Barcelona, in the Catalonia region of Spain, is said not to be Spanish at all. It has a history all of its own. The Catalan language is similar to Spanish, but also has much in common with southern French dialects. It was the host of the 1992 Olympics. Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, Pablo Casals and Antoni Gaudi have called Catalonia "home" and their influence is everywhere. The heart of the old city is called the Gothic Quarter, since most buildings here date from the 13th to 15th centuries. We did not book a tour here and decided to do the city on our own. We disembarked the ship, caught a shuttle to the city center and headed to Las Ramblas, the wide shopping district promenade. There were sights to see everywhere and it was
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