping ground for the likes of Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dali and Federico García Lorca when they lived and worked there. It has a magnificent rooftop suite with great views of the city. The Banys Orientals is its only rival – more expensive but one of the great boutique hotels of the world.

Favourite restaurant
Café de L'Acadèmia is the best lunchtime restaurant in Europe and has a simple three-course daily table d'hôte lunch menu, for about a tenner – a throwback to a pre-Civil War law requiring restaurants to make a good cheap local midday meal for factory workers. I have never eaten the same meal there – it's always fresh Catalan food – and I love the counter area as much as the outside tables that sprawl across Plaça Sant Just towards a tiny medieval church. It's about two minutes' walk from the ancient Ajuntament, the magnificent City Hall in Plaça de Sant Jaume where Catalans are still battling to peacefully wrench their state from Castilian political and economic control.

Favourite tapas bar
One evening, after a couple of cavas in the faded art deco splendour of the London Bar (frequented by Dali, Picasso and Hemingway) and a long aimless stroll around El Raval's shadowy passages and the city's red-light district, Barri Xinès – backdrop for the seediest and most evocative section of Jean Genet's Journal du Voleur – I came across Mam i Teca, a minuscule bar close to the Palau Güell (currently closed for restoration), arguably Gaudí's most celebrated masterpiece. Run by a charming English-speaking gastronome, the bar has about four tables and three stools and its patron serves exquisitely cooked authentic tapas, light pastas, fresh meats and fish.

Favourite museums
The great art critic Robert Hughes's classic account of the city's cultural history, entitled simply Barcelona, led me up to the National Art Museum of Catalonia, which charts 1,000 years of national cultural heritage. It is surrounded by a faux grandeur of fountains and gardens which are part of the Palau Nacional, built for the 1929 International Exhibition. In particular, this incredibly spacious museum now houses the greatest collection of pre-medieval Romanesque frescoes in the world. These were all but lost to the world until after the first world war, when enlightened Catalans relocated and restored those that had survived years of mutilation and neglect in the tiny villages in the Pyrenees. Also utterly unmissable is the Museum of Contemporary Art, in La Raval.

Favourite festival
On St George's Day, the entire city, from the New Town boulevards of the Eixemple, down the centre of Las Ramblas (and across La Ribera to the fisherman's houses on the Barconeleta) metamorphoses into a magnificent floral literary festival, when the men of Barcelona give their loved ones roses, and the women return the compliment with a book. Appropriately enough it was on St George's Day a few years ago that I was lucky enough to meet Carlos Ruiz Zafón, the Catalan author of The Shadow of the Wind. As a literary introduction to his home town, the novel is unparalleled, and a perfect fictional companion to Robert Hughes's cultural bible.

Favourite cathedral
I have spent hours in La Seu, an amazing example of Gothic architecture, studying the paintings, the side chapels, the tombs, the statues and one of the most beautiful cloisters I have ever seen – 13 white geese have inhabited it for over 400 years. La Seu has been Barcelona's iconic cathedral since the dawn of European Christianity, and the remains of one of the city's patron saints, the teenage girl martyr Santa Eulàlia (Laia is her local name), are interred in the crypt underneath the exquisite altar. She was martyred brutally in the fourth century and was the inspiration for a famous painting by John William Waterhouse, one of the great pre-Raphaelites. Legend has it that she was rolled up the hill close to the cathedral in a wooden barrel filled with broken glass. Plaça de la Seu in front of the Cathedral is the venue for an unmissable ritual performed every Saturday at 6pm – the sardana, which is Catalonia's national dance. If you are there, you will be forced to join in.

Favourite theatre
Barcelona is famous for contemporary dance and vibrant fringe theatre, but it also has a magnificent opera house, the Gran Teatro del Liceu, which runs programmes of opera and classical music performed by leading international singers, musicians and conductors. Lorca and Genet staged their work in this grand auditorium on Las Ramblas. (Lorca called this broad artery "the one street in the world I didn't want to end".) Its stage door is next to the Mercat de La Boqueria, the city's ancient food market, where you can eat tapas and drink solo (espresso) before entering the grandeur of the Liceu.

Favourite cemetery
The setting for a key chapter in my book is the Cementiri del Sud-Ouest, where thousands of graves, tombstones, mausoleums and chapels are literally carved into the stark cliffs that loom above the vast industrial seaport opposite the south face of the little mountain called Montjuic. Thick stone columns guard rows and rows of memorials and coffins encased in carefully marked square sealed cabinets, the final resting place for thousands of Barcelona's dead. Tiny square plaques are neatly sculpted into walls of stone which stretch up and down the undulating hillside like strange vestiges of an ancient civilisation. Dried flowers, faded photos, and effigies of the Holy Virgin sit in small sealed glass protuberances, which give each cubicle, (not unlike the cubicle in a morgue), a poignant idiosyncratic atmosphere – a little personal identity which keeps them from being desperate and uniform. I adore this place, which also overlooks the Mediterranean.

