Other thoughts: what are some nice destinations nearby? I'd rather avoid controlled airspace and the flight plans I've been reading about. I have yet to buy my Jeppsen, so I'm not clear on what other aerodromes we have available nearby.
Flying in the BCN area and avoiding CAS are somewhat mutually exclusive. However, I'm sure the chaps where you end up renting from will give you a good briefing.
I would suggest, however, to download the relevant info from the AENA website (free registration required) beforehand and to program the VFR transit routes into your GPS. The VRPs aren't all that obvious and if you are not familiar with the area some are very hard to find. This route, btw, also doubles as arrival/departure route(s) for Sabadell.
All that said, a nice area to bimble about is the wine growing area to the SW of Reus, also the Ebro delta.
Enjoy!