I paged through a lot of VRBO.com apartments, with a goal of finding an apartment with a bedroom for each of us, a nearby Metro station, and a view to draw and paint. This one was everything that I'd hoped for.  I think that we all loved it.  And we loved it even though we sometimes had to light incense to mask the smell of the old Barcelona sewers, and there were a bunch of stairs to climb.  The sewer smell was an issue I hadn't noticed on another visit in December, so I wondered if it was a seasonal issue.  The apartment agent said that it was from all of the spring rains.  The apartment was furnished with wonderful antique light fixtures and charming furniture and it had a small kitchen that we used to store our wine and chocolate.  I think coffee was the only thing made in the kitchen.  The apartment was originally a tailor shop that served the Liceu Opera and the tailors logo was still on an interior door.  The balcony overlooking the Barcelona Liceu Opera House and the view of the action on the Ramblas was always hard for me to leave.