Favourite plaça
Nobody could come to Barcelona and fail to enjoy the experience of sitting at one of the cafes or outside restaurants which surround Plaça Reial. It is surrounded by tall palm trees, and peppered with wrought iron lamps designed by a youthful Gaudí. A fountain in the middle has a statue of the Three Graces, and all of Barcelona at one stage or another passes through this sublime 19th-century square. There are the inevitable street entertainers, refugees from Las Ramblas, which is a minute's walk away, and it is crammed with tourists but as in Venice, its faded elegance survives all this. Within a short walk you can be strolling along the beach of the Barceloneta, stalking El Raval's bars or visiting the eccentricities of the Pipa Club in the corner of the square, where everyone smokes a pipe and drinks late into the night. Life at its most amusing.

Barcelona is considering imposing a tax on tourists of one euro ($1.32) per day to cover a cut in state subsidies aimed at promoting the city, tourism authorities said Monday.

"We are looking into this possibility," which could be included in our next strategic plan for the city, a spokesman for Barcelona tourism authority said. Some 6.5 million tourists visited the capital of Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia last year, one of the most popular destinations for visitors to Spain, according to the tourism authorities.

If the plan goes ahead, it would be the first Spanish city to impose a daily tax on tourists. The Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia said "100 percent" of the funds would be used to promote city. Inspired by large tourist towns in other countries, Barcelona in northeast Spain is reportedly considering the possibility of introducing a tax on its tourists in a bid to compensate for a reduction in state subsidies.

Eager to generate additional revenue to promote the city and region of Catalonia, tourism authorities in Barcelona have proposed the idea of imposing a EUR1 tax per tourist per stay, and have confirmed that the plans might be included in the next strategic plan for the city.

Luxury Apartments in Barcelona

According to estimates from the tourism authorities, if applied in all tourist destinations in the region, the tax could serve to generate revenue of between EUR15m and EUR20m a year for Catalonia. Recent figures show that around 6.5m tourists visited Barcelona last year, proving one of the most popular Spanish destinations among foreign tourists.

Currently around 6,000 towns in France are authorized to impose such a tax, although only half of these elect to do so. The amount of the levy varies depending on the type of accommodation chosen by the tourist. Individual towns are able to independently determine the precise figures. Tourist taxes are also levied in, for example, New York and Saint Petersburg. The Italian city of Rome has also been authorized by the government to impose a levy on its tourists.

If adopted, Barcelona would be the first town in Spain to introduce a tourist tax. However, given the recent 1% rise in VAT on hotels in the country (from 7% to 8%), the proposed new tax may well prove highly controversial and be fiercely opposed.

A recent study from the Associació d'Apartaments Turístics de Barcelona (Apartur) concludes that Barcelona’s holiday rentals are fanning out from the city centre, otherwise known as the Ciutat Vella (Old Town). In 2009, registered apartments in the Eixample and Gràcia districts grew considerably, whilst the number of Gothic Quarter apartments dipped slightly.

“We have also noticed a shift,” says Vanessa de Souza Lage, co-director of the apartment rental agency Holiday Velvet who has an office in Barcelona. “Not only from owners who are offering quality properties in these areas, but from clients who are more open to staying out of the busy and often noisy, centre. On the whole the neighborhoods of Eixample and particularly Gràcia offer a more local experience as they are more residential.”

The Eixample district of Barcelona is a large, ordered neighborhood of 19tth century apartment buildings many of them built by the famous architects of the modernisa period including Antoni Gaudí (his masterpiece the Sagrada Familia is located in the Eixample). Gràcia on the other hand was once a village in its own right. Even though it has now been absorbed into the fabric of Barcelona, it retains a village-like feel. Both are well connected to the Ciutat Vella by public transport.

Apartur also reported that choosing a holiday rental in Barcelona was more popular with Americans, the French and Germans (in 2008 it was the British, Irish and Spanish who occupied the ‘top three’), and that they spent an average of 29 € per person, per night on their self-catering accommodation.

From Barcelona is not what I have expected it to be. While it gives me an insight into life in Barcelona, the 10 short stories are told through different voices rather than the author’s.

The book revolves around residents of Barcelona; some of whom are famous like Gaudi while others are ordinary people just like you and me. Occasionally there are links between the short stories; the girl in the white dress – and the guy who was sentenced to five years for attacking a civil servant make their appearance in more than one story. The `spankers’ are also mentioned in another story.

Some of the short stories are nicely rounded; Monica describes a woman’s struggle to balance her loyalty between her job and her family, Running the Gauntlet revolves around a vigilante who wants to target street crime by fighting back with violence. The plausible fictitious tale about Barcelona’s famous architect, Gaudi and his friend and benefactor, Eusebio Guell, gives us a nice portrait of a man who had a ‘prickly country temperament’ and was passionate to form an independent Catalunya.

Other stories reveal a glimpse into life in Barcelona; stretching beyond the famous Gaudi’s architecture to unveil the general busyness of locals’ life and the customs of Barcelona such as the giving of a book and a rose on St George’s day.

My favourite story is Barcelona Gothic, a mysterious tale set in an apartment in Urquinaona. Within a few pages, Holland creates a melodramatic ghost story complete with sex, mystery computer programmes using magic spells, mad doctors and rabid dogs: enough elements to develop into a novel and a lot of action.

