There are two Barcelonas, pre-1992 and post-1992, with the Olympic Games celebrated in that year acting as a catalyst to myriad changes in the city's landscape. Not only were the sporting venues built and various transport improvements made, but the city was also opened to the sea - key to securing the post-Olympic tourist boom. Originally a small roman settlement Barcelona grew steadily to incorporate the villages around it (which are now integral parts of the city) with the 1859 metropolitan plan of Ildefons Cerdà providing the blueprint for a huge expansion which continues into the present day. And despite all the wonders of Gaudí I think it is this grid pattern, provided by Cerdà, which really gives Barcelona its rhythm, soul and life. The intersections, the squares and the common architecture - that's what makes Barcelona the city that it is.