Parc de la Ciutadella

No, we did not leave Barcelona for Paris.  This Arc de Triomf was built in 1888 as the main gate for the Exposition Universal de Barcelona.  Today it is the unofficial entrance for the Citadel Park, with its wide promenade linking one of the city's bus stations (Nord) to the 70-acre patch of green. 

This area had originally been just another city neighborhood, but Phillip V of Spain razed the neighborhood in 1714 to create the largest fortress in Europe.  (This was Catalonia's fate for losing the war of Spanish Secession.)  It remained a citadel until 1869, then most was torn down.  A sort of urban renewal project got started, resulting in the 1888 expo to show off the "new" city.

As it was another beautiful day, thousands of people were out enjoying the park.  There was just enough wind that the bubble guy didn't have to work very hard.









The park has a few buildings, but the real draw is the warren of trails.  People were riding bicycles or walking their dogs, children were playing on the grass, and we even found a couple of folks practicing their tightrope walking skills. 

Seeing a glint of gold through the trees, we set off across the park to check it out.  Before we got there, however, we found a large gazebo full of people dancing.  It seems we had stumbled across the Sunday afternoon meeting of the Barcelona Swing Association.  We sat on a nearby bench and enjoyed the music!



 


The golden chariot atop this fountain was what had lead us to this corner of the park.  This fountain was designed for the 1888 Expo by Josep Fontsere, with a little help from an aspiring young architect named Anton Gaudi.





The statue in the center is Venus (atop a clamshell) and the crowning glory is Aurora.  Behind the arch, is a door to what was once the city's aquarium. 

 

No explanation is available for the whimsical dragons, although one guidebook mentions that Barcelona is a city of dragons and that you will find ornamental dragons decorating the city.



lamp post near Arc de Triomf

dragon on wall on Las Ramblas

At one corner of the park we saw the Castel de Tres Dragons... even though the dragons out front looked more like iguanas.  This was the Museum of Zoology, also built for the 1888 expo. 


























Next to it was the Museum of Geology, which was created in 1892 when a prominent scientist, Francisco Martorell i Pena left the city his entire collection and library.  We liked the way they showed off some of his rock collection.

next to last rock on the right is a bomba volcanica - that's a good sized chunk of rock!

Our real goal for the afternoon stroll had been the Picasso Museum.  Sunday afternoons are free admission.  When we got to the museum, the line was two blocks long.  Scott's ankle could not take standing in line for that long, so we gave up, came home and bought tickets to see the museum on Tuesday.

Now you see it, now you don't.... this sculpture turns.