A working hospital could easily be the most impressive architectural sight in Barcelona. We stayed in a hotel just around the corner (Medium Medicis, well recommended), and that way observed the coming and going of the hospital every morning. Ambulances with their sirenes turned on speeding past, or nurses and doctors dropping in on one of the cafés to buy some delicious fresh bread.

Despite all this bustle, you are free to walk in the grounds. The hospital covers a large area and consists of several pavillions (27), all with their own characteristics. It was designed in such a way that the patients could stay in pleasant surroundings so they would feel better.

The Palau de la Música Catalana, located in Barcelona's city center and hidden behind a glass front, is also very worthwhile to visit. You can only get in via one of the guided tours, which are conducted frequently. First, a video is shown about the origins of the Palau, founded by the Orfeo Catalan (choir society). Then you are taken via the grand stairs to the main theatre. Sculptures represent the popular and classical music that is played here. A large stained glass object in the ceiling symbolizes the sun.