Guadi has left his fingerprints all over the city of Barcelona and I did my best to see as much of his work as possible. The Sagrada Familia was definitely my favorite, with his Park Guell being a close second. I loved it so much that I made a second trip on my last day in Barcelona. I am convinced that Gaudi is the inspiration of all the paint your own pottery- build your own mosaic places. Gaudi's architecture is meant to be experienced. It serves much more than the purpose of providing a useful space or a roof over one's head. There was one such studio in Cleveland that always made for a fun place to go and make birthday gifts. I could pick out a piece of pottery or a mold for a mosaic and create something to gift someone else. One year a group of the confirmation students and their mentors from my church chose this as their place to make their faith statements. The students chose mosaic moldings and filled them with colors and designs that expressed faith. I hope that it was a meaningful experience for them. It was for me. I was priviledged to join them for pizza and watch the creation process.
There are tons of different pathways throughout the park, and it would be possible to wonder for quite a while, never taking the same path. Here is the central gathering place of the park. Above is a veranda of sorts, with benches and a view overlooking the city. You can go and just hang out or enjoy the cafe'.
There were all sorts of entertainers, entertaining us: musicians, tricksters, and popular among the kids- bubble makers.
The trademark of the park- the dragon at the entrance
The mosaic-filled park benches
Not in Park Guell, but also noteworthy- Gaudi was also commissioned to design several apartment buildings throughout the city. They're immediately recognizable as they tend to be quite different in appearance than those standing at its side and much more colorfull than the rest of the block.
Gaudi's most famous apartment building
And by night
No comments:
Post a Comment