Park Güell

Last weekend the weather was amazing so a few friends and I decided to go to Barcelona and visit Park Güell. It was the most amazing park that I've ever seen.

Park Güell was originally supposed to be the sight for a housing district because was away from the smoky factories in the city. It was largely unsuccessful and the designer, Eusebi Güell, only had two houses built, one of which was put up for sale. No buyers came forward, except Antoni Gaudí, who bought the house in 1906. He then took over work on the park. He owned the house until 1926, the year of his death. However, in 1926 he moved into his La Sagrada Familia.

The very long, steep and tiring hill that we had to climb up. Thank goodness for escalators.

Gates of Park Güell. There was a stone wall surrounding the front of Park Güell and it alternated between saying "Park" and "Güell" (as shown below). They were all done in mosaic tile - Gaudí style.

This is a picture from the from gates of Park Güell.

These columns support a seating area above and as you will see in further pictures, have mosaic tiles all on the roof. In some areas of the ceiling, you can see Gaudí designs. Two of his designs are in the following picture.

I actually bought a key chain when I was in a museum my first week here of this design. I had no idea it was Gaudí but it's kind of nice to actually know where it came from!

This is a picture of what is now the gift shop. I'm not sure what it used to be before that.

The famous dragon that Gaudí designed that sits at the entrance to the park. In February, 2007, a group of youths vandalized the dragon, bashing the head with a metal pipe. Good to see that it's been fixed up since. However, I was quite upset that some lady was trying to climb on the thing while I was taking a picture though. That's the one problem with this place. It's such a tourist attraction that you're never going to be able to get a picture without a person in it.

The columns that support the seating area of above.


The gardens where people can sit and relax. There are a few restaurants and cafes around the Park. People like to sit, eat and relax in the sun.

A close up of the mosaic tiles on the benches.


The mosaic tile benches on top of the pillars.

Gaudí's house that he lived in. It's now a museum where you can see some of his original furniture designs. Haven't been in yet but I will.

The big open area of the benches. Lots of vendors selling paintings, drawings, jewellery, sunglasses, etc. for really cheap.

The front street of the Park.
The Mediterranean Sea on the way to Park Güell.

In the palm trees that were all over Park Güell, you can see parrots!

The paths lined with palm trees.

And I had to include this picture because it was the most delicious meal I think I have ever had! A few of us went to Park Güell Restaurant after walking around and had paella and sangria on the patio in the sun. It was an amazing afternoon! Paella is my new favorite food!

If you ever get a chance to travel to Barcelona, I highly recommend seeing Park Güell. It is amazing!

Until next time...

La Sagrada Familia

So once again, I spent the past weekend in Barcelona. We tried to go to the beach but as you can tell from the white skys in the pictures, it was pretty cloudy and too cold for the beach. So we decided to play tourists and visit the Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi. It was amazing! Although, little did I know that all I saw was the back side of the structure. So next time, I will take pictures of the front side!

Anyway, La Sagrada Familia was actually started by another arcitect/enginner in 1882. Gaudi took over the design in 1883 and continued work on it for the remainder of his life. After 1914, there are no other major works from Gaudi as he devoted himself to Sagrada Familia. In the last few months before his death, he even moved into the Sagrada Familia.

The church is symbolic of Catholicism and Gaudí incorporated religious symbolism into every aspect of the design. Ttwelve towers for the apostles, four more for the evangelists, another dedicated to the Virgin and the tallest —reaching 170 metres in height— that symbolises Jesus Christ.

La Sagrada Familia is an expiaratory church, meaning that it is built solely on donations. On one website that I found, Gaudi was quoted saying, "The expiatory church of La Sagrada Família is made by the people and is mirrored in them. It is a work that is in the hands of God and the will of the people."

As you will notice in my pictures, you can see cranes and construction surrounding Sagrada Familia. Gaudi died in 1926 (when he was run over by a tram) knowing that he would never see the finished church. It's expected that construction won't be completed until 2026 (100 years after the death of Gaudi). The group that I went with decided that we're gonna go back as an anniversary in 2026 and see the finished church.

Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the pictures!

This is a part that was constructed recently (if you can't tell by the different colour of the stones).

The four bell towers on one side of La Sagrada Familia.


It's hard to tell what these are, but from the ground, they look like fruit. Due to the Spanish Civil War in 1936-1939, most of Gaudi's plans and documents were destroyed and there is no way of knowing how Gaudi had intended to have the building finished.



Until next time...