Late morning

After six days of travel filled with walking, impressions, and small worries that always feel bigger on the road than they truly are, we could sense that the story was slowly coming to an end. This was reflected in our late morning, when we simply couldn’t get ourselves out of bed. Still, as it was our last full day in the city, we finally managed to get going around 10 a.m.

Over these days, we had explored the city thoroughly, as we always do, wherever we go. From the wide avenues of Plaça d’Espanya and the slopes of Montjuïc, through the ever-lively La Rambla and the old town of Ciutat Vella, all the way to the seafront of Barceloneta.

We experienced the monumental Sagrada Família in Eixample, strolled along the elegant Passeig de Gràcia, and caught sweeping views near Park Güell above the Gràcia district.

And so, for the end, only one calmer part of the city remained. Parc de la Ciutadella, a large park nestled between the El Born and La Ribera neighborhoods.

Metro

Because Anja fell ill during the first days, we relied quite a bit on taxis to get around the city, mainly so she wouldn’t exhaust herself too much. Later, when she was feeling better, we had clearly grown used to the comfort and kept using them anyway. If I’m completely honest, over all those days I spent just over 100 euros on taxis. The metro would have cost us roughly half as much, but the difference simply couldn’t outweigh the convenience and the time saved.

Still, today it felt only right to take the metro instead, if only to see what it was like.

Our nearest station was Plaça d’Espanya. We bought a T-familiar ticket for 12 euros, which allows eight rides. For a family, it’s almost an ideal solution: you validate the ticket four times, and that’s it.

Arc de Triomf

You step out of the underground straight in front of the arch. But this one is not like the one in Paris. It doesn’t feel massive, and it doesn’t speak of power or victories.

It is built of brick, which gives it a softer, almost friendly character. Instead of celebrating triumph over others, it honors science, progress, and openness to the world.

And indeed, when you stand beneath the arch in Paris, on the Champs-Élysées, you feel a sense of reverence and the weight of power.

Here, everything is different.

The atmosphere is more relaxed, almost light. Toward the park stretches a long sandy promenade, where parrots and pigeons jostle for food tossed to them by passers-by.

Pari so pozirali pred uličnimi fotografi. Nekdo je spuščal milne mehurčke, drugi je papige tako navadil na ljudi, da so brez strahu priletele na iztegnjeno roko. Nia jih je imela naenkrat kar tri. Ko si na koncu te sprehajalne poti, tik pred vstopom v park, se splača obrniti nazaj proti slavoloku.

Castell dels Tres Dragons (Grad treh zmajev)

The atmosphere is more relaxed, almost light. A long sandy promenade stretches toward the park, where parrots and pigeons jostle for food tossed to them by passers-by.

As if someone had torn it from a fairy tale and placed it right in the middle of all this greenery.

Much like the area around Plaça d’Espanya and the Magic Fountain, this part of the park was also designed for a world exhibition, only a different one, held much earlier, in 1888.

The building has no connection to dragons whatsoever. It got its name from a popular stage play of the time. You almost walk past it without noticing, as it feels more like a backdrop than a landmark.

Cascada Monumental (the monumental waterfall)

As you walk along the park’s paths, low hills and trees constantly limit your view, so you never really see far ahead. Because of this, the surprise is even greater when you suddenly step out from among the trees into an open space and a lavish cascade of water, statues, and staircases unfolds before you. It’s simply not a sight you expect to encounter in the corner of a city park.

If you’re looking for a break from the city, this is the place to come. The fountain was designed to at least loosely evoke Rome’s Trevi Fountain. Whether they succeeded is something we’ll be able to say with more certainty in a month’s time, when we’ll be there ourselves. Antoni Gaudí is said to have been involved in the project to a small extent, back when he was still a completely unknown architecture student.

The girls loved it, especially Nia, who, as a swimmer, is always delighted whenever there’s water around.

