Parc Guell

Parc Guell, although one of the most traditional sites in Barcelona, truly is one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to in my life.  Although I may be biased as I am particularly fond of Barcelona and have lived here for the past few months, all of my visitors who have seen Parc Guell agree that it is truly something special.  Guell is the name of Gaudi’s patron, who had originally asked for a neighborhood to be constructed with all of the buildings designed in the “Gaudi way”.  However, when the first few buildings wouldn’t sell, Gaudi took the project upon himself and turned it into a stunning park that overlooks Barcelona.  It is now a place that many tourists go to visit as an attraction, but it is also a perfect location to go to hang out and relax for the day.  I have been many times and my days there have always been extremely enjoyable.  When my family came to visit, we took a guided tour through the park, and my eyes were opened to the unbelievable brilliance of Gaudi; I was not able to look at the park in the same light again.  Each and every aspect of the park was designed and planned to a T.  My personal favorite part of the park is the little bench that sits above the reptile structure but below the park itself.  I learned that this was designed so that if you sit under the archway on the bench in the summer, it is always in the shade, but in the winter, it is always in the sun.  The physics and mathematical analysis that must have been put into this, attest to Gaudi’s true genius.  He was not only an artist and an architect, but he was an intellect, as well, and applied this to all aspects of his work.