AWAY FROM THE BUSTLE. (Parc Güell)

Member Name: thingywhatsit

Product:	Parc Güell
Date:	29/07/06 (105 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A super innovative place that people enjoy.

Disadvantages: None.

The Parc Guell is deep in the heart of Barcelona, and for those who do not speak Spanish, the best route is to take a taxi from any central point of the city, which will cost around ten euros, and the for peace of mind, and for parking it is well worth the fare, although parking can be found at the less commercial entrances to this park. For those slightly more adventurous, there are local buses, and the buses numbered 21, 31, 32, 39, 74 and 116 all have stops near the entrances of the Park.

The Parc Guell was constructed between 1900 and 1914 under the direction and architectural guidance of Gaudi, (working with another architect, Josep Maria Jujol) for the Guell family, or more notedly Count Eusebi Güell. The park was intended for families living in the district and it was envisaged that many dwellings would be constructed, although this was never realised, and in 1923 was handed over to the City for all the people to visit and I am certainly glad that it was because it is an adventure into another time and another dimension.

We entered by the less commercial area of Gracia and immediately were drawn to the huge bridge like structures built into high slopes with stone formed balconies in what is a lesser known part of the park. Here, the tourist can chill, find a little corner and look over the city of Barcelona in an ambiance of peacefulness and tranquility that the city does not otherwise allow. It's strange to think that you are in a city humming with activity, though can sit, read a book, or just feel at one with both nature and the beauty of the construction of the park, which seems at one with nature, in that all constructions within the park flow with the flora and fauna, as if they had always been there.

Wide walkways take you through woodland and gardens, and there are so many hidden treasures throughout these gardens that at every turn, there is something to look at. The walkways are wide and go for miles and are wheelchair friendly, although the entrance to the pavillions or the main entrance to the park is not so wheelchair friendly, therefore making the visit by people with wheelchairs better approached from the Gracia area that I took.

As you walk along the walkways, you see splendid buildings, a church tower in pastel pink against a blue sky, little niches with seats for people to tuck themselves away from the hot sun and read, and you are lead through this woodland towards the pavillion, where there is a huge place with seating all around it in a kind of romantic setting, the seats all colourful and rounded with ceramic pictures which are beautiful. Whilst we were there, we listened to musicians that had stopped to bask in the sunshine and play their music. This area is enormous, and each seat rounded into the balcony shows the individual nature of ceramic tiling at its best, is colourful and inviting, and the views from this area stretch for miles.

Steps lead down from this pavillion to a corridor which was constructed in the typical Gaudi style of rounded edges and is almost like it was built lopsided, as it veers to the right, and all the pillars that shelter visitors from the sunshine are also put in at a slope, making the corridor seem like part of a natural landscape. You can imagine trees bent from heavy winds, or the roots of trees pulled up by storm as you walk this corridor which has no sense nor meaning, but stands as a testament to the individual Gaudi style.

Further down, you reach a hall of towers, with a wonderful acoustic quality and here, classical guitar was being played and as you walk amidst pillars and gaze with wonderment at the ceiling with its domes and ceramics, you are drawn into the world of Gaudi, a world conceived from perhaps childlike simplicity that seems to escape the regular construction theories of other architects. The echoes of a summer day, and the perfection of the musical notes combined in such as way as to show the grandeur of the place, shaded from the sunshine, though daylight played games amidst the domed ceilings and shape and form.

Down from this hallway of pillars you approach the entrance to the park, which has a wonderful structure on each side, and here, you do need time to take in the beauty of the buildings as well as relax and chill amidst the splendour of Gaudi's work. It is almost like you are stepping into his world and on the buildings that have towers that seem to touch the sky, you have ceramic roofs of all the colours of the rainbow, and the buildings have rounded edges, and are indeed reminiscent of fairy tails and childhood. One disappointment with the buildings at the entrance area of the park was that they had replaced the original windows with new ones, and here, instead of taking the form of rounded edges, and escape from the box like shapes that Gaudi was so famous for, the windows were squared off and really did not fit in with the whole concept of architecture that Gaudi stood for.

Entrance to the park is free. There are no hidden charges and although there is a tourist shop at the entrance to the park, I found that the emphasis of the park was more enjoyment and appreciation of the surroundings, rather than the needing to rip off the tourist. There is a cafe with refreshments at cheap prices, toilets, etc., although the main emphasis of the park is that the visitor feels like they blend with their surroundings, rather than being a blight on them.

Off the main entrance, steps lead up to the Hall of Pillars where the classical guitarist played, and on the main steps, there is a huge lizard type creature, tiled in many colours, which attracts the attention of the tourist cameras, and this area of the park is particularly crowded and difficult to photograph without getting others in the photos. There are many tiled walls in this area, and I managed to get some pretty impressive shots.

In the gift area, there are so many things to chose from, and here I found that the prices were varied enough to suit all pockets. I bought a video of Gaudi's work, so that I always had a reminder of my visit and of the historical changes that Gaudi made in architectural thought, and changes that have endured the test of time.

I finish my visit to the Guell Park with a thought that Gaudi goes into the places that others just dream about, that his work captures that which thoughts and dreams keep outside of the human grasp, and that the presence of places like this make the human soul feel richer for the experience.

A must visit if in Barcelona.

Rachel

Summary: Well worth a visit, for the historical value and also for a peaceful break from the city.