I had the opportunity to play a leading role in my high school senior play, “My Fair Lady.” If you happened to see the Academy Award-winning movie or Broadway production of this classic musical, you might remember the character, Eliza Doolittle, a poor girl with a strong Cockney accent, practicing proper English and reciting the following words, “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.” No, I didn’t play the role of Eliza; but I have been to Spain!

Most recently, I spent time in Barcelona (pronounced “Barthhhelona” by many locals), a truly great European city located on the Mediterranean Sea. Many of you may remember that Barcelona was the site of the 1992 Olympic Games. Barcelona was first established as a trading center by the Phoenicians and the Greeks. Various legends exist to explain how the city was founded and got its name; according to one, the city was founded by Hercules on one of his trips from Thebes in Greece. Of course, being of Greek heritage, I was immediately drawn to this particular legend!

Although there are plenty of historical buildings and monuments, especially in the area known as Ciutat Vella (Old Town), Barcelona is best known for its bold contemporary design (“Modernisme”). With its unique location on the Mediterranean coast, Barcelona also is recognized as a center of creativity, as well as a source of--and magnet for--all kinds of multicultural amenities. Indeed, whatever your passions may be (arts, culture, entertainment, restaurants, sports, public parks and spaces), you’ll definitely find ample opportunities to experience them in Barcelona!

Parenthetically, I recall being in the conference center where I was conducting a seminar on the search for meaning in life and work (yes, it was primarily a business trip!) and looking out a window where I could see people lying on the beach below, while others were wind-surfing. This was Barcelona in February! So now imagine the possibilities during the month of March and later in the year!

Perhaps what strikes me the most about Barcelona, which I think is different from other parts of Western Europe, especially when compared to cities similar in size, is its “spirit.” In this regard, there is an obvious Mediterranean feel to the place that is both grounding and energizing at the same time. Despite its size (Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain, next to Madrid), the city feels very much like it was designed on a human scale, for humans. With beaches on one side and a small mountain range on the other, Barcelona “speaks” to you in a way that few large cities can or do. Life seems good here, people don’t appear to be in a rush (except, perhaps, when they are driving their automobiles!), and the culture comes across as relatively stress-free and, yes, even healthy. The residents of Barcelona, moreover, have a great deal of pride in their city, as evidenced by its cleanliness (and lack of graffiti) and the way that visitors are welcomed and treated.

As you can tell, I highly recommend Barcelona as a destination for both pleasure and business. I already have plans to return in May and expect that I’ll be spending a great deal of time in Barcelona in the future. I hope that other members of the PeopleJam community get the chance to check out this fabulous city too. I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed. And if you do go, or have already gone, I’d love to hear about your experience in Barcelona.

Since I started this blog with a reference to “My Fair Lady,” let me end with another--a line from Eliza Doolittle’s language teacher, Professor Henry Higgins: “By George, she's got it. By George, she's got it. Now once again, where does it rain?!”