For Ben Huberman, in response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Ornate.” A photo of such a small part of the Sagrada Familia can only give you a little idea of how ornate it is. Or is it? It definitely isn’t gaudy, just sheer elegant beauty.
This is my take on ornate, join in with your photos!
Tag: Gaudi
Thank Goodness for Gaudi
He created a colourful bench for my August post for Jude, and placed it in Parc Guell, in plenty of time for my visit to Barcelona in April.
If you would like to join in visit Jude here, she has a different bench theme every month this year.
Gaudi’s Mosaics at Guell
Eusebi Guell entrusted Gaudi to create an estate for wealthy people, in Barcelona on land that he purchased in the Monumental zone, high above the city where the air was clean and healthy. Unfortunately the project was not viable and Guell halted it in in 1914. When Guell died his family offered the property to the city council. They purchased it in 1922 and opened it as a public park four years later.
Since then Gaudi has become an international treasure, and his creation was declared a Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1984. Here are some the fabulous mosaics in the park.
And here is Eusebi Guell himself, standing in the Hippostyle room.
Back to Guell
Several hours have passed and my friends and I are back in the area of Parc Guell, still too early for our 5.30 – 6pm entry time. Even my ‘souvenir shopping’ friends have exhausted the junky gift shops now and we are little peckish, so tempted by a shady garden we settle for a quick snack and some sangria.
At last it’s our turn! 
to get closer to these intriguing buildings.
There are columns created to mimic nature
Where a stone woman
and a bunch of crazy women from England lurk
there are stunning views of the city
wonderful mosaics on the towers
A whole forest of columns
that I really fall in love with. The Sala Hipostila was originally intended to be a market hall.
There was even a very beautiful young bride and her groom, imagine getting married there, although escaping the crowds would be difficult.
and I have some more photos to show you from Parc Guell, so I’ll be back.
Views from the Bus Turistic
Riding around Barcelona with the views from the top of the Bus Turistic , the city is even more beautiful than I expected. The Via’s are wide and tree lined and every where you turn is another striking building, placa or fountain.
Buildings often have exquisite design features, some by Gaudi himself, others influenced by his work.
Why have plain when you can have intricate?
There are streets and streets with apartment blocks like this, with the volume of traffic going past they must be very high maintenance.
I always wonder about the people living behind the windows, can they ever open them and enjoy their balconies in the continuous city noise?
Of course if you live in one of the luxury apartments in Casa Terrades, a Gothic, fairytale castle, I’m sure you wouldn’t have to worry about the outside world, can you imagine Rapunzel’s hair flowing down from here?
One of the places I’d like to see when I return to Barcelona is the modernist Casa Mila, known locally as La Pedrera, it’s a UNESCO world heritage site and Gaudi’s last civic work. It’s given the name Pedrera which means ‘Stone Quarry’because of its rough exterior appearance. I’d like to go up to the roof and get a closer look at the art looking back at you, fascinating stone sculpture that you see from the street.
This pretty building was one of my favourites, but I don’t remember what it’s called, does anyone know anything about it?
This fantastical building is Casa Batllo, one of Gaudi’s greatest masterpieces. I really wish I’d had time to see it, if you go to Barcelona allow as much time as you can, there is so, so much to see and you will quite likely feel as frustrated as i did, having to miss things like this out!
The blue Bus Turistic also stops at Sagrada Familia ans we got off long enough to find out that there was absolutely no chance of going inside at that time. The ticket office said go away and book online, no tickets were available that day. We were so glad we hadn’t waited until the last day.
I’ll be posting again about Gaudi’s greatest and unfinished achievement, meanwhile for now I’m ending with a photo of Barcelona by night, at Placa d’Espanya.
Enjoy!
Lucid Gypsy 