Parc Guell: Serpentine Bench in the Afternoon

Parc Guell is a place to visit early in the morning or late in the afternoon when long shadows and golden rays of the sun magnify the complex geometry in Gaudi's architecture.

Don't let those unique images you take only once in your lifetime be adorned by blown up skies or the strong highlights on the numerous white tiles of the serpentine benches of the famous hallmark in Barcelona.

I thought I had arrived late to the park the other day, even the little museum inside was about to close but once at home and going over my photographs I was very pleased with the light and colors of the vanishing afternoon.

Other posts about Park Guell

Trencadis Lizard by Gaudi at Park Guell, Barcelona

Famous lizard by Antoni Gaudi (1852 - 1926) using mosaic technique called trencadis. 

According to Wikipedia "Trencadís (Catalan pronunciation: [tɾəŋkəˈðis]) is a type of mosaic used in Catalan modernism, created from broken tile shards. The technique is also called pique assiette. This mosaic is done using broken pieces of ceramic, like tiles and dinnerware" 

So many times photographed, in so many angles, with so many different exposures and cameras. 

This is another must see, so I don't know how you are going to combine Park Güell with Palau de la Música, the tour on the bus, the museums, the restaurants, Sagrada Familia and Las Ramblas (missing something here? I bet I am!). 

If you want to know more about mosaic and particularly Gaudi's or Jujol's work (his collaborator) visit The Joy of Shards.

Trencadís Serpentine Bench at Park Guell, Barcelona

Serpentine bench by Gaudi

From 1900 to 1914 Antoni Gaudi directed the construction of this park for Eusebi Güell. 

In 1923, Güell's family gave the estate property to the city. Another jewel for mankind to treasure. How many people came to sit on this bench, how many couples , how many families? 

I gathered some images trying to be original but this was no virgin territory. You almost have to elbow your way to take a decent picture. The sun is disappearing fast leaving behind soft golden tones on top of the broken shards of tile, no one in the way, I can't believe it. Click.

Plaça Espanya: Modernist Butterfly at Casa Fajol

Casa Fajol also known as Casa de la Papallona ("butterfly house") is located at carrer Llança just in front of Las Arenas bullring in Plaça Espanya. Built by Josep Graner i Prat in 1912 and named after the big trencadis butterfly on top, it is another great expression of Catalan Modernisme in Barcelona.

Trencadis is a variety of mosaic technique used by Gaudi and his followers during the Art Nouveau period in which broken (trencat in Catalan) painted tiles are layed in a way that differs from traditional mosaic. I would have preferred to take the picture from another angle but the fence surrounding the enormous coliseum at the construction site on my back was a big obstacle. 

See Casa Fajol Picture on a Google Earth Map

Sagrada Familia: Mosaic Detail of a Spire

This is a wonderful view of one of the spires in the Sagrada Familia Cathedral. After taking a lift where you are charged two euros (better than climbing up the spiral staircase which is very narrow) you get to a small passage between the towers from where the city, the sea and the mountains can be seen in all its splendor. Small details of this unfinished masterpiece like this mosaic buttons stand right before you, making your camera hesitate between them or a good picture of the skyline.