We woke up late to an overcast morning. Mornings are hard when staying in another person's home. We tried not to be obtrusive or annoying and at times I felt myself creeping around the apartment even though our host could not have been more accommodating or nicer. Oftentimes we would lie in bed and read for a while or get ready quietly and leave the house for a long period of time.
On this day, we slept in and then decided on finding Parc Guell, the private park Gaudi constructed for the Count Guell which eventually it became a municipal garden. The challenge was navigating the bus system. Not an easy task when everything seems to be written in Catalan. We hopped on the #39 thanks (or no thanks) to Google maps. After a long while, we realized we missed our stop and decided to take the bus to the end. We then took the bus back the way we came, hopped off at a sign pointing in the direction of Parc Guell and ended up in another park. We convinced ourselves that it was an adventure! The random park was actually really beautiful and contained a lot of interesting vegetation:
Cacti:
Giant ground palm?
We eventually parked ourselves at a fountain and ate our packed lunch. A woman next to us was grooming her dogs and was able to tell us how to get to Parc Guell; it was just on the otherside of this giant hill! She even knew Denver, one of the only people that had heard of Colorado.
Fountain where we had lunch:
We then continued on our journey to find Parc Guell. We walked what seemed forever. We will have awesome legs when we get back.
A cool bridge we crossed on our way:
We eventually stumbled upon Parc Guell after what seemed like hours of hiking around the city's hills. It was AMAZING!! Words nor pictures can describe how cool it was. Winding paths through stonework, cool plants and flowers and colorful tiles created a visual masterpiece, a place that didn't seem like a "park". A blend of cultures from around the world were gathered here in the art and in the people surrounding it. Ok, enough with the words and on with the photos!
Finally, a sign pointing us in the right direction!
A cross in the park (the video is of a funny guitar player):
Gaudi's house and a church (now a bookstore):
A performer who didn't move at all!
Erin on the curving bench that surrounds a large piece of the park:
Columns surrounding the lower area. A snack bar was built between two:
The ceiling below the park plaza:
The entrance to the park:
Getting home was infinitely easier since we found a metro stop close by the park. While waiting for my friend Gonzalo to arrive from Madrid, we heard people banging pots outside on their balconies. We never figured out the purpose for this instrumental session but I think people were celebrating that it was Friday. Erin and I grabbed a pot and banged it along with everyone.
Erin and Eugenia:
As the night unfolded, Gonzalo finally arrived, his friend Raymond stopped by and we all drank some beers together and unwound into the late evening.
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Location:Barcelona, Spain
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