Park Guell

Park Guell is one of the world's most glorious failures. Regent's Park is another of similar ilk. Both were meant to be high class building estates. Regents Park had a few villas built. Park Guell rather less. However, as a park it is really rather special.

Now since I first visited some years ago, an entrance charge has been added, at least for the central part ("the monumental zone") along with timed entrance to keep down the crowds from the most attractive part. So until I hit my timed entrance I wandered right up the hill to the wilder parts. That is nice enough, and a lot quieter.

 This is actually a private house - well as private as one can be as thousands of people go past.

 

Ok, having wandered along that portico enough (and it is a great portico - no straight lines. Gaudi didn't like straight lines), I made for the house which is now a separate museum, with its own entry charge. Not a lot in it - its rather more attractive from the outside.

 Some nice pieces of Gaudi designed furniture.

 Guess what this is? 

A peep-hole for a door, in the form of a brass honeycomb.

Gaudi himself

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And finally I got into the monumental zone. The centre of this is the Nature Square, intended for open-air performances. It is surrounded by an undulating concrete bench covered in a mosaic of broken tiles. Simple and attractive. Beats a wooden bench any day.

From the square one can look down on the entrance and what was effectively the porter's lodge for the estate

The square is in part built over the Hypostyle Room, a space  created with big but slightly wonky classical pillars.

The centerpiece of the stairs leading up from the entrance is a mosaic tiled lizard. It is much photographed. Indeed to the extent that it is almost impossible to photograph for the endless stream of tourists trying to pose on it.

The porters lodge contains a tiny exhibition as it was never meant as more than a small, but picturesque, house.

 But it had a queue to enter, giving me time to take some more pictures with my telephoto lens...

 The washer woman portico