I also like the way the final short story nicely summarises the first.  In the first story, the main character is obsessed with a dark Spanish girl in a white dress. He fantasises about her and imagines having a relationship with her. His hopes are dashed when he discovers she is Argentinean and doesn`t speak much English. 

The same main character is offered a second chance at happiness in the final story when he meets a blond girl in a navy dress and enjoys a meal with her and her friends.

The capital of Catalunya offers a large choice of Barcelona Apartments, both for holiday travelers to Barcelona and for business trips as the city is usually famous for its exhibitions, trade fairs and conferences. The question is why both kind of travelers usually consider renting a short terms Apartment in Barcelona instead of a simple hotel room?

Price is a major reason, and although an apartment may be more expensive for a single person than a hotel room, it will certainly save money for a party sharing. If you are visiting Barcelona for a long weekend or city break or perhaps for a shopping spree in Spain or even a vacation for a week or two, you can get a two-bedroom apartment in Las Ramblas or Nou Rambla (downtown Barcelona) for less than 35 euros each! Try getting a hotel room in Barcelona for less than 35 euros per night!
Of course, you might think, a hotel offers you so many amenities, such as a laundry service, a bar, a restaurant, room service and daily cleaning of your room: even sometimes free tea and coffee making facilities. So what? Short term rental Barcelona Apartments provide a fully fitted kitchen with all the tools, cooking equipment and crockery required to cook a meal. You can wake up and smell the coffee from a real coffee maker. You have a dishwasher to help you, and a washing machine, so your laundry is free.
You have a TV, DVD and CD player in most apartments, and also a Jacuzzi (in luxury ones) and a terrace in which to enjoy the Spanish sun. Cots and cribs for the children, bedding and towels are all provided in the price, and many have an Internet connection.

If you have your children with you, they can sleep in their own bedroom and you will know that they are safe, unlike if they had a separate hotel room. You would always be worried about what they are doing. You can share everything as a family, and save money on food. How much is it going to cost eating in restaurants for just one week? You needn't eat out all the time with short term rental Barcelona Apartments, and in fact, you needn't eat out at all: you can cook all your own meals if you wish, of course.
That likely won't suit business people, whose expenses will cover their meals, but for families on vacation it is a significant saving. It would also allow you to get the experience of living like a Catalan - visiting the markets and local shops to purchase your food. Then cooking it according to traditional local recipes - that's the way to visit Spain, not as a traditional tourist living in sanitized hotels, with westernized food.

When checking the prices of Barcelona Apartments, keep in mind that they change according to the number of people. An apartment costing 92 euros for one-two people could be 100 for three and 120 for four, and so on. The more people in party the more expensive the apartment becomes, but also the less expensive per person.
There is also a lot more room in an apartment. Hotels are basically sleeping places, with lip service normally paid to the living space. Not so with short term rental Barcelona Apartments. You get plenty room: generous bedrooms, a proper lounge and a kitchen. These apartments are the same as others of the same design intended for private occupancy.
Of course, there is more to decide between an apartment and hotel than just price, amenities and convenience, though they would be hard to find. You can't determine the standard of an apartment from is rating, as you can using the star rating applied to hotels, but generally, the more spend the better you get.

The Barcelona Tourism Board will start an awareness campaign asking tourists not to stroll in bathing suits and shorts-and-slippers-only through all parts of the city. Image issues and common courtesy towards Barcelona's locals and its institutions require to remind tourists they are not in Lloret de Mar, but in a historic city where some measure of dressing etiquette is not misplaced, says a Tourism Board spokesperson.

Barcelona has a beach. On the beach you wear shorts, a bathing suit, or next to nothing. That's no problem. Barcelona also has a Picasso museum, an ancient cathedral, a historic city centre and many places where locals go in ´normal dress mode´. There, wearing swimming trunks and slippers while showing off tattoos left, right and bottom should not be okay, says the tourism authority. For the moment no sanctions or policing are planned to force (some) visitors to dress slightly more elegantly in the Parc Güell, Plaza Cataluña or the major shopping malls, but there will be a publicity campaign and brochures to ask tourists to dress ,,appropriately for the occasion". Also, museums, art galleries, business owners themselves and government institutions should kindly, and as of yet discretely, ask their clients and visitors to not barge through the city and its attractions in semi-naked state, says the Tourism Board.

The foreign visitors board is not only concerned with image problems Barcelona might develop over the long haul and a reputation for cheap tourism that might ensue, but also with estranging the local populace from the couple of million visitors that come to the city on a yearly basis. Many Barcelona locals, especially during summer, already avoid local tourisms hot-spots like the Ramblas and the Barrio Gotico.

Barcelona Luxusry Apartments

The please-dress-up-debate is being pushed by the Catalan newspaper El Periodico, that has been writing about the issue for over a year and has now pulled in support of the biggest Catalan political party, CiU. The Barcelona front man of the party, Xavier Trias, says that bathing suits and similar wear should only be allowed at the beach and closely neighbouring areas. ,,It is common sense. It is time people are told it not okay to walk our city streets virtually naked.

