No Rain Delays For Us

Today's Forecast
Rain in the morning clearing up mid day with a slight wind in the evening.

Which held true.

However, it didn't dampen their spirits.

There were the usual poses from Ethan

and smiles from Zach.

And for Graham a million ways to get dirty and sandy and wet.

They also got into trouble as usual. Each getting sent to their own time out spot. OK Graham didn't really get sent to time out but when he saw his brothers do so he too wanted his own time out ball.

While the boys splashed and hid and knocked each other into mud puddles Chris and I tried to absorb the sites of Guell Park.

If you know anything about Architecture than you know about Antoni Gaudi. All I knew about Gaudi growing up was when an outfit looked mismatched, clashed, or really garish my mom would say, "That's so gaudi!" I didn't realized until this trip that that phrase came from this architects name and design style.

It is extremely unique and at first I could not believe that he was doing this crazy modern design in the late 1800's...it just seemed so out of place. But by the end of the trip after stopping at several of his masterpieces throughout Barcelona I was no longer intrigued but in awe. I really began to like his unique style and what he did for the city as a whole with other architects as far as urban planning goes.

This park wasn't originally meant to be a park. It was an urban retreat or started off that way. A wealth industrialist Eusebi Guell intended for this to be a private subdivision up on the mountainside away from the city. But due to economic circumstances and the excessive ideas of Gaudi it failed.

In 1922 it became a public park and in 1980 it was refurbished using the exact techniques in the original works.

There were surprises around every corner.

Every item whimsical or not

had a specific purpose as I've found out from reading, "The Project Park Guell" by Dosdearete Ediciones.

These mosaics called trescandis, which were prefabricated then put into place, are used everywhere in the park. Gaudi basically taught the artisans how to do it and then let them run with it.

I loved the use of colors and unique patterns. I felt at times that I inside the Candy Land game but not in a Disney sort of way where you know all the facades are fake. But in a REAL magical and fanciful world.

Next Up More Gaudiness......