A Day in The Park (Guell Park)

I left here around ten to go up to the park. I made a sandwhich with bread I bought yesterday, but it was rock hard this morning. I shall avoid using the kitchen as much as possible. There is a couple of cafés around the corner so in the morning I will try going there.

I had a quick shower, well slow really as it comes out in a dribble.

Mould everywhere in the bathroom.

I noticed as I dressed that the 'prison' opposite must be a nunnery as I saw a fellow deliver something.

Did I mention how steep it is around here?

 

So steep that this entrance has escalators to get to the top. There are three entrances but this one is close by. There are steps only to go down! Luckily a man near the top steps showed me another way around the road.

Explaining the park would take forever so if you are interested you might like to google it. So here is an overview.

The green area(no it's not an island they have just isolated the park area) is the whole park which is free to wander around in. The yellow section called the Monumental Zone is the part you have to pay to get in, so you can get closer to things. It's well worth the money, which is about six euros. They have opening times, which are about two hourly. Unsure why, as once you are in, you can stay all day? I spent a couple of hours around the park before going to the Monumental Zone. There is a Gaudy museum here too, which is where he lived, but that's ten euro. I spent most of the day here as there is much to see, though virtually impossible to photograph due to the massive amounts of people. The whole park is 15 hectares with a lot of steep sections but very doable.

There is a lot of buskers scattered about, playing violins or guitars, plus the hawkers selling awful jewellery, and quite nice scarves. I resisted buying any for gifts as I think everyone has enough. Plus, the way I'm going I might have to start busking myself.

There were quite a few playing here and there. I videod one violinist as he was quite good. Cannot put it here so I can only email a small clip.

I tried to be a little creative with pictures but have got nothing very Wow!

One thing which did impress me, well a lot did really, is the area which is known as Nature Square, which is the only part where the mountain was dug into to create an area for open-air shows. (Note: the whole place was meant to be an estate for wealthy families, but it went belly up). The area is partly held up by Hypostyle room below.

Nature square. All around this is a serpentine wall with seating.

 

The massive columns which hold up the area above. And some of the out side of the serpentine wall.

More of the columns.

Steps up the Hypostyle room. That was intended to be a covered space for a market for the estate. If you look closely, right at the very top can be seen people looking over the wall from Nature Square.

Below is a few odds and ends.

 

 

 

That's the Sagrada Familia in the background. A church Gaudi designed.

 

The place in the background is the house Gaudi bought for himself. Now the museum.

At the very top of the park/mountain is this cross. I think it just marks the highest point.

This is the view from up there. The Sagrada Familia smack in the centre.

This wall surrounds the park.

Right that's enough of that. I was thinking of going into the city tonight, but the little bus from the metro (train) stops running at nine thirty. My legs don't want to do any more hills today. Tomorrow I shall go in and spend the whole day there and get back about ten, so that I don't have to navigate this climb in the dark.

I just heated up last nights left overs. I had to use a suspicious looking frying pan as Donato has no microwave.

Oh, well one more night.

Adios.