Day 4 Parc Guell

Probably the 2nd most popular site in Barcelona is Parc Guell (the l ls are pronounced as a y ...so it is something like Gway..... We took the Turista bus to the stop near by and then hiked up 6 steep blocks or so to the entrance. There is no charge to enter but a small museum does have a charge. Gaudi was commissioned by the Guell family to design a hillside garden community built over a covered market. Only two houses were ever built, one of which Gaudi lived in. This is one of two guard houses at the entrance. They have a gingerbread house appearance.
This was an exquisite fence with a look of palm designs. All of his work is very organic and nature oriented.
The picture is not crooked. I don't know what this passageway is but it was very different. The child is sitting in a small nitch in the wall, one of several spaced along the way.
Near the top is a lovely view of the city. (Click to enlarge) On the left you can see the towers of the Sagrada Familia. On the far right is the W hotel along the waterfront of the Mediterranean.
There are many many noisy green parakeets in the trees....I actually took a better picture than this but it was very very slow posting these pictures and I didn't have the patience to redo it.
This was an open snack bar area. We stopped for a refreshment and to enjoy the music from some nearby musicians.....and were unable to avoid the young couple at the next table, devouring each others faces......
These tiles were along a walkway....they are similar to the ones downtown that line the streets and are designed by Gaudi.
One of the most distinctive feature of the area above the columns that are in the market, is the serpentine tiled benches.
They are covered with beautiful broken tiles....it is not really a mosaic as they do not form a picture. They broke up tiles of color for the top and white for the base. It is just so imaginative and gorgeous. And when you sit, the brown line feels like a lumbar support and it's very comfortable....but a bit cool this time of year.
A close up of one area of the bench...,I have many many pictures of the details.
This was to be the market below the benches. On the ceiling are more tiles and the large colored circles are detailed mosaics of various organic shapes. Amazing.....and so beautiful.
Along the stairs near the entree is this tiled lizard. It is an iconic design, reproduced
everywhere. It was impossible to get a picture of it as everyone wanted a picture of themselves near it. I gave up and chose to take a picture of the most attractive person I saw waiting for her chance.
These broken tiles were a bit different. It looks like they took a tile, broke it up in pieces and then replaced it in its original form.

The other gate house at the entrance with the fanciful tower beside it. The entire park was quite large and paths descended upwards into a heavily treed area. I can see where it would be a nice respite from the hot summer Spanish sun.
Here is another Gaudi building in downtown. It is supposed to be quite spectacular inside as well but they wanted about $25 for a peek and we decided that we'd seen quite enough for the moment. By the way, Gaudi lived to be 74 and died in 1926 when he was run over by a tram. He laid in the street for hours as it was thought he was a beggar. By the time he was taken to a hospital, it was too late.
We have Christmas decorations on our street. The door to our apt. is on the right. We were worn out from our long day and chose to take the easy route for dinner and walk over a couple blocks to the Mexican restaurant again. We were the only ones there......we were told that most won't come for dinner until 8 or so....except that older people come earlier.! Our waitress ..Anna, and the entire staff, is from Mexico. They remind us that they serve authentic Mexican food, not Tex-Mex. They all speak perfect English and we had great fun with them. As we were finishing, two young families did come in but it was nice to have private dining while it lasted. We said we'd be back before we left. It is really good food and so convenient.

The city seems young.....Anna said that the older people tend to stay home or live in the hilly part of the city, which is more exclusive. There are 8 universities and we heard many languages on the street. We also heard familiar southern accents and more obvious American students. A popular fashion statement seems to be leggings or sheer stockings with very short skirts or shorts and boots. Boots and scarfs are definitely the most popular accessory for all ages. Not very many blondes around. I haven't seen any french manicures. IPhones and Blackberry's are common. Backpacks are ubiquitous among the young and old. Smoking is more common than I expected. I've seen a couple of chubby people but they did not look Spanish. I"m not really hung up on the thin or wide....it has just been very obvious. Compared to the crowds at Disney, this place is positively anorexic.

Time to call it a night. Tomorrow is La Rambla ......