I'm back my friends! Today I decided to have a relaxing day just walking around the city, getting to know it a little bit and finish the day with the visit of Park Güell so come for a walk with me!
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I started my walk at Plaça Catalunya. It is a starting point for many tours and hop on buses. It is probably one of the easiest places to reach in Barcelona. It holds metro lines and a train station underground. I have also heard that this is the place of street shows and political demonstrations. I can imagine this is the case as the square is huge!
I came here by metro (I had to get a new ticket as I lost one the same day I bought it, remember?) as it was quite far away from my hotel and I must say it was the only metro station in Barcelona where I didn't feel completely safe. There are sellers (in my opinion illegal) of various items from shoes, t-shirts, key holders, etc. inside of the station and when I was there they happened to have a bad argument with police and let me tell you that it didn't feel good to be around. I thought they would start to fight.
The square is not particularly beautiful but it is a central hub and you can't miss. It has lots of greenery and flowers in decoration, a huge fountains and several statues. There are benches around and you can rest after a long shopping day in nearby boutiques.
It is the opening to Las Ramblas that is the main entertainment, shopping and dinning area of the city center and Passeig de Gràcia with its stunning Modernist architecture and Gaudí's Casa Mila-La Pedrera and Casa Batllo.
There are hundreds of pigeons flying all over the square and especially when someone throws some food on the ground, they would flock in from all over the places in a second and gather around the food.
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People were also taking pictures with them but I was looking for a shelter to avoid any traces of pigeons on my head or clothes if you know what I mean 😊
From busy Passeig de Gràcia with its luxury brand shops, many coffee shops and restaurants I walked towards Via Laietana as from there I can easily reach Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia, a historical gem.
It is a nice long walk and you can stumble across many interesting details if you pay attention. And let me tell you that there are plenty of them in Barcelona!
Do you remember 'I'm watching you' painting from Alfama district in Lisbon? So in Barcelona they bring this to a whole new level and put the eyes on an entire building! But this is not all! One side of the building is modern and the other side is historical. What do you think about that?
Would you like to take a sit on a bench like this? It is located in the Plaça de Lluís Millet near Palau de la Música Catalana - you can see it on a left side of the picture. If you want to see this building designed by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner in all its glory you will have to come to Barcelona as it is impossible to take a good picture of it because it is situated in narrow streets squeezed between other buildings. For me it was one of the most impressive buildings in the city so you should definitely go to see it when you happen to be in Barcelona.
The sculpture attached to the bench is called Carmela and it was created by Jaume Plensa. It is 4.5 m high and made of cast iron.
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Can you see the flamingo sitting on the small balcony?
When I take a picture like this, people would give me a look saying: Hey, there's nothing to see! But then they look up and once they spot what I see, they start to take pictures too!
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Barcelona is a perfect city to get lost! You can just walk around and enjoy the streets and beautiful architecture. You can also find many places with no tourists. Perfect for me!
As in any other big city there are many beggars on the streets of Barcelona. There was a young guy sitting on the ground nearby this 'pelican' house. He had five cups on the ground. On each cup there was written one of these 5 words: weed, party, LSD, Disneyland, food. Which one would you support? You could also take a picture of him with his cups and throw some money in a cup that was on side, marked with the word: picture. I must admit I didn't give him anything as there were many people walking on a narrow path and I was going with the flow but I've found it a funny idea from him.
I have finally reached Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia, look at the stunning view! It's one of the city's most iconic monuments and I can see why.
But I didn't go inside of the church at the end as there were so many people queuing and I had booked an online ticket to Park Güell already so wouldn't be able to come there on time if I would be waiting in a queue to enter the Cathedral.
Don't be disappointed 😊 I'm sure I'll be able to go inside once I live in Barcelona next year for 3 months.
I was really surprised that you have to buy a ticket to enter a Catholic church. I don't remember having such experience in any other cities. Even entering St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican is for free.
I have admired the Cathedral from outside and went to a nearby cafe to get some coffee and water before I go to Park Güell.
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Park Güell can be reached by metro or by bus. You can also walk depending on in which part of the city you are. I have decided to take a metro to Vallcarca as from there it is still about 20 minutes walk and you can enjoy the surroundings. Park Güell is located in a residential area of Barcelona, very different to the city center. On the way there are many cafes, shops with souvenirs and small supermarkets with fresh fruits and vegetables.
If you choose to go in this direction you will not come to the main entrance of the park. Main entrance will be the place for you to finish your tour.
The construction of the park began in 1900. Eusebi Güell entrusted to Gaudi the plan to create an estate for well-off families in a large property that Güell had acquired in the zone know as the Muntanya Pelada with splendid views over the sea and the Plain of Barcelona.
Güell wanted to recreate the selective British residential estates, and that was why he used the English form 'Park' in the name, Park Güell.
It is currently a treasure leisure area for the people of Barcelona and a pole of attraction for visitors from all around the world. The main source of the information about Park Güell that I have is from the info leaflet that I got and I combined it with my own impressions.
This is a Portico of the washerwoman. It is made from unhewn stone and adopts the profile of a huge weave. It is a whole series of buttresses, one of which depicts a rough caryatid known as the Washerwoman because it shows a woman with the tools of that trade.
Another very interesting part is the Hypostyle room. The room was conceived as a covered space that could serve as a market for the estate. The ceiling is formed of small domes built using the Catalan vault technique, clad with tile shards and with soffits laid out like a keystone. Outside of the room is a covered area with eighty - six striated columns inspired in the Doric order and crowned by an entablature that also incorporates shapes taken from classical style.
You can walk up and take panorama picture of the city with the sea in the back.
I must say that the park was not as I expected. I was thinking it would be much bigger and that there would be much more to see. I admit I might feel like it due to the ongoing reconstruction so not the entire area was open to public. I really liked the garden but the buildings didn't impress me that much.
At the entrance there are two buildings . The one on the right side of the picture is called porter's lodge and it is now the bookshop. The one on the left side is called Casa del guarda is currently part of Barcelona history museum. The buildings are quite small but they have beautiful roofs decorated by trencadis (tile - shard mosaic)
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One of the few disadvantages of traveling alone is that I don't want to walk in the city during the night so after excursion of Park Güell I went to the hotel. On the other side it is not that bad as then I have time to relax and be ready for the next day!
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed another day with me in Barcelona.
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All pictures are taken by Nikon D3200 AF-S NIKKOR 18-55 mm 1:3.5-5.6 G II.
Cheers,
Martina