Barcelona La Ribera

Palau De La Música Catalana. This is the Graceland of Barcelona. The Orfeó Catalan choir society commissioned Modernista master Lluís Domènech i Montaner to design this must-see concert venue, built in 1903. By day, the music hall glows with tall stained-glass windows and a skylight; it comes alive again after dark with electric lights. Sculptures of winged horses and busts of the muses spring from the walls flanking the stage. An inverted glass dome, painted with 40 women dressed as angels, looms in the very center of the ceiling. When the Orféo choir was founded in 1891, it was the first to permit women and men to sing together. The angels on the ceiling were a welcome to those women and an affirmation of their rightful place in the choir. The muses in back, each with a different exotic instrument, are likewise meant to welcome and honor the music of foreign cultures. Back in 1908, foreign and exotic meant Beethoven and Wagner, but even today the Palau hosts a diverse range of musical guests, from high-profile orchestras to bossa nova and pop-rock. The Palau’s 3,000-tube organ is finally back in service after a lengthy renovation. (C. del Palau de la Música, 4-6. ☎902 44 28 82; www.palaumusica.org. Jaume I, Urinaona. Mandatory 50min. tours in English every hr. Open daily Sept.-July 10am-3:30pm, Semana Santa and Aug. 10am-6pm. €12, students and seniors €11. Check website for scheduled performances. Concert tickets €8-175. Box office open 9am-9pm. MC/V.)

TParc De La Ciutadella. A quick walk from Barceloneta and Barri Gòtic and sandwiched between La Ribera and Poble Nou and, Parc de la Ciutadella is both a refreshing break from the speed of the city and a major cultural and historical site. Take a nap, take a stroll, take a lover—just keep an eye out for jamming musicians. Barcelona’s military resistance to the Bourbon monarchy in the early 18th century convinced Felipe V to quarantine the city’s influential citizens in a large citadel on the site of what is now Pg. de Picasso. An entire neighborhood was razed and its citizens evicted to make room for the ciutadella, which lorded threateningly over Barcelona. In a popular move, the city demolished the fortress in 1878 and replaced it with the peaceful promenades of Parc de la Ciutadella. Architect Josep Fontseré designed the new park, and brought with him newcomers Domènech i Montaner (of Palau de la Música Catalana fame) and Antoni Gaudí. Several Modernista buildings went up years later when Ciutadella hosted the Universal Exposition in 1888, including Montaner’s stately Castell dels Tres Dragons, now the Museu de Zoologia. (Ciutadella or Marina. Park open daily 8am-11pm).

Hivernacle. Originally built to showcase unusual tropical plants not sturdy enough for the climate of Barcelona, Josep Amergós’s iron and glass hivernacle (greenhouse) now houses white tablecloths and bow-tied waiters alongside a room of exotic fauna, the perfect spot for a tropical afternoon meal or drink. The park’s public restrooms also lurk among the greenery. On Wednesday evenings from May through July, the Hivernacle holds jazz concerts (10:30pm, €4); in July, Thursday nights bring free classical music (10:15pm). Farther down the Pg. de Picasso on the other side of the Museu Geologia, the iron-tiered Umbracle, built in 1883 and renovated in 2001, offers a cooler, shadier escape than its brother greenhouse. (On Pg. de Picasso, behind the Museu de Zoologia. Arc de Triomf, L1. ☎93 295 40 17. Currently closed for renovations.)

Arc De Triomf. Less famous than its French cousin, this monument, just north of the Parc de la Ciutadella, is no less magnificent: the palm-lined walkway at its feet makes it a charming photo-op. Rather than commemorating a military triumph, the Arc de Triomf was designed as the entrance to the 1888 Exposition. A stylistic nod to the Spanish Moors, the red bricks surround green and yellow ceramic tiles and sculpted bats, angels, and lions. The main facade is a friendly face smiling down at you, dear tourist—it represents the welcoming of foreign visitors to Barcelona. (Arc de Triomf, L1.)

Parròquia Castrense. One of the few remaining buildings from the original citadel (and the only one open to the public), this church was built in 1720 for military men who populated what was then a menacing fortress. A quick visit provides a unique glimpse into a past which has literally been demolished in order to build the park. (Open in winter Sa-Su 11:30am-1:30pm and 4:30-6:30pm, in summer Sa-Su 11:30am-1:30pm and 4:30-8pm. Mass Su 12:30pm.)

Parc Zoològic. Those tired of marveling at brilliant architecture (and with cash to spare) can marvel instead at the brilliant behinds of mandrills and macaques or the aviary of strange and beautiful tropical birds in the Parc Zoològic. Sadly, the zoo’s former superstar Floquet de Neu (“Snowflake,” the world’s only albino gorilla) has passed away, leaving only his humdrum non-albino offspring and a slew of other zoo standards. (Ciutadella/Vila Olímpica, L4. Follow C. Wellington out of the Metro. The zoo is accessible from a separate entrance on C. Wellington. From inside the park, the zoo entrance is next to the Parliament building. ☎902 45 75 45; www.zoobarcelona.com. Open daily from Jan. to mid-Mar. and Nov.-Dec., 10am-5:30pm; from mid-Mar. to May and Oct., 10am-7pm; June-Sept. 10am-8pm. Last entry 1hr. before closing. The zoo has its own restaurants and snack bars. Wheelchair-accessible. Free dolphin shows with entry every day at 11:30am, 1:30pm, 4:30pm, and 6pm. €16, ages 3-12 €9.60, seniors €8.20. AmEx/D/MC/V.)

El Fossar De Les Moreres. Topped with an eternal flame, the Fossar de les Moreres (Mulberry Cemetery) memorial is a significant reminder of the (still ongoing) Catalan struggle for cultural autonomy. The Catalans who resisted Felipe V’s troops in 1714 were buried here in a mass grave, commemorated by this monument and a plaque with a verse by the poet Serafí Pitarra: “In the Mulberry Cemetery no traitors are buried. Even though we lose our flags, this will be the urn of honor.” Demonstrators and patriots converge here on September 11th, National Day of Catalonia, to commemorate the siege of Barcelona and the subsequent ban on displays of Catalan nationalism. (Off C. de Santa Maria and next to the church’s back entrance.)