The Catalan National Art Museum offers a complete history of native art from the Romanesque period through the 1940s. In between are hundreds of samples of the finest art Barcelona has to offer.

Outdoors

Few people string lights up outdoors for Easter. But a great way to greet guests on this special day is to have a string on the front door in the shape of a colorful egg or bunny. You can even make a nice design in the shape of an Easter lily.

It's no accident that Easter is close to the beginning of Spring when the Earth comes alive. This ancient festival began as a celebration of fertility and new beginnings. You can help show that by planting some Easter flowers in yellow, red and blue - all traditional colors.

Taking a cruise is quite a bit more complicated than making an airplane reservation and getting on board. Even that can be a hassle these days, but many of the difficulties of air travel don't exist in travel by ship. But, there is a laundry list of things you should think about when planning your cruise in order to ensure smooth sailing.

At the base of Montjuic in Barcelona, while standing in the Placa d'Espanya, visitors see before them two majestic towers. Constructed in 1929 as part of the Palau Nacional for the World Exhibition, they form the entrance to this Spanish city's magnificent hilltop park.

Barcelona is an ancient city, born of the Roman Empire. But like many great cities around the world, it flowered in the late Middle Ages and blossomed in the mid-19th century. Yet there are many exciting elements of the modern period there, as well. These periods are all evident in this northeastern Spanish city on the Mediterranean Sea coast.

In the ultra-fashionable neighborhood along Passeig de Gràcia stands one of the most unusual examples of Barcelona architecture - or anywhere else in the world: Casa Milà, otherwise known as La Pedrera.

Unquestionably the most well known of his buildings in Barcelona is the Sagrada Familia, otherwise known as the Temple of the Holy Family. The structure almost defies description. Part neo-Gothic, part neo-Baroque it is sui generis. A series of spires topping a church begun in 1883, it is still under construction.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Parc Guell is yet another of architect Antonio Gaudi's great gifts to the city of Barcelona. Built between 1900-1914, this 20-hectare park sits on the hills to the north of Barcelona's main areas. It provides a peaceful oasis of lush greenery and outstanding architectural elements.

Between Las Ramblas and the Passeig de Picasso lies one of Barcelona's most famous areas: Barri Gotic, the Gothic Quarter. Its fame is well deserved. For, here, visitors can find streets and buildings from the Middle Ages that will provide hours of fascinating exploration. There are small winding alleyways where tourists can find all manner of Gothic-era buildings, shops housed in centuries-old structures, cafes and much more.

Antonio Gaudi is Barcelona's patron architect. Much of the city bears his stamp. Nowhere is this more evident than in his unfinished masterpiece, The Temple of the Holy Family. Work began in 1883 but halted after the architect's untimely death from a tram accident in 1926