Barcelona under Franco was rather sad and grey, but even then I loved it because it is Mediterranean and Latin but also sober and industrious with a north-European seriousness. In contrast, I find Madrid almost too jolly.

After Franco's death in 1975, the Catalans were given back their autonomy, and Barcelona was cleaned up and became brighter. There was a real sense that Catalans were recovering their identity and you could feel that passion in the city. There was a sense of a long wait before Franco's death, and then everything changed very quickly; it was a very exciting time.

The Olympics transformed Barcelona, especially the harbour. Before then, you could not really enjoy the sea, but now there is a sandy beach five minutes away from the centre. The port area used to be rather shoddy and run down. Now it is beautiful and safe with people flying kites and enjoying the sea.

The old, gothic part has never changed. I love walking through the courtyards, and the palaces and finding little book shops. Although it used to be very quiet and now attracts lots of tourists, a big city needs development and the visitors have been a good thing. Everything was there before, but it just needed doing up. I don't feel the restoration and development has been destructive.

• A Woman Unknown, Voices from a Spanish Life, by Lucia Graves is published by Virago at £7.99