From Arc De Triomf To The Sea; And A Duckie Dinner

Barcelona has had a sizeable Chinese population for some years, and the Chinese restaurant scene is said to be very good. We hadn't had Peking duck since way back in Wellington, and when Vicki found an interesting restaurant on the marina near the Olympic village, we took the opportunity to walk there from our place, near the Arc de Triomf, down through the Ciutadella, the immense public park that was the site of the 1888 world fair, and which is now the site of many public buildings, gardens, and the Barcelona zoo. We had a fine, interesting dinner and then walked out into the marina before taking the bus back home.

Handy map of the area, en route

Dominech i Montener's Castle of the Three Dragons, said to be
the first of the Modernistas in Barcelona (I don't get it, either)

Lots of construction, renovation going on in the area

Aviary?

Casa de Bichos (bug house)

Not the Brandenburg Gate

Catalan Parliament building

Super gnarly

Among the many contemporary buildings of interest here;
the Gas Natural building

OK, so we arrive at the restaurant, Pato Pekin, in the Mapfre
building, to find that its big room has been rented for a wedding
reception, a big one...but we have reservations...

So we are seated in a nice smaller room...it's 7:30, probably 2-3
hours before dinnertime in Spain, but that would be past our bedtimes;
so anyway, here we are, ordering a four-course duck extravaganza;
and remembering the Chinese restaurant scene from Christmas Story...

We have devoured the fried wontons and other appetizer goodies,
and the serveuse is carving our Peking duck tableside

Later arrives the third course, sweet and sour duck and flied lice

And, finally, the flan dessert (total meal cost, with beverages,
$75)

Thus happily engorged, with doggie bag in hand, we decided
to walk into the marina and check out further sights; here,
Frank Gehry's Peix (Fish), another of Barcelona's landmarks

No lack of contemporary wonders

Another view of the telepherique to Mont Juic

Boat-shaped benches

And a look at the Olimpic marina

Walking Barcelona's Bari Gotik

One day we decided to do the nearby Bari Gotik, Barcelona's oldest quarter, using our trusty Michelin guide. In the Bari Gotik you can go from Roman to Medieval, to Renaissance, to Modernista, and back and forth, in just a matter of steps. We adhered to the Michelin pretty much, except for the usual detours and excursions...

Modernista en route...very much in need of some maintenance

Ditto; our neighborhood is the Fort Pienc, sort of
in between Bari Gotik and the Eixample

Now on the cathedral square, Placa Nova--we did the Gothic
cathedral itself in 2017--looking at the Roman guard towers...
Barcino, it was called then 

Looks Roman to me

The Renaissance bishop's palace...love that vow of poverty thing

Shrapnel damage to the facade of the church of St. Felip Neri; 
Franco's fascist friends from Italy bombed Barcelona mercilessly
in 1938, destroying the church and killing 20 of the children
seeking refuge in it; see below

On Placa Sant Jaume, major square of the Catalan government,
site of important events, celebrations, protests; one of the government
buildings; the roses are coming out all over, since Sunday is St. George's
Day--Catalan's patron saint--but also the Catalan version of Valentine's
Day--it's traditional for boy to give girl a rose, and for girl to give boy a
book...interpret or translate this however you like gender- and otherwise 

Street lamps all in a row near Carrer del Paradis

Remains of the Temple of Augustus, protected in a Medieval complex

The grandeur that was Rome

Gargoyles all in a row

Never very far from the cathedral on this walk

Beautiful stenciling on a modern building nearby

Gothic Bridge of Sighs (or Whoas, or Huhs)

More in a row

Many neat cafes, restos, studios along the way

More bits of the colossal Roman wall

Artist's studio

Back to the walls and towers...just as in Rome,
flats are built right into these structures...

Now in the Placa del Rei, Medieval palaces of
Catalan and Aragon princes and kings

From the Catalan archives, Columbus' deal with
Ferdinand and Isabella [click to enlarge and
appreciate that the Admiral of the Ocean Sea
had a very sharp lawyer...]

Beautifully carved ceiling over a stairwell

And back to the Gothic

And multiple scenes of St. George and the dragon...

Casa Vicens, 3: Models And More

Much of the rest of the house was devoted to an exhibit of its history and phases of development and also to a very smart exhibit of "first houses" by a number Gaudi's contemporaries...sort of a "who's who" of art nouveau and Modernista types. 

The house and grounds as done by Gaudi; the "waterfall" on the
left, the mirador (look-out) below

The fullest extent of the property with St. Rita's chapel on the
lower right...1920s; a summer garden villa, with artificial waterfall

The property as it presently stands

Ample historical information; Wikipedia has one
of its fullest architectural articles on Casa Vicens

A photograph of the Gaudi "waterfall"

Project plans submitted by Gaudi to the Gracia city council

Signed by the proprietor and the architect

Part of the exhibit of "first houses" models

More

Otto Wagner's Villa, near Vienna; now the Ernst Fuchs Museum;
eventually will become a popular gyro joint

List of those represented [click to enlarge and be
impressed]

And, in the basement, a great store

And classroom

Great visit, especially the 90 minute English tour