Mild temperatures, stunning blue skies, and brilliant sunshine meant it would be a perfect day to visit the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Spain. Although it was a school holiday period, no place we visited was as congested with people as it would have been during the summer tourism season.
We laughed as we walked along Carrer de Wellington and spotted the very long line of parents and children queued up down the block to gain access to the Barcelona Zoo. Whew! None of that keeping-the-children-occupied for us!
We passed this stunning building as we walked the length of Carrer de Wellington and it was clear that it had been repurposed. We could see the racks of library books through the windows. But what had it been before that?
When I got home I researched the origins of this massive brick building and discover that what became the Biblioteca Nacional de Catalunya in 1939 was previously the Antic Hospital de la Santa Crue de Barcelona and the foundation stone was laid in 1401.
The first thing we spotted as we entered the park was a group of men playing and watching ping pong at dedicated concrete tables that were installed in the park. Who knew that ping pong was that popular?
Glimpsing something shining through the trees, I walked briskly around the corner from the ping-pong players and found this lovely object lurking above the treeline.
Then as we continued around to the front, we discovered this stunning fountain. This is the Cascada — the fountain constructed in the 1880s for the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona.
Finally, we exited the park on our way to our next adventure — but not before passing by this interesting building, the Castell dels Tres Dragons sitting at the edge of the park.
Make sure to come back for more examples of things to do in the wonderful city of Barcelona!
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