TRAVEL DIARY BARCELONA 3:

Another place not to be missed when visiting Barcelona is Park Güell: it’s a fairytale-like experience featuring whimsical architecture, vibrant mosaics, and lush gardens meticulously crafted by Antoni Gaudí.

Took an Uber to the Carretera del Carmel entrance of Park Güell. We chose the earliest available slot, I factored in my knee’s reliability and the extensive walking across hectares.

The entrance left us thoroughly impressed—it resembled a charming gingerbread house, adding a delightful touch to our experience.

I managed to slip my camera through the closed gates to capture the entrance without any people. It turned out to be a stroke of luck, as you’ll discover in my subsequent photo of the dragon staircase.

Started our walk going up these steps.

The enchanting landscape offers a magical experience, transporting visitors to a world of imagination and creativity.

During our leisurely stroll, we encountered captivating artworks and enjoyed the melodies of talented musicians.

Here are some of the buildings that can be seen inside Park Guell.

The park’s highest point, El Calvari, was intended by Gaudí for a chapel, yet it became a calvary-shaped monument with three crosses. Regrettably, I didn’t make it up there myself.

As we proceeded downwards, we marveled at picturesque landscapes, with the distant view of the Sagrada Familia adding to the beauty of our walk.

Most of Park Guell is a traditional park with lots of lush green vegetation

In the middle, there’s a big open space once called the Greek Theatre, now called Plaça de la Natura (Nature Square). It was designed for outdoor shows watched from the nearby terraces.

And this is another key feature of the Placa, the serpentine tiled bench. Here, Gaudi used his characteristic “trencadis” technique, reusing bits of old ceramics to create unique new decorations.

This is the Hypostyle Hall. Hypostyle, derived from the Greek words ‘under pillars,’ accurately describes this space where an intricately adorned ceiling is upheld by an impressive array of columns.

The scene upon leaving the park was chaotic. Fortunately, I had the foresight to capture a photo of the dragon staircase before the crowds descended upon it.

The park’s main attraction is El Drac, a dragon mosaic at the Dragon Stairway entrance. It’s made of tile shards and is 12 feet long.

This is the wall next to the Dragon. It is interesting to see that some of it are concave and some convex. Just an amazing attention to details.

At the entrance or the exit, depends on where you came in (there are 3 entrance to this park), is the Caretakers Lodge and the Administrative buildings.

And here are some of its windows.

The interior windows as seen from the Administrative building where we bought some souvenirs.

And one last look…

Lunchtime arrived, hopped into an Uber to La Rambla. Savored tapas at Canaletes Cerveseria, adopting the Spanish way of leisurely dining—settling in and enjoying the meal at a relaxed pace.

Here’s something that I learned … As we reached the restaurant, desiring an outdoor setting, we noticed a couple settling their bill. Promptly, we informed the waiter of our preference for their vacated table. However, the waiter hesitated, stating that we would have to wait and see. Unbeknownst to me, unlike Melbourne, patrons in some places can linger at their paid tables.

After lunch, took a leisurely stroll to unwind from tapas indulgence. Ended up at a bar, where hubby and I enjoyed a laid-back afternoon with beer and iced tea, and I spent the time sketching until sunset.

Oh what a wonderful day!

Photos from 14 October 2023