Park Güell by Gaudi, Barcelona

We took the very first tour bus from the location by our hotel, intending to see Antoni Gaudi's greatest work, Sagrada Familia. The bus poked along and got us there by 10:30 in the morning and the line around the church was so long, that it reminded me of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. There was no way we could see it unless we got there first thing in the morning.

So we decided to see Park Güell, which was on two stops away. It too was mobbed, but because it is an open space, we just walked right in.

The caretaker's cottage.

The church.

The church as viewed from the serpentine seating with a city view in the background.

A detail from the ceiling of the structure that holds up the serpentine bench.

A tile detail from the steps leading up to the serpentine seating.

A detail of the exterior of the serpentine seating showing a lion's head waterspout to help drain rain runoff. The caretaker's cottage is in the background.

A city view from the aqueduct at the summit of the park.

The other side of the view showing the Mapfre Towers.

Entrance to the park was free.