Last month, two volunteer colleagues of mine were waxing eloquent about the rafting trip down the Grand Canyon, describing it as “life-changing.” They were religious about it, as in, If this isn’t something you really want to do, something is wrong with you.

What’s wrong with me is I have aged out of “roughing it.” I do find a mountain hike or lake swim relaxing and refreshing, yet now there must be a cot at least at the end of each day, and somewhere, plumbing.

I now make the case for the culture vacation. Orient Express, anyone? How about Paris for a week with a museum pass? What a thrill it would be to visit all the opera houses of Europe!

We got started on that last set at Barcelona’s Liceu last Saturday, where we viewed Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. This intense production did not hesitate to graphically present murder, rape, and passion. Did I miss a ratings warning at the start? The music was gorgeous, and the performers–a cast of approximately 80–did not hold back.

The Liceu itself was built in 1847, with all the flourish of that time, then suffered a serious fire in 1995. In yet another display of a prosperous, high-functioning metropolis making the most of an opportunity, Barcelona rebuilt the interior in its original glory while updating the acoustic and technical components to the latest standards, resulting in a classical venue with a modern sound which reopened in 1999. That feat is chronicled in a mini-documentary video before each performance.

We came early so we could explore the building, and shot this video while the orchestra was warming up. From the outside, it’s hardly intimidating, but the facade is deceiving. Below are shots of that, the ceiling, and the view from our seat, the enormous stage behind the screen showing a list of donors. We were on the penultimate level.

Liceu is located near the end of the storied La Rambla, a wide concourse extending from the central plaza of the city to the waterfront, primarily devoted to pedestrians, though a single lane of vehicular traffic creeps along each side. Here is a video from the front of the opera house.

Nearby we spied this unique shop. Logo copyright violation? Or maybe the long reach of US law falls short of here.