| Glenn's Barcelona Journals 5-30-02 It's Thursday and we have a list of places that we want to see while we are in Barcelona. One of the first on our list for this morning is Parc Guell. Parc Guell originated in 1900 when Count Guell buoght a tree covered hillside (outside Barcelona) and hired Gaudi to create a city of houses for the wealthy. The project flopped in 1914 but not before Gaudi had created 3km of roads, walks, steps, a plaza, and two gatehouses. Mosaic is abound in this eccentric park including the mosaic dragon / lizard that guards the entrance up the steps to the Sala Hipostila (a forest of 84 stone columns intended as a market). A gallery, where the twisted stonework columns and roof give the effect of a cloister beneath tree roots, curves around from the market area. On top of the Sala Hipostila is a broad open space whose centerpiece is the Banc de Trenadis (a tiled bench that curves around its perimeter. The park also has the Casa Museu Gaudi where Gaudi lived for quite a few years. We walked around the park for hours. After the park, and in the mood for more Gaudi, we stopped back by the La Sagrada Familia. This time we had a chance to take our time admiring and studying the different works surrounding the church. Both of these stops are "must see's" if you are ever in Barcelona. Our next stop was at Place Glones Catalenes where we were searching for second hand book stores and the flea market. We didn't have much luck in finding second hand bookstores but we did find the flea market and it would be open tomorrow morning. We stopped for a bite of lunch while we were out this way before heading back towards La Rambla. By the time we arrived back at our hostal it was getting to be around 7:00 pm.. We walked up and down La Rambla before heading out to dinner. The rest of the evening was spent at the internet cafe in which we arrived around 11:00 pm and left around 12:45 am, in time to get to our room before the gates closed. (The hostal was inside a mall and the mall gates were locked at 1:00 am every morning. If you were late all you had to do was ring the bell and someone would let you in.) |
| The Cathedral just around the corner from where we are staying. |
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