Barcelona, which bills itself as "the grand Mediterranean capital" and "the city of Gaudi," has been much in the news over the past two decades in part because of the 1992 Olympics and its champion soccer club.

But to be there for eight sunny days in March proved an abiding pleasure. Cara and I were in one of two Peterborough groups that ventured there last month and, as innocents abroad, we went -or should I say Cara went -particularly to see the architectural legacy of Antoni Gaudi whose work can be seen throughout the city.

I was delighted to tag along, thinking that, if Woody Allen found the city beguiling, I might as well. I also knew I would have to do a lot of walking to keep up with my well-prepared wife.
Beguiling indeed. Spread along the western edge of the shining Mediterranean Sea to the south of the Pyrenees, it is a wonderful tourist city, providing that one is well prepared for the pickpockets who are judged the most skilled in Europe.

It is a busy, pedestrian-friendly city. Most Barcelonians live in apartments usually no higher than seven or eight floors and enjoy a network of parks and wide carrers or avenues. As the many tourists stride earnestly toward their chosen destinations, the locals stroll their 'carrers' at leisure, enjoying an espresso on a terrace in the sunshine or doing their daily shopping.

For earnest tourists like us, there is a great deal to see, study and reflect upon.

There is the Gothic Quarter or old city, comprised of cathedrals and narrow, winding shop-filled lanes. There is Montjuic (the magic mountain or the Jewish mountain) where one finds the major athletic sites from the 1992 Olympics along with several museums and terraced gardens.

There is the stunning and lengthy waterfront ranging from the old port to the Olympic Village (where Frank Gehry's famous fish shines overhead) to the docks (where cruise ships and ferries to nearby islands like Ibiza and Mallorca are berthed) to the Aquarium and overhead cable that connects the beaches with Montjuic.

There is Parc Guell where one can wander through, over and under Gaudi's imaginative landscaping and tiled balconies. And there are the many wide streets, several of which, like the famous Rambla, provide capacious pedestrian walkway down the middle. We walked everywhere.

Outside the city are many additional pleasures; the spiritual experience of winding upward to the monastery at Montserrat, the wineries of Codorniu and Freixenet, and the Roman ruins of Tarragona. But, in addition to the architecture and the openness of the city, it was the museums that claimed our attention, taking me back to a couple of art history courses I enjoyed in my undergraduate days.

In addition to the amazing Gaudi museum (Espai Gaudi) in the capacious attic of La Pedrera and the extraordinary church, La Sagrada Familia, that he designed and which is still under construction nearly a century after his death in 1926, we visited the Picasso Museum in the Gothic Quarter and the Joan Miro Museum, designed for his collection, on Montjuic. Barcelona Architecture by Carlos Lorenzo © Flickr

I was overwhelmed to realize that so many important early-modernist artists called Barcelona home, from Picasso who as a young man trained there to be a classical painter, to Miro who always regarded Barcelona as his spiritual home, to Pablo Casals who learned to play the cello there (and who found a copy of Bach's Cello Suites in a back-alley stall, thus beginning their revival), to the amazing and comedic Salvador Dali whose work is housed in a museum in the town of Figueres to the north.

We finished our stay on a wonderful warm Friday evening when we took in the traditional dancing of the circular Sardanes in the old city at 6 p.m. As a brass band (or cobla) played from the steps below the cathedral, we watched groups of men and women, girls and boys perform this traditional dance, which is so important to the Catalonians. It was exhilarating to see young and old dancing together in their special soft shoes and to learn that every year schools at various levels prepare their students for dancing competitions.

The occupancy levels were close to 60%, while the highest figures were concentrated, as usual, during the 1 to 5 April, with an occupation nearly 75%.

Tourist’s in the province of Barcelona reached 67% over Easter The occupation of tourism in the province of Barcelona was between 60 and 75 percent at Easter, according to the Tourism Board of the Provincial de Barcelona.

The occupancy levels were close to 60%, while the highest figures were concentrated, as usual, during the 1 to 5 April, with an occupation nearly 75%. For hotels, the average occupancy during the holidays was 70%, with a maximum of 76% in the Maresme and a minimum of 18% in the Alt Penedès.

Campsites, meanwhile, reached an average occupancy of 60%, while apartments recorded 67%. As for the rural houses, they had an average occupancy of 60%. The inland counties such as Berguedà enjoyed increased demand at Easter.

The last time I visited this most magnificent Mediterranean metropolis, Francisco Franco still ran the country and everything and everyone in it. Back then even when the sun was blazing, the city seemed somehow sinister, darkened by constant clouds of state-sponsored repression and fear, overseen by steely-eyed, stiff-hatted Guardia Civil.

Granted home rule after the dictator's death in 1975, Barcelona has changed dramatically over these four decades, and not just as a result of hosting the Olympics in 1992. So it was with some anticipation last fall that I got my first chance to form a second impression and was even more taken by the city I encountered.

Simply stated, Barcelona has blossomed -- again. The evidence is amply evident almost any time of day along the Rambla, the wide, largely pedestrian promenade that runs a mile from the harbor to Placa de Catalunya, the great square that is the city's beating heart.

