Now that the travel dust has settled, I can finally sort through all of the photos from the adventures with my mom. Today is Parc Guell, one of Spanish architect Gaudi's many works in Barcelona. It was originally designed and built to be a private garden with homes for the city's wealthy families - away from the central city, with fresh air and panoramic views. Lucky for us, the intended use never came to fruition and today the park is free and open to the public.

I was unfamiliar with Parc Guell until I googled "things to see and do in Barcelona" the night before we arrived but now I will never forget it. What a unique and creative place. From the intricately sculpted rock passages to the tile mosaics covering nearly every curve of the park's grand entrance, it's a pretty magical and peaceful place. Well, peaceful until the throngs of school children arrive or the illegal souvenir merchants abruptly pack up their goods and flea at the sight of an undercover police officer!

If you plan on visiting, here's a travel tip: find your way to the 116 bus (we caught it by taking the Barceloneta metro to Joanic) it will drop you off right in front of the park unlike the other guides that lead you to a tube station (Lesseps) wwaaayyyy at the bottom of a hill. We walked down that hill at the end of the day and it took ten minutes, now just imagine walking up it - you'd be too tired to walk and explore around the park by the time you got there! Catch the 116 bus instead, trust me.