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quarry. There’s a stand of palm trees by a small artificial lake, and concrete
promenades under the sheer quarry walls, but lately it’s all been allowed to go
to the dogs (and feral cats) a bit and could do with a spruce-up. Still, you’re
greeted at the top of the park steps by an Ellsworth Kelly metal spike, while
suspended by steel cables over a water-filled quarry is a massive concrete claw
by the Basque artist Eduardo Chillida.
Bus
#28 from Plaça de Catalunya, up
Passeig de Grácia, stops just 100m from the park steps, or you can walk up
Passeig de la Mare de Deu del Coll from
o
Vallcarca in about twenty minutes
(there’s a neighbourhood map at the metro station).
Combining the park with a visit to Parc Güell is easy, too, though you’ll need
a keen sense of direction to find it from the rear exit of Parc Güell – it helps if
you’ve climbed to the top of Güell’s three-crosses hill and fixed in mind the
quarry walls, which you can see across the valley. It’s far easier to visit Parc de
la Creueta del Coll first, then walk back down the main Passeig de la Mare de
Deu del Coll until you see the signpost pointing down c/Balears (on your left)
– from there, signposts guide you into Parc Güell the back way.
Parc del Laberint
Confronted by the roaring traffic on the PasseigVall d’Hebron, it seems incon-
ceivable that there’s any kind of sanctuary to hand, but just a couple of minutes’
walk from
o
Mundet metro puts you at the gates of the
Parc del Laberint
(daily 10am–dusk; €2, free Wed & Sun). The former estate mansion is under-
going long term restoration but the late eighteenth-century gardens are open
for visits and are an enchanting spectacle. A series of paths, terraces, pavilions
and water features embrace the hillside, merging with the pine forest beyond.
At the very heart of the park is the famed topiary maze, El Laberint, created by
the Marquis de Llupià i Alfarràs and designed as an Enlightenment puzzle
concerning the forms of love. A statue of Eros in the centre is the reward for
successfully negotiating the maze. Near the park entrance are a drinks kiosk,
picnic area and children’s playground.
Parc del Laberint
THE NORTHERN SUBURBS
|
Parc de la Creueta del
Coll