Chris and Debbi's Adventure

A former hospital has never before appeared on the “Top Sites to Visit” list for any location we’ve visited. In books and movies, shuttered hospitals are usually featured only as eerie and  abandoned institutions where cruelties were inflicted. But in Barcelona, a  complex that was an active, working hospital and medical center until just 16 years ago has been restored to its original condition and is open to visitors as an architectural and artistic jewel. All the buildings are adorned with ceramics, statues, mosaics and stained glass. Chris and I spent nearly three weeks in Barcelona in May. This extended visit allowed us to see the most popular sites in Barcelona (Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Picasso Museum, Gothic Quarter), as well as several less visited sites, like the Banksy Museum , Mercat de Santa Catarina and what was once the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau . This hospital complex was a landmark in hospital design when construction started in 1902. And it was ...