Barcelona is Spain's second largest city, with a population of 1.5 million people,
and the capital of Catalonia. The city is on the Mediterranean coast, and has a wealth of unique historic
architecture. Barcelona emerged as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe during the 1990s.
It's a beautiful city, full of markets, shops, museums and churches, and great for walking around. There's an area
called "La Rambla" where people like walking. It's a favorite tourist attraction because there are flower sellers,
street performers,paintings and restaurants. However, you can go to the beach, which is near, or you can walk
around.
In 1992 Barcelona hosted the Olympics and the Games were very well organized. However, some time before the city
was prepared for that, and the transformation was very important; new areas were made and the city was opened to
the sea. This transformation and the games made the city known all over the world, and increased the tourist flow,
as well as the naval traffic, with numerous ships docking in Barcelona's port.
On the other hand, Barcelona has lost its 90's leadership in terms of international business headquarters, to
Madrid.
