a gaudí day

view from the upper part of park güell

on monday, ximena and the kids and i went to barcelona, to park güell (or parc güell in catalan). it is a big area that count güell wanted to convert into a housing site. i think he got his idea from the english garden city movement, but it wasn't successful. there are only three houses there now; none of which were built by gaudí. i thought they were though, so i'll have to research a bit more, because it's not really making sense. at any rate, gaudí did design a huge, double terrace and a long walkway around the park. i really enjoyed seeing everything there, even though it was a hot day. and actually, here in spain being in the shade probably shaves 10 degrees off of the "feels like" temperature, so if we were in the shade it was lovely. 

park güell and barcelona and the mediterranean sea

throughout the park, there were people selling things. it's actually really funny. these guys, usually african, lay out pieces of fabric and place their items on them to sell. however, since that is illegal, they are always ready to high tail it if a cop shows up. often times things like purses, movies, etc are tied onto the fabric so they can just grab it and run. in a shady section of the park, there was a band playing some music. i think they were pretty good, but we didn't stop to listen to them. there were also random guys throughout the park playing guitar, with their own cds sitting on their guitar case so people could but a cd. way towards the top of the park, where the view is excellent, there was a guy playing christian song that he'd written. 

some of gaudí's mosaics on the upper plaza

in the upper plaza, it was hot and sunny, but breezy. it was packed with people contorting their bodies to get just the right picture. i guess that i don't quite have a picture of the upper plaza. with good cause: my camera was dying. in fact, it's been dying ever since. it may very well be part cat, considering all the lives it seems to have. 

in the lower plaza, it was cool, shady and breezy. it was very crowded there as well, though thankfully the people didn't get into these pictures. the ceiling was all mosaic, with brighter, more colorful sections every so often. the columns in the plaza made it feel like a big hall or cathedral. almost like the mines of moria, but not quite so grand. since nature was gaudí's inspiration, maybe this plaza was inspired by a honeycomb. when i look at this, i just think "honeycomb". the next thought is "locusts", but john the baptist doesn't really have anything to do with this park. 

the mosaicked ceiling of the lower plaza

lower plaza

below are a couple of pictures of the walkway. it almost looked like a retaining sort of wall, but i was told it was built just to cover the walkway. i love how natural it looks and how it provides shade. if you're into rocks and that sort of thing. personally, i'd prefer tree covered walkway with some flowers or something. it would be a neat running path though, considering the shade-factor. 

pillars over walkway

walkway

below is the gaudí museum. although it was his house, he designed the furniture inside only, and not the building. unfortunately, we didn't go inside. the outside is nice too though...it is called "la torre rosa", the rose tower. it has a couple of precious little balconies, plus the tower. who wouldn't want balconies and towers in their house? 

gaudí's house

haha, not gaudí's work, but God's