BLACKBOOK WHERE TO GO NEXT TRAVEL WHAT TO KNOW NOW SPOTLIGHT EAT, SLEEP, SHOP A BARCELONA UPDATE Continually transforming itself, Spain’s second city is coming up fast with high-concept tapas, three new hotels and a Modernist superstore BY RICHARD SCHWEID Given the liveliness of Barcelona today, it’s hard to believe that only a quarter of a century ago it was filled with factories and warehouses and scruffy beaches separated by railroad tracks. Visitors looking for the fa mous Spanish sun-and-sand combination went elsewhere, and few travellers were beguiled by the city’s charms. That all changed in 1992, when the city remade itself in anticipation of hosting the Summer Olympics. The railroad tracks were removed, opening Barcelona to the Mediterranean. And the tourist infrastructure greatly expanded , leading to new hotels and Barcelona’s historic public square, Plaça Reial, as seen from a room at the Hotel DO: Plaça Reial XAVIER CERVERA 20 departures-international.com
