I spent nine months there in the late sixties, and as you see, feel myself getting drawn back again and again. I keep my knowledge of spoken and written Catalan very much alive, and never tire of the satisfaction of being recognized by hotel staff, salespeople, etc. who speak to me right away in Catalan even if it has been four months since they last saw me. It's a language that no one really NEEDS to learn if you don't live there. Still, the people there LOVE it when visitors from "far away" places learn their language and culture. I found the place unbelievably special when I first got there, and I still feel the same way now. I would advise said parental units to go spend a couple of weeks there themselves. It gets a LOT easier to understand once you've had your own chance to fall under the city's spell. Resist if you can, and feel no shame if you can't.
Oh, and don't worry if you don't know Tagalog. That is a personal fetish of mine. Ava will explain 
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