Park Güell, Barcelona Part II
After a laid back first day in Barcelona, we were ready to do something a bit more touristy. We took the metro out to the famous Park Güell, where the buildings were made up of shining tiles and sparkled in the midmorning sun. When we got off the metro, it was a bit of a walk into the park. We went down one street and turned left into an alleyway that was split by endless sets of staircases and escalators.
On either side of us, colorful buildings rose up, made vibrant by the glow of the sun. The stairs fell in the cool blue shadows of the buildings and giant succulents grew wild in garden troughs, like we had stepped into some kind of urban Eden. On the steepest parts of the path, escalators provided the much-needed assistance to make it up the hill, but mostly the escalators were out of order, still and unused and covered in fallen leaves, making it seem as though the civilized world had been put on pause.
When we finally made it up the steep sets of stairs, the sanctuary of the park stood before us. The air had the fresh vibrancy to it that comes with early summer. Following the winding path that paved into the park’s hills, we came to a stunning view overlooking the city. The bright pops of some of the buildings made the scene look kind of like a Mondrian painting.
The park is made up of two parts; the gardens and the old Gaudí architecture. For only €10, you can buy your tickets to the architectural part of the park here. If you’re coming from the metro like we did, you’ll probably cut through the gardens on your way to the architecture. From the top, you can see the ‘garden city’ that Eusebi Güell commissioned, like a sparkling underwater castle. As you approach, the buildings are even more amazing than they look in the photographs, like giant, iced cakes that tower over you in tiled glory.
Of course, there are other, subtler aspects of the architecture as well: the charming little chameleon that stands guard over a trickling fountain, the huge columns that make you feel like you’re walking through a sand castle, and the strange lines of pillars that look like huge tree trunks.
We made it to the top and of course took pictures on the famous, wavy bench, said to be the longest bench in the world. It’s tiles and colors were something out of a picture book. Though it was a bit crowded, we enjoyed pausing under the strong Barcelona sun to sit and take in the view of the park. What a masterpiece Antonia Gaudí created! The whole park boasts of his talent and artistic genius.
When we were done, a nice cup of coffee did us well. We enjoyed sitting in the park’s café and refreshing ourselves in the shade, while admiring the buildings just a bit longer.
Then, we casually strolled back up through the gardens, enjoying the cool pools of shade provided by the trees and the giant succulents. The land is so rich and the sun so warm that this area is able to bloom constantly. Because of my love for succulents, I enjoyed the natural part of the park almost as much as the Gaudí.
The path winds around the central hill and weaves its way to the very top where some kind of ancient memorial is preserved. The stone mound and crosses stood out in the pale blue sky, and from up there we got the very best view of the city. You can just see La Sagrada Familia in the distance.
When we’d finally had enough of stunning Park Güell, we started our way back down, descending the endless stairs once more. On our way, we found a few more succulents, and made a little friend.
