We made one last stop near the hotel, at the Parc de la Ciutadella. In 1714, as part of Madrid's punishment of Barcelona for a rebellion, much of the seafront neighborhood was ripped up and a massive fort was built on top of it. Even worse, the beleaguered Barcelona residents had to pay for the loss of much of their city and the construction of the oppressor fort, the Ciutadella. In 1869, a more liberal central government gave the fort to the city, who promptly dismantled most of it and created a large park from the grounds. This park is wildly popular, chiefly because Barcelona seems pretty park-deprived. It's nice enough, but the city gets too carried away with architectural novelties, so there are lots of buildings cluttering up the park, and the remaining green space is mobbed with families during the weekend.