Colonia Güell and Masia Freixa in a 1 day trip from Barcelona. Travel with kids story.
In one of the Easter Bank Holidays we went with my sister and all 3 kids to explore new places that are close to Barcelona. There was some time I wanted to visited this places, but somehow there were always a reason to skip the trip.
Colonia Guell
Colonia Guell was our first stop, you can find it in the town of Santa Coloma de Cervello, 23 Km to the south-west of Barcelona. This place is one of Unesco World Heritage Site.
A little bit of history we found about the place. Eusebi Guell, in 1890s had to move his textile mill to Santa Coloma de Cervello. And to improve the workers´ quality of life he asked Antonio Gaudi to design the church. Nowadays, the church is known as a crypt. This crypt includes catenary arches, outer walls and vaults in the shape of hyperbolic parabolas, decorative broken mosaic tiling, known as “trencadís”, and the integration of materials into their natural surroundings.
The village is small enough and in only 1 hour you can see it all. It is true, that apart of the crypt and museum there are not so many things to see. But look at this beauty, don´t you think it is worthy to be visited?
Of course, that our visit cannot be complete if we would not stay at a playground, where kids really enjoyed themselves.
Masia Freixa, Terrassa
Masia Freixa was our second stop during that day. You can find this masterpiece in the Parc de Sant Jordi, a short walk from Terrassa Rambla. Originally it was designed as a textile factory in 1896, between 1907 and 1910 the building was converted into the family residence of the industrialist Josep Freixa. The reform was led by the modernist architect Lluís Muncunill i Parellada. The building has a structure of arches and vaults in the style of Antoni Gaudí.
The Parc Sant Jordi is very big, green and of course has a playground. All the rest of the day we stayed there, enjoyed the quietness of the place. It was amazing, that at certain time, we were alone in the park. And it is so cool to feel that you have such a beautiful parc for yourself.
Conclusion.
Both places require a short time, maybe as much as 1h each, and as well getting from one place to another is another 1h. We enjoyed, but if you are short of time during your travels, is not the best way to spend your day while in Barcelona. It is really up to you, if you really want to visit those.