Long known as the "Grand Enchantress," the capital of the province of Catalonia has flowered into a vibrant, colorful, cosmopolitan center of culture, cuisine and commerce, resplendently Continental and yet fiercely distinctive.

Set deep in 3,000 years of tumultuous history, the roots of this ancient seaport predate classical Rome and have encompassed every period of civilization since -- Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau -- and, somehow having avoided much of the 20th- century destruction that decimated other European cities, architectural artifacts from every era still stand shoulder to shoulder on Barcelona's medieval streets.

In the past century, Catalonia's creative climate has nurtured such Modern artists as Picasso, Miro and Dali, all of whom gained international stature and left their mark in museums that bear their names.

Yet perhaps Barcelona's most distinctive creative character was Antoni Gaudi (1852--1926), the quirky architect whose influence has been magnified far beyond the handful of local structures he created, mostly grand homes rather than civic edifices. Although the word gaudy predates the man by centuries, it's easy to think it was coined to describe his work. When Gaudi finished architecture school, the school's head said, "Who knows if we have given this diploma to a nut or to a genius. Time will tell." It proved an accurate prediction.

Gaudi pioneered a Modernist movement where design flowed from nature rather than the intellect and form was superior to function. As much as they are buildings, Gaudi's creations are comprehensive works of art that can be inhabited, structures that despite their extravagant, often ephemeral appearance and commercial unsuitability, have endured and remained relevant. Almost all have been designated as World Heritage sites.

So on our four-day sojourn last November, my wife, Sari, and I decided to get into some Gaudis in the only place in the world it is possible to do so.

Five primary Gaudi sites
We began our exploration of five of the primary Gaudi sites in Barcelona with a visit to Parc Guell, envisioned as a private community set on a craggy hillside to the west with a commanding view over the city and the Mediterranean.

Commissioned in 1900 by Count Eusebi Guell, a textile mogul who was Gaudi's primary patron, the architect spent 14 years constructing a network of pathways over the stony acreage, radiating from a pair of fanciful, gingerbread gatehouses and a columned pavilion, decorating them with offbeat monuments and animal shapes of contoured concrete and covered with elaborate, slightly hallucinogenic tile mosaics.

Although sites for 60 homes were planned, only two were built, one of which served as Gaudi's residence for more than a decade and now houses a small museum of his memorabilia. A playful perfectionist, Gaudi had an artistic vision that included every detail of furnishing and decor.

An architectural accomplishment but commercial failure, the estate was eventually turned over to the city. It is now a public park and an eye-opening introduction to a most creative mind.
Gaudi architecture in Barcelona © Flickr
Gaudi at his giddiest
That afternoon, we called on Casa Batilo, a grand residence on the broad boulevard Passeig de Gracia a few blocks from Plaza Catalunya. Gaudi renovated the existing structure between 1904-10, transforming the entire six-story facade into a flowing ripple of glass and tile mosaics that look like a somewhat melted wedding cake topped with two bastions of colorful chimneys swaying above a blue-tiled roof. The exterior is Gaudi at his giddiest, and inside, as one of his few buildings open to the public, a way to inspect the unconventional interiors that make up a small Gaudi Museum.

Several blocks farther up the Passeig on a commanding corner we found Casa Mila, or "La Pedrera" as it's more commonly called, which is Catalan for the quarry. That is certainly an apt description for the six-tiered apartment building, with an undulating, undecorated facade of rough chipped stone along both street fronts, topped by a froth of fancifully shaped chimneys that seem like spires extruded from a Dairy Queen machine.

Still a functioning residence with a ground floor cultural center, La Pedera allows visitors access to an interior garden and a stairway to the roof top.

The next day we searched out Guell Palace. Built on a side street just off La Rambla, this was Gaudi's first major architectural undertaking and the only project he started, in 1880, and completed, in 1887, although decorating took three more years. Executed as a showplace of pride for his primary patron, the textile industrialist Count Eusebi Guell, the palace demonstrates that Gaudi spared no expense in creating the ultimate urban experience of the time. The building has been owned and faithfully maintained since 1945 by the Barcelona City Council and is, we were told, the most complete record of Guadi's early artistic vision.

Unfortunately, the palace was closed for renovation in 2006, except for the entrance hall and basement, which can be toured for free Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., until the whole structure is re-opened later this year.

We had saved the best for our last day.

Cathedral still in progress
Gaudi's masterwork, the cathedral La Sagrada Famila (the Holy Family) towers over all of his other architectural accomplishments. Now, 84 years after his death, it remains a masterwork in progress.

The project began in 1882 under the architect Francesc del Villar, who resigned the following year and Gaudi, just five years out of school, was appointed to continue the job. He re-conceived the cathedral's design and set about constructing the crypt that would be its foundation. That was substantially finished by 1891, but other projects began to demand Gaudi's attention and progress stalled.

By the time he turned back to the La Sagrada project in 1914, Gaudi's concept had grown for what he called "the last great sanctuary of Christendom." When asked about the long delay, Gaudi reportedly responded, "My client is not in a hurry."

