Saturday, September 20, 2014

Parc de la Ciutadella

As I mentioned in the previous post, events for La Mercè take place all over the city and nearly all of them are free.  We decided to head over to the Parc de la Ciutadella to check out the beergarden and wine festival.


Historical note: this park has an important place in Barcelona's history.  After the siege ended in 1714, the Spanish king demolished an entire section of the city to build a fort (the Ciutadella/Citadel) so that he could keep the Catalans in line.  For obvious reasons, the citizens viewed the fortress as a symbol of Spanish oppression.  When it was finally destroyed in the 1870's, the city turned the space into a large urban park complete with fountains, a lake, and a zoo.  A Universal Exposition was held here in 1888.  It's now a very popular place for residents and visitors alike.

The (tiltshift) view from the top of the fountain

But we weren't there for the history, or even for the scenery.  We were there for the beergarden and food trucks.

One of  several converted VW Bus food trucks.  The Thai truck drew some big crowds.

The lines were incredibly long for the food, unfortunately.  Luckily the beer line was shorter, and we were able to get a table in the shade.  This made Kevin a happy man.


By the time we'd eaten, it was late in the day and very hot and muggy.  Even the cold beer couldn't keep us cool anymore.  We decided to head back home for some A/C and a nap.  Too bad we never even got around to checking out the wine festival which was over by the Arc de Triomf.  We'll have to save that for another time, I guess!


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