This sounds so fabulous. Too bad there were no pictures, but even major celebrities deserve some privacy.

Oprah fetes 1,700 employees and their families in Barcelona


MADRID (AFP) — US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey celebrated her 55th birthday by taking over a popular tourist attraction in Barcelona to hold a party for 1,700 of her employees and their families, Spanish media said Monday.

The fiesta Sunday night at the Poble Espanyol, a reconstruction of a Spanish village with shops, bars and restaurants, included concerts and performances by flamenco dancers, the Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia said.

It said the guests are to spend three days in the northeastern Spanish city before being treated to a 10-day Mediterranean cruise.

They will travel from Barcelona on the Norwegian Gem liner, which has space for 3,000 passengers, to Italy, Turkey, Greece, and Malta.

The Chicago Sun Times said last week that Winfrey is paying for everything from transportation to food to "special activities" at a cost of about 5,400 dollars (3,900 euros) per person.

La Vanguardia said the Barcelona party was part of celebrations to mark Winfrey's 55th birthday on January 29.

In 2005, the billionaire talk show host, actress, producer and magazine publisher took her staff on an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.

The Poble Espanyol, built in 1929 on a hill in Barcelona, has 117 buildings, streets and squares that represent different architectural styles from across Spain.