Barcelona - Discover Spain: Experience the Best of Spain - page 122

I) . Built in the 14th century, Santa Maria was lacking in superfluous decoration
even before anarchists gutted it in 1909 and 1936. This only serves to highlight its
fine proportions, purity of line and sense of space. You may occasionally catch an
evening recital of baroque music.

PARC DE LA CIUTADELLA
Offline map Google map

Park

( 8am-9pm; Arc de Triomf) East of La Ribera and north of La Barceloneta, the
gentle Parc de la Ciutadella makes a fine antidote to the noise and bustle of the
city.

Port Vell
Barcelona's old port at the bottom of La Rambla was transformed in the 1990s to
become a popular leisure zone.
The heart of the redeveloped harbour is Moll d'Espanya, a former wharf linked to
Moll de la Fusta by a wave-shaped footbridge, Rambla de Mar , which rotates to let
boats enter the marina behind it. At the end of Moll d'Espanya is the glossy
Maremàgnum Offline map Google map shopping and eating complex, but the
major attraction is L'Aquàrium Offline map Google map ( www.aquariumbcn.com ;
Moll d'Espanya; adult/child €17.50/12.50; 9.30am-9.30pm; Drassanes) , with
its 80m-long shark tunnel. Short of diving among them (which can be arranged here
too), this is as close as you can get to a set of shark teeth without being bitten.

La Barceloneta & the Coast
It used to be said that Barcelona had 'turned its back on the sea', but the ambitious
1992 Olympics-inspired redevelopment program returned a long stretch of coast
northeast of Port Vell to life. Barcelona's small fishing fleet ties up along the Moll del
Rellotge.
On La Barceloneta's seaward side are the first of Barcelona's beaches , which
are popular on summer weekends. The pleasant Passeig Marítim de la Bar-
celoneta , a 1.25km promenade from La Barceloneta to Port Olímpic, is a haunt for
strollers and rollers, so bring your rollerblades.