Petersontravels

Park Guell is another of Gaudi’s gorgeous masterpieces. The Park began in 1900, when Eusebi (I can’t say I’ve heard that first name before) Guell hired Gaudi to plan and create a large property for rich families on the hillside that Guell owned. He figured to strike it rich with a bunch of mega-mansions that had views over Barcelona all the way to the Mediterranean.

There were to be 60 plots for houses on this land, and a couple of houses were built, but in the end the project didn’t pan out and construction halted in 1914. The City of Barcelona purchased the property in 1922 and opened it as a public park in 1926. A portion of the park where most of Gaudi’s works are located is called the Monumental Zone, and requires a ticket to enter. The tickets are in half hour increments to cut down on crowding, but it was very crowded regardless. I don’t think Barcelona has an “off season” anymore. Still, this place is gorgeous and well worth the visit!

The upper area where we first entered is surrounded by these beautiful benches, and they are actually very comfortable….more so than any other park bench I have ever sat on….since they are actually designed around the human body. Why is this such a hard concept?

A path that led to the lower areas had this wave formation. Very interesting….like standing inside an actual breaking wave.

One of the support columns.

I love the design of the support columns, almost looks like intricate golf tees.

This building, designed originally as the Porter’s Lodge for receiving visitors to the estate, is now the gift shop.

These broken tile surfaces are everywhere. Gaudi never let a piece of tile go to waste!

This is perhaps Gaudi’s most famous statue. Is it a lizard, a dragon? Who cares….you can buy a smaller version in pretty much any tourist shop in Barcelona. This statue is on a stairwell in the park. It was a selfie extravaganza! I had to wait to get a shot without somebody leaning up next to it.

Just below this lizard is another one, only much less famous. Perhaps because you can only see the head? The water from the first lizards mouth feeds the water in the second lizards mouth….notice the same drool pattern?

This is a very cool and comfortable little bench just above the lizards.

This is the view from that bench. I amazingly had maybe 3 seconds without being blocked by selfie takers!

This shot is from just above where we were seated, Truly a gorgeous little spot.

Even the signs for the park are ornate. They are spread out across the exterior wall and each one was very differnt.

This was a special place to visit. I can see why the locals love it so much. The rest of the park outside the Monumental Zone didn’t have a lot of the bright colors, but the Gaudi influence was evident everywhere along the landscape. Next up, Casa Vicens, Gaudi’s first house project.

For the third time, we met up with friends who happened to be in Spain or Portugal while we were. Very cool. Our friends John and Katie Fones were here for New Years, so we connected with them to tour La Sagrada Familia. That’s John in the background making a funny face he has no idea is about to get published. His ever more eloquent wife is in front of him, actually listening to the audio guide!

The above is a depiction of what Sagrada Familia will look like upon completion. They are hoping to complete it on the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death, in 2026. I don’t think they are going to make it…..they still have 10 towers to go, including the largest one in the middle!

Here is a shot of the church from the exterior (actually from our Airbnb). It’s an important viewpoint, as the view from inside the church is oh so much different than that from the exterior.

I have to admit, I was not sure what to expect upon entering. Even though I knew about the exterior for years, I had no idea what the inside would look like. I was very surprised! Blown away even! This is without a doubt the most beautiful church….and the most beautiful building…..I have ever walked into!

Gaudi pulls in influenses from nature. The support columns for the church resemble trees on purpose.

Gaudi loves his church to be full of light.

This is a very crowded place. I have read that it is the 2nd most visited site in the world. #1 is the Great Wall of China.

As part of our ticket we were able to go up into the Nativity Facade. There are two facades that are currently assessible to tourists (Nativity and Passion facades). You have to pick which one when you buy your ticket. This is a source of much consternation on the internet. Bottom line is the Nativity Facade was the one completed by Gaudi, and has a bridge connecting two towers that you can cross. The Passion facade is one tower. Most Gaudi purists say Nativity. Here are some shots from the facade. Gaudi felt a lot of a church’s ornamentation should be on the outside, not the inside.

It’s interesting to me that many of the fanciful objects you can see from the towers in the facade can not be seen from anywhere else. He expected people to climb around the facades so they could view these.

A couple of shots inside the towers.

John and Katie on one of the abutments on the tower. The background didn’t turn out all that great, but in the one where it did, John had this look on his face that said “did I leave the stove on at home?”. Still, better than the first photo in this post.

Another exterior shot. Love the fruit piled up!

A shot down the spiral staircase.

Here is a shot of the Passion Facade.

The doors leading into the church from the Passion facade are very cool.

A final picture of us inside this gorgeous Gaudi masterpiece! This place is so cool!

Here is the Passion facade lit up at night.

You cannot come to Barcelona and NOT visit Sagrada Familia! It is truly amazing. Trust me, I’m an athiest…..would I direct you towards a church that wasn’t worth visiting?