Architecture buffs might consider traveling alone through Barcelona.
Fellow travel writer Barbara Wysocki found that she needed time to soak up all that the famed Catalan architect Gaudi had to offer. So it was nice not to have to convince anyone else to come along. And she didn't have to. She was in Spain by herself. (Well, except when she was with people she met while there.)
In her words:
Since I was traveling alone, I spent about three and half hours doing
tours, wandering and returning to the spaces that spoke most powerfully
to me. My day, my interests. And no need to stop for lunch.
What was interesting for me was my own inner transition. I like lots of clean lines and glass. At first Gaudi was too sculptural for me. Every day I visited
another of his many famed homes, churches and concert halls, saving the Sagrada Familia for last. Each day my
enthusiasm grew.
I arrived at the cathedral, a convert to his style,
and immersed myself at my own pace. I can't imagine too many others,
except perhaps, for architects, who'd have spent as much time as I did there. I love looking at any
building, any age, and this one is still being constructed. Like those
of centuries past, it takes generations to complete.
The adventures continued beyond Gaudi, when she locked herself out of the apartment she had rented:
I didn't have a cell
phone but found a phone store where I contacted the Barcelona
booking agency that had connected me with the apartment owner
originally.While they called him up and arranged for me to meet a
friend on Las Ramblas
for the key, I went to the Chocolate Museum. A perfect panacea. I'd
already decided if they couldn't find a key, I had a credit card and
I'd find a hotel.
I like this attitude. I have found myself thinking the same thing. As long as there is a credit card handy, you can get yourself out of awkward situations. Not that money is endless but it's there when you have to do what you have to do
While on a walking tour, Barbara met someone to keep her company at dinner.
I'd met an American business woman on a walking tour
of the El Barri Gotic and we'd agreed to meet for a drink and then
dinner. She knew a great local
restaurant. We sat, ate and laughed for hours.
Tapas bars were a great place for solo meals. At busy and stand-up eateries, I never felt alone.
And she had no problem chatting to nearby strangers, which is nearly always an entree to an entertaining encounter:
One night
sitting in a cafe I couldn't figure out the place the accent of my
English speaking next table mates.
When I inquired, they explained
they were from Glasgow and invited me for a drink. I must confess, I
could barely understand them but it was fun I wouldn't have had if I'd been with a companion.
(Barbara wrote about Barcelona's St. Jordi's Day for the Christian Science Monitor.)
Photo: Sagrada Familia, by Marek Holub
Boldly Go Solo 
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