A devout Catholic, Gaudi imagined a structure that would be both resplendent with religious symbolism in every detail and equally representative of his naturalistic view of architecture with elements that seem to grow from the ground to heaven. His design envisioned an anti-Gothic structure consisting of 18 soaring towers, one for each of the Twelve Apostles, four evangelists, Mary and Jesus, all conceived in delicately filigreed cones of stone. The irregularly shaped columns that surround the main nave branch at the top into hyperbolic arches, like trees in a forest.

Gaudi came to focus all his attention on La Sagrada, eventually moving into an apartment in the crypt, where he became something of a recluse. On June 7, 1926, at age 74, he was struck by a streetcar and, unrecognized, was taken to a pauper's hospital, where he died three days later. He was buried in the crypt.

Realization of Gaudi's vision has proceeded in fits and starts since then, overseen by a succession of architects. The design challenges have been enormous and replete with controversy, both for technical reasons and because his building plans were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. The soaring vault of the central nave was only completed in 2000, and present plans hope the whole project will be done by 2026, for the bicentennial of Gaudi's birth.

Still, the idiosyncratic, uncompleted edifice has long been one of Spain's top tourism attractions. Unsupported financially by either official church or government sources, work depends on donations from private patrons and tickets purchased by visitors.

La Sagrada will certainly gain wider fame on Nov. 7 when Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to consecrate the cathedral.

As an ongoing construction site, La Sagrada is another worldly place that transports even nonreligious visitors. Whether it is absolutely faithful to Gaudi's vision may be subject to debate, but it is absolutely a product of inspiration, both divine and human.

The new-generation Spanish low-fare airlines Vueling, will launch flights to Scotland on 24th June, 2010 with a three times weekly direct route between Edinburgh and Barcelona. The new route will complement the airline’s existing UK operations from London Heathrow to Bilbao, La Coruna and Seville.

From 24th June to 12th September, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday departures will be from Barcelona at 1130, arriving into Edinburgh Airport at 1315 and from Edinburgh at 1350, arriving Barcelona at 1725.  Tickets are available to book online.

“We are delighted to add Scotland to Vueling’s route network,” said CEO, Alex Cruz. “Edinburgh is a great complement to our existing UK services. Barcelona and Edinburgh have strong links and we are confident our flights will be appreciated by business people and leisure travellers alike.”

Barcelona is a truly cosmopolitan city with a Mediterranean climate in the heart of Spain’s Catalonia region. To the west, the mountains overlook the city and to the east is the majestic urban seafront, beaches and harbour, one of the largest and busiest in the Mediterranean. Barcelona is one of Europe’s most stylish cities and is a magnet for the fashion-conscious. With more than 35,000 shops, the city is a shopper’s paradise offering everything from books to jewellery, haute couture to furniture. Colourful markets bring life to the many squares in the city centre.

Also new from Vueling this summer, the airline is incorporating Germany into its route network. Three times weekly services between Valencia and Munich will operate from 24th June, 2010 until the end of the summer season on 30th October

Three new routes between Amsterdam and Spain are being introduced by Vueling for the summer.  Three times flights (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) are already operating between both La Coruna and Bilbao and the Dutch capital city.  Four times weekly flights (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays) between Ibiza and Amsterdam, will commence from 24th June.  The introduction of the new Amsterdam services complements Vueling’s existing services to the city from Barcelona, Valencia Malaga and Seville, taking the total number of Vueling connections between Amsterdam and Spain to seven.

Around Half million vehicle expected to leave the Barcelona area today for the Easter holidays, traffic jams are expected.

This Easter there will be more people taking to the road than in 2009, estimated ‘Transit’. The forecast is 6% more. Good weather is expected to encouraged more people to visit coastal and mountain areas. Moreover, the last snowfall, high intensity, will be an incentive for many to visit ski resorts. The diversification of destinations could contribute to traffic jams. But, as usual, high levels of movement in the main access to the shoreline (all AP-7, N-340 and C-31 on the Costa Brava) and the Pyrenees (A-2, C-14, C -16 and N-145).

Some 517,000 vehicles departed from Barcelona and its metropolitan area in the first holiday phase, from last Friday to Sunday. In the second, which begins tomorrow at three in the afternoon and ends on Good Friday at the same time, Transit expects another 372,000 vehicle to hit the road with this number it is expected there will be traffic problems. The traffic agency expects things to be more complicated on the return leg, beginning on Easter Sunday at noon and ending on Easter Monday evening. In total, an estimated 614,000 vehicles will return to the capital cities on these two days.

The start of the holiday ended with disastrous results in terms of the accidents. Ten people have died since Friday afternoon until midnight on Monday in seven accidents in which there were also seven serious injuries. Josep Moya Perez, director of the Catalan Traffic Service, yesterday called it "tragic, the worst since 2000, when nine people were killed. So we call for extreme caution".

After what happened in the beginning of Holy Week, Moya Perez appealed to the "common sense" of drivers who, in his view, is "to concentrate and use safe driving patterns". In five of the seven fatal accidents speed combined with distractions were the cause.

Barcelona has it all -- beaches, great nightlife and amazing shopping and sight seeing.

