Ricard gets my vote for Super Host. On a rainy Barcelona day where we needed to get in early, Ricard, having flown in the night before and had his own apartment to get food for, he managed to get us in ahead of schedule. This care of his for us continued during the week, including printing tickets for us to the Palau de la Musica Catalana to his complete guide to the area and apartment. We had been in Barcelona before and thought we´d like to stay in the Gracia section after a culinary tour in that area, as it seemed more interesting than the more touristed spots.
This apartment has everything within a 2-3 block radius. 4 or 5 butchers, more bakers, more tapas bars and great restaurants. And a number of supermarkets. The best Xurerriea in Barcelona where we had a Xurro and Xocolate in the mornings. The placa de Vila Gracia is not far around the corner with its own collection of tapas bars, butchers, etc. We even went to an Art Opening at Cosas de Senhor Martinez, nearby. You really never have to leave the neighborhood of Ricard´s apartment. Except maybe to see the Sagrada Familia (not far), Palau de Musica, and Barcelona´s other charms. I would add the names of the places we ate, visited, etc but Ricard has all that in a binder in his apartment and I don´t want to spoil it for travelers in the future. This was not our first time in Barcelona and it won´t be our last. We´ll stay here if at all possible. Thank you Ricard!