My first visit to Parc Güell in Barcelona was short. The day was cloudy and chilly. There was stress in the air because some very rude person had just stolen my friend's wallet out of her backpack while we hiked up the hill to the Parc. After an hour plus of wrangling with the credit card companies to ensure that the damage was limited to some cash and the more important emotional hit of being robbed and violated, there wasn't much emotion left to appreciate Parc Güell. Hence my first impression of another of Gaudi's masterpieces was more along the lines of Willy Wonka's vacation factory in Barcelona than a true appreciation of the masterful skill, vision, and determination that went into crafting the park.
All those curves and lack of right angles still make me think of Disney, Willy, Pixar, and all their cousins. But, I didn't see Mickey or Minnie anywhere on the grounds, so I suspect that there is more to it than that. And if I had managed to take an art class or two in college and paid attention, I likely would have had more intelligent and informed things to say about the lovely Parc Güell.
The fact that I could visit the Parc, sit on a rock bench, and feel that I was alone among thousands of visitors, most of whom were making tourist noises, was impressive. The way the benches were designed provided silence in the middle of a crowd, an opportunity to be still and absorb the sun, the trees, and of course, the aesthetic of it all.
The combination of art and skillful architecture at an expanse and level that is the Parc was enough to make me ponder it long after I had left and long after I had forgotten the throng of tourists that accompanied our visit.
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