Why go now?
Visiting Barcelona, Spain’s second largest city, is like going to another country altogether. With its own language (Catalan), laws and traditions, people are here are fiercely proud of their city. Eclectic, dreamy, and super trendy -- Barcelona is less oppressive than the capital city, Madrid, and much more quirky. Being on the coast, temperatures are also great all year round.

It's my first time
Avenue of Las Ramblas
The brouhaha along the broad Avenue of Las Ramblas makes it one of the most exciting in streets in Spain. You can pick up a tweeting bird (in its cage), flower bouquets, printed t-shirts or stop for a cana (small beer) and listen to the street music. 

Grab a breath of fresh air at the city’s waterfront only a short walk from Las Ramblas. On Sunday mornings, local families and tourists rub shoulders, strolling along the sand and dipping their toes in the somewhat chilly Med. Order a fragrant dish of seafood paella or fried calamari at La Mar Salada (Passeig Joan de Borbó).

I've been before
Parque Guell
Eccentric artist Antoni Gaudí’s colorful and crazy Parque Guell is a great way to spend the day. Bring a picnic and see some of the artists’ most creative designs — the park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Culture is the heart and soul of Barcelona, so dropping by the Museu Picasso (museupicasso.bcn.es) is a must. Some of his greatest work is on display here.

Where to shop
Head to the antiques market held in front of a cathedral on Plaça Nova, in Barrí Gòtic district. It’s a beautiful place to buy all sorts of bits and bibelots; dramatic manila shawls, posters, sturdy jewelry and the odd dusty old typewriter. Haggling isn’t an option, it’s a must.
Established in the 18th century, the bustling Mercat de la Boqueira (La Rambla, 91) is great for a not-so-ordinary afternoon shopping. Fresh fruit and vegetables form vivid pyramids of colour and stalls sell pretty much everything Spanish and delicious,  from fresh cheeses, to breads and cuts of meat.

Where to go out
Standup tapas bar Quimet & Quimet (Poeta Cabanyés 25) is a great way to start the night. The cramped space manages to remain cozy and all sorts of cans and bottles cover the wall from top to bottom. Its “New York meets Catalunya”  vibe spreads to the delicious menu of cream cheese (all cheeses are overwhelmingly used as the leading ingredient here), beef and sweet tomato jam.
The wine selection is particularly good. Watch people fill their glasses or even bottles with wine pouring (not literally) out of the oak barrels at Bar Bodega Teo, a local fixture since opening in 1951. The interior design is flashy and fabulous- fairy lights and insect lamps are there to keep you out of the dark.

Barcelona by Marcel Germain © Flickr

It was less than two years ago when Spain unveiled its first high-speed rail system. Alta Velocidad Espanola (AVE) began shuttling people between Barcelona and Madrid at speeds of up to 300 Kilometers per hour. The train has transformed the way people travel throughout Spain. When this high-speed iron horse was not an option, 90 percent of the six million people traveling between Madrid and Barcelona went by air. This year, the number of train travelers has surpassed the number of fliers.

Train travel has its benefits for Spain and its people; it's better for the environment, the economy, it's more comfortable, and much less of a hassle than boarding a plane. “Since the day this train opened, I have never, never set foot on the plane again,” said Mr. Martinez, 31, a lawyer who travels between Madrid and Barcelona twice a week. “Why would anyone fly?”

While it isn't any cheaper than flying, passengers love the comfort: seats recline, gourmet food is served over table discussions, a bounty of computer outlets, free movies and headsets, and even gloved attendants.

Over the next few years, stricter, green measures from the European Union will force airlines to increase their prices, this will keep train travel prices competitive. In addition, trains are much easier to maintain and run than planes. With growing demand AVE plans to expand some routes, hoping to one day have a line from Barcelona to Paris.

Ticket Price: €120 to €200 one way
Time: 2 hours and 38 minutes

A meter of snow fell in the Pyrenees leaving 6,000 travellers stranded and blocking up to 40 roads on the border between Spain and France. Barcelona recorded its heaviest snowfall since 1962 causing road, rail and flight chaos.

Catalonia's interior minister, Joan Boada, said the power cuts, caused by a fault in a high-tension cable, were affecting the area around Girona, 60 miles north of Barcelona.

Spain's border with France at La Junquera was closed causing 30-mile traffic jams while 170,000 pupils had the day off as schools were shut, local newspapers reported. About 3,000 people were put up in a town hall overnight and many others stranded in their cars as railway lines and roads became impassable, Boada said.

Tens of thousands more were unable to get home after snow fell at lunchtime and many left their offices to photograph the rare scenes of central Barcelona and its beach lying under a blanket of snow.

"I've never seen anything like this here in all my life," said Barcelona resident Raquel Lasmarias, 35.

The Catalan regional president, José Montilla, toured the affected areas admitting things would not get back to normal as quickly as might be hoped. "Some things cannot be repaired in hours," he said.

Girona, where 50cm of snow fell, was effectively cut off from the rest of Catalonia with most roads and rail lines blocked and only five of the scheduled 31 departures leaving its airport. The Catalan meteorological office said conditions would slowly improve but warned that unusually cold conditions would continue with widespread frost and ice.

