Barcelona Spain

From its privileged natural position lodged between sea and mountains to the eye-popping, man-made architecture that spans the centuries from the courts of the Catholic kings, from the cathedrals of Gaudf to the sensuously evocative Torre Agbar skyscraper by Jean Nouvel, there is nothing shy about Barcelona. Indeed such is its appeal that the world's leading designers and architects clamour to work here: even now Richard Rogers revamps the abandoned bull ring near the Placa d'Espanya, while Frank Gehry plots a new train station, La Sagrera, in the style of Gotham city. Nothing ever stands still in Barcelona.

Christened "Barkeno" by the first Iberian settlers (according to legend, the city was founded by Hercules nearly half a century before the building of Rome), then "Barcino" by the Romans, until eventually settling on Barcelona as it is known today, the city has a dramatic 2,OOO-year-old history and Hughes' book is a good place to start for those who want to delve into the past.

At its peak, the city and its residents were among the most prosperous in Europe and keepers of a mini-empire that included Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, Valencia, the Balearics and parts of Southern France. An outbreak of the plague in the 15th century, however, pretty much crushed all that Barcelona had gained. Typically resilient, though, the city's second renaissance came in the form of Catalan Modernisme at the turn of the 19th century. Keen to flaunt their new- found wealth once trade with America was permitted in 1778 and Spain's Industrial Revolution was well on course to making millionaires of paupers, not to mention their own boom in textiles, the Catalan aristocracy commissioned ostentatious palaces and villas like La Pedrera and the Casa Batlle, and a new era of the belle epoque was born.

The cash injection of the 1992 Olympics fuelled a third renaissance, and money has been lavished upon the city, sprucing up the famous Gothic quarter, transforming the Born into an area of trendy boutiques and bars, and bringing high-class restaurants into the Eixample. The most recent areas to undergo gentrification are the quiet neighbourhood of Poble Sec and the old fishing quarter of Barceloneta.

Today it is a city that attracts millions of people each year as a long-weekend destination for those visiting from Northern Europe, and a must-see stop on the European itineraries of those coming from across the seas. And then there are those who came and never left. Barcelona's expat population grows by the year. Gastronomy has played a major role in putting the city on the map, with legendary chefs such as Ferran Adria being voted the best chef in the world several times over by various high-profile publications, making Barcelona a destination for food-lovers. It even surpasses Paris as a do-before-you-die kind of experience. The city is literally bursting with restaurants and tapas bars that are chewed over and digested by the world's leading food critics, before being proclaimed brilliant. And the nightlife, while not quite New York, is nevertheless legendary among partygoers.

Barcelona, Spain - An Online Guided Tour of Barcelona

The summer sees the city become a hub of live music festivals, ranging from the stellar electronic festival, Sonar, to Indie Rock Fest Summercase, and free opera recitals in the shaded courtyards of the Barri Gotic. Add to this a population with an almost unparalleled lust for life, and if you learn only one thing from your visit it will be to remind yourself: life is for living!

For an online guided tour of Barcelona, Spain or for more information about the beautiful city of Barcelona visit http://www.GuidedTourBarcelona.com.

For an online guided tour of Berlin, Germany, or for more information about Berlin visit http://www.GuidedTourBerlin.com.

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