A Day in The Park

...Park Guell, that is. 

But before I start, just a brief recap of last night's shenanigan's with Jessie.  After meeting at a bar in the barrio of El Raval at about 1:00 a.m., we finally found our way to D-Boy at about 3:00 a.m.  You'll never believe this, but being that D-Boy is a gay club, they would not let us two single, heterosexual ladies in!  We were choked.  As can be expected for two Aquarians to do, we did not like taking no for an answer and argued with the two bouncers, disputing their obvious sexist positions and unjust rules on the door for such a well-advertised Saturday night!  Especially being that Matinee is an IBIZA type party and promoter, and they sure don't discriminate there!  What the &*^!?  Que Cono??  We are going to write a complaint... but in the meantime, we couldn't let that ruin our party mood.  No way!  So we hailed a cab and went down to the Porto Olimpico, to Opium Mar.  It was packed!  Jessie, being the bright, blonde, bubbily babe that she is, had to get me to help fend off all the swarms of men who swooped down on top of her almost as soon as we walked in.  Being the pal that she is, she also did her share of assisting me too.  Because we all know that I can't stand a guy who is all hands, and last night THEY WERE ALL HANDS!  After some juggling and some sifting, we luckily found a couple of good ones in the lot - namely the Italian brand of gent (imagine this!), all decked out in slim fitting, pin-striped black jeans and fancy leather shoes, navy blue/black form fitting dress shirt with a sheen to it, a black, tight fighting button-up vest, saaawweet burgundy tie, and topped off with designer glasses...all smooth and sleek and looking so fine (at first we actually wondered if they'd stumbled in from D-Boy... rest assured ladies, they are only from ROME!).  And there were three of 'em like that, all standing by their lonesomes....well leave it to the friendly Canadian girls to make 'em feel at home, right?  Yum Yum Bubblegum!  The Italians saved the night!  Molto Bene!

Since I didn't get home till the wee hours, I woke up around noon, threw on my New Balance Running shoes, and headed for the hills of Gracia in search of Park Guell.  Another one of Gaudi's creations, he was hired by Count Eusebi Guell who bought the hillside in 1900.  Guell originally wanted Gaudi to create a miniature city of houses in landscaped grounds for the filthy rich.  However, the project dive-bombed in and around 1914 and was never completed.  The City of Barcelona bought the estate to use as a public park, but not before Gaudi had created 3km of roads, walks, steps, and also a plaza.

Although I had my guidebook with me, I decided not to use it as a reference and instead went with the flow, aimlessly walking down side streets, taking turns wherever I felt like it.  I knew I'd find it somewhere.  I'm not sure how I did it exactly, but I actually came up one street to find an escalator going all the way up a hill and into the entrance of Park Guell.  An escalator, right in the middle of a block squeezed between two buildings.  Go figure!  Whoever thought of it was a genius though.  It was perfectly placed!  The climb up was steep!

A very fine day was spent sitting quietly by myself in the warm, warm sunshine, writing in my journal and getting clear.  Getting out to nature always clears my head.  I really needed to write everything down, because things have just been going around and around and around and around in my head, getting no where and driving me crazy.  Keeping a journal is such good therapy, I highly recommend it!  Combine it with fresh air, sunshine, and a natural setting, and you have the makings of a one hour session with your counsellor!  :)

And besides that, Park Guell was so cool!  You really have to go sometime.  I hope you enjoy the pics!

 

Charleen xoxo