Barcelona City Tour...

With tickets clutched in our mitts we set out for the first bus from just outside the Marina.

The bus tours are great, with three different routes you can hop on and off at random. We took the blue route first which took us past the Olympic village and through some of the city streets. We  past the Agbar Tower very much like our own Gerkin. The Torre Agbar, or Agbar Tower, is a 38-story tower and marks the gateway to the new technological district of Barcelona,  It was designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel.

At night it's lit up and quite spectacular although rather phalic...hmmm.

 

We stopped and did a change over at Placa de Catalunyato a lovely square with wonderful statues and fountains and a hive of activity. It was now the red rout to take us to Park Guell. The Parc was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site, the idea of Count Eusebi Guell , whom the park was named after. It was inspired by the English garden movement. It's beyond me to understand why this amazing site wasn't successful. I would have given my right arm to have lived in the Parc.

I was really excited about seeing it having read so much about it and seen pics in my book. I had my camera, a spare recharged battery and memory card, there was no way i wanted to be caught short, i actually took over 500 pics.

Only two houses were built, neither designed by Gaudí. As no buyers came forward, Gaudí, at Güell's suggestion, bought the house that was built as a show house and moved in with his family and his father in 1906.

The main entrance is flanked by two beautifully designed houses, you are then confronted with  the main terrace surrounded by a long bench in the form of a sea serpent.

Apparently to design the curvature of the bench Gaudi used the imprint left from a naked woman's buttocks. 

The two buildings at the entrance of the park, not a brilliant photo merge but you can at least get the idea.          

Roadways around the park to service the intended houses were designed by Gaudí as structures merging into  hillside, separate footpaths in arcades formed under these structures were made using local stone in a way that integrates them closely into the landscape.

His structures echo natural forms, with spiral columns  supporting the viaduct branching under the roadway. The  sloping columns  form  perfect compression structures. Gaudi was an amazing architect and engineer. His mind must have worked in multi dimensions. The famous seating area on the terrace was difficult to photograph as it was full of people but the curves here are lovely.

While at the Parc i had a close encounter with a star or was it? While sitting having a coffee and absorbing the sights a rather handsome man caught my eye and i took a few snaps......

Is it or isn't it, i've copyrighted it just in case so...hands off?

It's such a shame this wonderful site wasn't finished however Gaudi did some amazing work there.

The famous  lizard that synonymous with Gaudi was much smaller than I'd imagined it would be however it really drew the people in, every one wanted their pic taken with it. Again it was difficult to capture  without someone being draped over it but i did manage this one.

These columns hold up the area where the circular seating is. The area above here is the equivalent to the village green. A place where people can take advantage of the height to have a panoramic view of the city of Barcelona and there is a great view of the Sagrad Familias towers rising above the city making every thing around  it look very small.

And just so you can get the scale.

Sagrada Familia a wonder in the making.

Artists and musicians were dotted everywhere at each turn you were greeted with gentle music. Gaudi built Parc Guil as a place of peace where people could live in harmony and although his vision wasn't finished the feeling is there. People strolled along and although it was very busy it was also very calm and the music helped to give a tranquil atmosphere.

If i lived in Barcelona i would probably visit  Parc Guil regularly. I'm sure there were parts we missed and it needs further investigation but for today i had to leave it behind.

We walked back to the bus stop to find a long queue so being the canny Brits we are we walked back a few stops. We continued the bus trip around the city and up to Montjuic with it's own panoramic view.

We descended Montjuice winding our way down towards the Marina and home. There's no stopping us and it's out for drinks and tapas this evening and a working out of what we will do tomorrow. We have another day on the bus and more delights awaiting us.