Visiting Montjuïc: Incredible Views, Green Spaces & The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

After struggling with the crowds of Las Ramblas and Placa Catalunya, visiting Montjuïc was such a welcome change. I left quite early, getting the Metro, and immediately spotted the two large columns that I'd been told to look out for. The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya was immediately visible, and my fears of getting lost - once again - were quelled. 

Once you reach the building, which is in itself a great piece of architecture, you can see across most of Barcelona. When I visited it was quite busy here with tourists taking photos, but if you want a quieter spot for photos you can walk up a little higher and enjoy the view from a number of beautiful free-entry gardens. At 10am on a Sunday morning I only came across one or two other people in them!

Also, as I visited on the first Sunday of the month I got into the museum free of charge. I found this to be an added benefit on top of the great views, lovely surroundings, and of course great art inside. I particularly enjoyed the Civil War photography section in the Modern 2 exhibition, but the older sculptures and wall murals were really interesting too.

If you're an architecture-nerd like me, something I can't really help as my mother is an architect by trade, then you'll probably wish to take a few photos inside the museum too!

The photo below depicts an engraving on the first of four large columns found in front of the Palau Nacional, and, in case you're unfamiliar with deciphering the incredibly unique language that is Catalan, it's a very political landmark. The Four Columns, or Les Quatre Columnes‏, were originally created by Josep Puig i Cadafalch in 1919 to become an icon of Catalanism. Because of this, they were demolished in 1928 during Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, when all public Catalanist symbols were systematically removed in order to avoid their being noticed during the 1929 Universal Exposition, which was to take place on Montjuïc.

After years of campaigning, a replica of the columns was erected in 2010 very close to the original site and following Puig i Cadafalch's original plans. Good on the campaigners, I think!

If you go higher up Montjuïc from the Palau Nacional, you can also see the Olympic Stadium, or the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. After a bit of research, I found that Lluís Companys was not a sponsor of the Games, as we may imagine in today's world, but rather the 123rd President of Catalonia, from 1934 and during the Spanish Civil War.

Companys was leader of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) political party and, after being exiled after the war, he was captured and handed over by the Gestapo to Franco's dictatorship. He was subsequently executed by firing squad in 1940 and, as they fired, he was reported to have cried 'Per Catalunya!' (For Catalonia!) Companys is buried at the Montjuïc Cemetery, near the castle, and his cause of death was tragically given as 'traumatic internal haemorrhage'.

Companys is the only incumbent president in Europe to have been executed, and seventy-two years later the council of war which sentenced him is still in force, according to Wikipedia (correct me if I'm wrong, anti-Wikipedia readers!) I hope that more tourists, like me, look into Les Quatre Columnes and Lluís Companys and understand the deep emotional history that's entrenched throughout Montjuïc. 

It's not simply a beautiful place with incredible views, but also a location that's still haunted by the dark shadows of politics alongside the courage of certain individuals.

My Experience of Visiting Parc Güell in Barcelona + Some Tips

The famous Gaudi mosaic lizard in Parc Güell

"Oh, you're going to Barcelona? Do you like Gaudi?" This is the response to my year abroad I've heard most in the past few months. Well, since I decided on Barcelona in fact. The architect is so closely entwined with the city and its connotations, and in many ways I like this. Barcelona does get a bad rep for pickpocketing, but for foreigners to immediately think of its culture suggests a longstanding reputation as a vibrant and exciting city, particularly for the ones among us that appreciate all things arty and creative. As soon as I had settled into Barcelona, a trip to Parc Güell was essential.

I went with my sister, Jenny, who is staying with me until next Thursday, to Parc Güell on Wednesday. We were out of the flat quite early, and got the Metro to Lessops (the stop nearest to Parc Güell) at around half past eight. The walk from Lessops to the park is perhaps further than you'd imagine, and it does include quite an intense hill. I was fine with it, but Jenny, who has almost forgotten how to use her legs since learning to drive before Christmas, was muttering a fair amount of obscenities and was on the verge of panting.

Does this remind you of a gingerbread house?

The entrance to the park is fantastic, and you're immediately faced with things you want to take photos of on all angles. You can then go up a level, through this wonderful hall with incredible columns and ceiling mosaics. Walking up a further slope (or stairs if you want to move along quickly), you get to a sandy platform that is bordered with a mosaic seat-type structure (called the serpentine bench, supposedly the longest bench in the world).

The view here causes even the least touristy types to snap out their cameras, and for good reason. You can see a great deal of Barcelona, and it's quite odd being able to piece together all those major Barcelona landmarks in one glance. It's the perfect spot to sit for a while, and it appeared quite normal for male middle-aged Spaniards to choose the spot for a 9am nap.

The view across Barcelona from Parc Güell

Moving further up (yes, the park seems to have an endless amount of levels, much to Jenny's disappointment), you continue to view the view from various paths that wrap up around the hill. Along the way you can see the house that Gaudi lived in from 1906-1926, which is now Casa Museu Gaudí, alongside various other displays of great architecture. A great deal further up the hill, over on the other side of the park, we spotted three stone crosses on a raised area. Jenny, needless to say, responded to my interest by declaring quickly, "not a chance".

The largest cross on the peak of Parc Güell

I kept pushing to go higher and higher up the paths, and, won over by yet more incredible views, Jenny followed. The three crosses on the peak were now just above us, and, with the promise of an incredible Facebook display picture, Jenny followed me to the top. The stone steps to it were frightening and precarious, but definitely worth it. The view was incredible, and we could see the Sagrada Familia in the distance, surrounded by the usual cranes and scaffolding. Tibidabo was on the other side, surrounded by vicious storm clouds at the time.

It's definitely worth the trip to Parc Güell, as well as the upward climb! I'd recommend that you...

• Arrive as early as you can. We arrived before 9, although the park had been open from 8am on that day. As we got there so early, we were rewarded with there being no crowds or large groups to induce claustrophobia or blocked photographs!
• Bring water. Being the tourist hotspot that it is, all prices seemed very inflated, particularly within the park.
• Certainly bring a camera!
• Consider the Metro. Lessops is easily accessible from the major Barcelona stations, and the walk from it isn't too bad. Signposts tell you where to go, and even I didn't get lost (it's very easily done). If you're travelling with someone who has a disability or can't walk a great deal, however, look into bus transport, even if just up the last hill.
  
  

  

  La Sagrada Familia, as seen from Parc Güell on a cloudy day