Barcelona Snow 8th of March 2010 photo gallery by agarcime © Flickr

Apartments have many perks. First of all, you can cook in an apartment, which will save you money on eating out. Having breakfast and lunch in will save you at least 30 EUR a day. If you share an apartment with a group of friends or your family, you can usually get a pretty good price per night divided between you. Also, cooking group dinners in an apartment can be a fun way to test out the local market’s offerings. After  dinner at home, head out for a night on the town – Barcelona will not disappoint!

Imagine staying in Barcelona holiday apartments with your family or friends. You would have the opportunity to have a holiday vacation unlike any other you have done in the past. As with most European cities, Barcelona is beautiful during the holidays and you can take advantage of self catering Barcelona locales. Why should you stay in an apartment you ask?

At one time it was normal for high school graduates to tour Europe for the summer before beginning their studies at a university. Today, this is not as common because of the rising costs of traveling and concerns for safety. The students who can afford to travel across Europe might choose to stay in a hostel to save money. Unfortunately, most hostels may not provide the safety that parents would like for their children. Hotels are expensive and may not always be the easiest place to stay. For this reason, many students are now staying in Barcelona holiday Apartments. The apartments are cheaper than staying in a hotel. Many students can save money by getting a self catering Barcelona Apartment.

You can learn from the students' experience with the self catering Barcelona locations when you decide to spend time in Barcelona during the holidays or during a summer break. No matter when you plan to visit, you can find many self catering Barcelona Apartments that will provide you with the opportunity to sample the local culture by being immersed directly in it. You can create memories that you will remember for the rest of your life when you stay at a Barcelona holiday apartment. You can enjoy many of the local sights and even get tips on places to visit from people who live around you. Visit many sites that are off the beaten track.

You can take friends and family with you on this unique trip and enjoy your stay in Barcelona holiday apartments. Friends and family often make the trip even more interesting. Finding a place for everyone to stay in at a regular hotel can be difficult to make happen. Immersing yourself into a different culture can help you to learn more about people that are different from you. You can sample exotic foods, listen to a variety of music, and partake of the local culture. Many historical places exists that will allow you to enjoy the culture of Spain. You can visit museums, places of unique architecture, and see the art of Barcelona.

Barcelona holiday apartments can save you money on your next vacation or trip. You will often save money because you only pay for the time you spend in the self catering Barcelona Apartments unlike time-share properties where you pay no matter whether or not you actually use it. Barcelona holiday apartments are a great way for you to spend a unique trip unlike any other you may have considered or experienced in the past. Make your next holiday trip even more memorable when you stay at Barcelona holiday apartments.

Barcelona photo gallery by Darrell Godliman © Flickr

A large number of people visit Barcelona every year for leisure or business purpose. Barcelona offers them rich culture, varied cuisines, high fashion and huge financial markets. Food and accommodation can cost a huge amount of money. So, if you are planning to visit Barcelona for a short duration or for a longer period, rent Barcelona Apartments to save your money and feel at home.

Barcelona has some of the best hotels in the world. Barcelona hotels offer the best facilities to their guests and ensure they have a memorable experience. However, most of them charge exorbitant rates. Barcelona Apartments are extremely good alternatives to highly expensive Barcelona hotels.

After coming in this city you need not to worry about the accommodation because there a number of options and you can choose one of them. It doesn’t matter whether you are with your family or with your friends an apartment is always a right place for you to stay. You can easily find the accommodation that suits any budget. Once you figure out your personal budget you have to decide where you will like to stay near sea beach or in the center of the city.

For those of you who want all the facilities of a modern hotel, Barcelona Apartments are a perfect choice. Apartments in Barcelona are completely furnished to make your stay comfortable. They have all the essential features like warm and spacious bedrooms, well-equipped kitchens, large dining rooms and living spaces, bathrooms with bath and shower, towels and linen. You will feel as if you are staying at your own home. You also get direct dial telephones, color TV’s with various channels, Internet connection and central heating in most of the Apartments in Barcelona. Those of you who want modern facilities, there are Barcelona Flats designed specially for you. Build in unique and elegant architectural style, such Apartments in Barcelona offer parking, laundry and proper security arrangements other than the basic amenities.

Barcelona Apartments provide all the facilities of hotels and all at very affordable rates. Apart from being a cost-effective alternative, Barcelona flats allow you to enjoy the privacy and flexibility that you cannot find in the hotels. You are neither disturbed by hotel staff nor are you compelled to go out for expensive dining in Barcelona. Barcelona Apartments are all yours. You can cook whatever you want to eat in your own kitchen, watch your favorite channel or sleep in your comfortable bedroom. It is like a home away from home.

This accommodation is really very spacious as it includes the amount of personal space you may want during you stay in the city. All flats are well constructed and well equipped. You have communal space that is just for you and your group so you can sit together in privacy without having to perch on someone’s bed. All apartments have at least one full bathroom and one half bathrooms, so there will be less fighting over who uses the bathroom next. You don’t need to cram people into a hotel room, but can select an apartment with as many bedrooms, and the layout of beds that you need.

Whether you are traveling alone or with your family, as a couple or with a group of friends, you can get Barcelona Apartments as per your requirements and budget.