I'm definitely a lover of colorful, somewhat eccentric architects and designers, like Antoni Gaudi (think La Sagrada Familia) and Friedenreich Hundertwasser.So that made a visit to Park Guell in Barcelona an absolute must.

Park Guell is almost twenty hectares of gardens and buildings built on the El Carmel hill in Gracia, Barcelona, and it was designed by the very unique Antoni Gaudi. I approached Park Guell from the Vallcarca metro station, which might not have been the easiest choice, even though it looked that way on the map: there was a pretty steep uphill walk from here, but getting to the park made it all worthwhile.

In fact, approaching from Vallcarca meant that in practice I reached the back entrance of the park, which meant I saved the best for last. With a tasty Spanish snack, I rested for a while on the mosaic benches that seemed suspended above Barcelona, surrounding a large flat area where groups of tourists kept appearing. Just the mosaics on the concrete surrounds of this area where incredible enough, full of fantastic colors and unusual shapes.

Moving on, I explored the paths edged by viaduct-like constructions, which were like half open tunnels formed by unusually shaped pieces of rock and stone, all sticking out from concrete at strange angles. Under an arch here I found a guitarist and a percussionist entertaining tourists by playing Catalan music with a gentle rhythm.

Using the combined ticket I'd purchased at La Sagrada Familia, I visited the Casa Museu Gaudi, which was in fact the house where Gaudi lived for the last twenty years of his life. It housed unusual furniture, such as very short seats with backs and legs at unusual angles, and some displays explaining aspects of Gaudi's life.

And then I reached the proper front of the park, which is probably the most famous part: the impressive steps with the large mosaic dragon guarding the park. In fact, I like to think of him as a salamander, but the common thought it that it's actually a dragon. I lined up with half of Barcelona to have a picture taken of me next to the salamander-dragon, before heading back down the stairs and into the bustle of Barcelona. Park Guell is definitely a tourist hotspot in Barcelona, but since it is large and spacious, with many different aspects to discover, you can enjoy it without feeling you're part of a crowd. Until you meet the dragon, of course.