Sometimes when you travel with family or friends, you are limited in the amount of time you can spend visiting World Heritage Sites; accordingly, my visits to the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Hospital de Sant Pau in May of 2013 were quite literally superficial. In some ways, I didn't mind, since I rather prefer Art Deco-style architecture to Art Nouveau, but I would have liked to have seen the insides of both buildings, which were designed by local architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner in the early 20th century. When I visited the hospital, a large crane was in front of the building, so we didn't spend much time there beyond taking photos. I was able to visit the Palau twice during my time in Barcelona, but was unable to take a tour because we arrived at the wrong time of day (which didn't particularly bother my friend who was by this time very tired of visiting museums or buildings). I appreciated the outside of the Palau, with its distinctive columns, mosaics, and tilework; however, it is very hard to photograph because of all the surrounding buildings. One day I'll have to return to see the inside, which looks fascinating in photos.

Logistics: Both sites are accessible by Barcelona's Metro system. The Palau de la Música Catalana can be reached via the Urquinaona stop on Lines 1 and 4; the Hospital de Sant Pau can be reached via the Sant Pau/Dos de Maig stop on Line 5 or the Guinardó/Hospital de Sant Pau stop on Line 4.