Feb 10, 2009: Mention Barcelona and one of the first things that springs to mind is Gaudí. Mention Gaudí and most people will immediately get a mental image of bizarre church spires.

The Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) cathedral was, of course, near the top of our list of things to see, but it is only a fraction of the incredible influence Antoni Gaudi had on Barcelona before his untimely demise when he was run over by a streetcar.

Feb 8, 2009: We had been slightly worried about our flight getting off the ground at all, given the weather and the 7am departure. But it was fine. A quick check on Aertel before we left showed that the only cancelled departures were to still-snowbound English airports.

On the plane were a large number of understandably (given the loss in Dublin the previous evening) morose-looking Frenchmen with rugby hats and scarves.