Mammoth

As you leave the fountain, you first watch your step so you don’t trample a duck or trip over a goose, as they’re everywhere here, and then you walk past a mammoth… wait, what? A mammoth? Yes, a mammoth. No explanation in sight.

You go and read.

It was installed for that exhibition, and even back then it was so popular with children that they simply left it there.

Catalan Parliament

Passing palm trees from which the screeching of unseen parrots can be heard once again, and skirting a small lake where you can rent a boat in the warmer months, you suddenly find yourself in front of the only truly serious-looking building anywhere around.

This is the Catalan Parliament, once a military fortress built as a clear symbol of authority, power, and dominance, and today, ironically, the heart of Catalan democracy. It was here that tensions ran particularly high in 2017, after the Catalan independence referendum, when Madrid dissolved the parliament, took control of the region, and imprisoned or forced into exile those who had initiated the process. Images of police intervention and political collapse circled the world at the time.

Today, everything was calm. From time to time, the only sounds were the shriek of an irritated monkey or the roar of a bored lion. The Catalan Parliament stands on the edge of the park, right next to the Barcelona Zoo, and we decided to go and take a look.

Zoo

There was no meerkat in the first enclosure. Apparently, it was too cold for them. The second enclosure was for monkeys, but there were none to be seen either, no doubt because it was just as cold for them. We reached the third enclosure just in time to catch a glimpse of a bear’s backside disappearing indoors, clearly because it was cold. Winter really isn’t the time to visit zoos. The girls reminded me that we had come to the same conclusion once before, back in December in Zagreb, but had somehow forgotten about it.

Still, it wasn’t all in vain.

For the first time, we saw a Komodo dragon, which truly is enormous, and walked past wolves, orangutans, lions, and giraffes.

The animals have plenty of space, especially in the African section, which is laid out as a circular walk that really lets you see everything

After a rather empty start, it ended up being a pleasant walk after all.

The final walk through Barcelona’s old town

We continued on foot, as La Rambla isn’t really far from here. On the way, a few sights awaited us that we had skipped on the first day. As you walk, you catch sight of that street lined with palm trees. Even after a week, you still haven’t quite gotten used to them, and they manage to delight you every single time.

Well, at least me…

Santa Maria del Mar

Our path first led us to Santa Maria del Mar, the Cathedral of the Sea, as locals call this basilica.

Among Barcelona’s many Gothic churches, this one stands out precisely because it was not built as a church for kings or nobility, but as a church of the people. It was built by the residents of El Born, by fishermen, craftsmen, and above all by dockworkers, who carried the stone blocks to the construction site on their own shoulders.

Centre de Cultura i Memòria

Just a few steps away, we also stopped at this museum, where you walk through a marketplace from the early 18th century, several meters below today’s street level. It made it easier for all of us to imagine what it really means when we say that, throughout history, the city has been built again and again on top of older settlements.

Plaça del Rei

Just ten minutes earlier, we had been learning how the people of El Born once lived and what kind of church they were capable of building.

Now we were standing in front of the imposing walls of the Palau Reial Major, where the focus was no longer on community, but on power. Massive stone walls, towering arches, and the enclosed space of Plaça del Rei were not designed for strolling or everyday life, but for control, protocol, and decision-making.

This was where the rulers of the Crown of Aragon resided, where ambassadors were received, and where decisions were confirmed that reached far beyond the city’s boundaries. Today, weary tourists sat on these steps, yet it is entirely possible that this was the very place where the king and queen received Columbus upon his return from the discovery of America.

Laughter and photos to end the day

Since we still had tickets for the Big Fun Museum, we spent the evening there. Entire walls are painted and designed so you can step into the scene and take playful, fun photos.

We began the trip under stress, unsure how the illness would unfold, and ended it in good spirits and laughter.

Tomorrow, the journey home awaits us. We’ll take a look at the airport and, in the final post, write a short summary of this Catalan adventure.