Exploring Barcelona's Hidden Gem | The Enchanting Horta Labyrinth Park

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Our next stop in the Barcelona chronicles is Parc del Laberint d'Horta, I'll call it short The Labyrinth park, to avoid confusion. It is a little less popular destination because it's outside the city center and, it seems to me, the organizers over there like having less tourists roaming around so they don't promote it too much. Ticket to enter the site is only 2.23 euros which is nothing compared to other locations where prices go from 10 to 30 euros or more.

Wednesdays and Sundays are completely free to enter but bare in mind it might be more crowded during those days. Barcelona in general has a free day, usually Sunday, for most of the museums, castles and parks - exceptions are Sagrada Familia and Park Guell which are swarming with tourists. But there are dedicated hours for locals which can enter free of charge. City authorities went as far as to remove metro information from Google maps so that tourists don't come in such large numbers to park Guell (and it worked).

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To get to the labyrinth park we took the L3 metro and from there there's a 10 minute walk uphill. What caught our attention even before we entered the park is how clean and well groomed the surrounding area is. As we pass the gates of the park we find ourselves in the beautiful forest of trees with the pond in the middle. The trees are all interesting with their unusual shapes and bark, and some, like lime tree and Himalayan cedar help the local biodiversity.

The lush greenery all around makes it the perfect spot for relaxation from a city noise. We visited so many amazing local places but we loved this one the most as it's an escape into nature almost in the heart of the city. It's one of the oldest Barcelona gardens. Bring picnic with you and spend half a day in this oasis.

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The centerpiece and the main attraction of the park is the hedge labyrinth. You are supposed to enter the maze and navigate its winding paths until you find the way either to the other side or the central area where the statue of Eros, Greek god of love stands.

Honestly, the maze isn't really complicated or hard to "solve" especially since you can kindly see partly through the hedge. But in several places dead lead to dead end I noticed torn down fence - likely some got stuck and forced their way out. :D

Overlooking the maze is the platform with amazing neoclassical pavilions, with tall columns and round arches that bring us back to old Greek architecture. It's symmetrical on both sides giving it a sense of harmony. I had to do a bit of Tai Chi in this sacred place, which my friends caught on camera (I might show it in a separate post).

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How lucky I was to have the two ladies dressed as bridesmaids walk around the park! As a street photographer you know I always try to find interesting subjects and create a story between people and surroundings. It seems like there weren't on a special photoshoot either - one was even picking up her dress running away, as if escaping from her wedding. Again, it was so nice that there wasn't many people around this secluded gem.

The one photo - of a bride looking back over her shoulder, alone in her garden, as if she is the loneliest person in the world, is one of my favorite from the trip. Hope you like the photos! Until next time.

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