Spain in March - recommendations please

For Barcelona:

I don't know if you've seen the Catalan Art Museum, but if you haven't, don't miss it. It has great stuff, particularly the Modernista furniture. The ticket is good for two separate days within 30 days (they need not be consecutive), so it's a great thing to see at the start of your visit; if you like it as much as I did, you can go back (it's too big to see in one go).

I also liked the Frederic Marès Museum. The nearby Shoe Museum is not worth a special trip, but fun if you're in the area. And the recently excavated synagogue in the Barri Gotic is also interesting.

I didn't care for Gaudi when I went on my first Barcelona visit in 1995 (Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, at the time, did little for me). But this time I saw the Casa Battlo and loved it - I actually felt it was well worth the steep entrance fee. You get an audio-video guide that's fun (you point it at the fireplace and it comes to life, for instance), as well as explaining how decisions were made about the design. My advance ticket (no extra charge) let me skip the ticket-buyers line. If you go, be sure to follow the audioguide suggestion and feel one of the door handles - they were molded to Gaudi's hand and are quite ergonomic, even if they appear merely decorative at first glance. Everything in the house has both beauty and functionality, and Gaudi's determination to delight and surprise whenever possible is everywhere evident. As you can see, I became a convert.

I didn't get inside the other houses on the Block of Discord, but will for next time. Since you like Montaner, you should definitely visit the Casa Lleo Morera (gets great online reviews, all commenting on the lack of crowds compared to the Gaudi sights).

When in Catalonia...

Day escapades: Besalú, Girona, air balloon ride, wine tourism...

For an overnight: one of the many picturesque coastal towns in Costa Brava (this video provides names to pictures :), kayaking near the Pyrenees in Pallars Sobirà, hiking in Estany de Sant Maurici in the wildest areas of Catalonia, the route of the castles of Sió in Central Catalonia, visiting one of the mussels' farms in delta de l'Ebre river, taking a ride on the train of the lakes, attend a Festa Major somewhere in Catalonia (*)...

() These are the towns and cities celebrating their Festa Major (Major Festival) in May: http://www.festamajor.biz/festes_majors/maig/ I would probably focus on the biggest cities, as their *festa major is normally more spectacular and showy, such as Lleida or Badalona (bordering Barcelona!), or Figueres