Romantic Ramblings: Parc del Laberint d’Horta

Last weekend in Barcelona, I made my way through Parc del Laberint d’Horta, nestled up in the hills next to one of the University of Barcelona campuses.

After several visits to Barcelona, where I’ve already seen most of the popular sights, it’s nice to find places that are just peaceful, where you can enjoy a walk and some musicians playing the Spanish guitar without worrying about pickpockets or giant tour groups. Seeing the labyrinth in the park made me think about David Bowie, but wandering through the tranquil gardens in the last light of day made me think of  Octavio Paz:

“Ser uno mismo es, siempre, llegar a ser ese otro que somos y que llevamos escondido en nuestro interior, más que nada como promesa o posibilidad de ser.”

To be yourself is, always, to arrive at being the other which we are and which we carry hidden in our minds, more than anything as a promise or possibility of being.

Of course, Octavio Paz is Mexican, but I feel like Catalonians and Mexicans share a mutual hatred of Spain, so maybe they are not so different.

Parc del Laberint is located just up the hill from the Mundet metro station, almost at the Trinitat Nova end of the L3. Admission is 2.23€, which is a strangely specific yet perfectly reasonable amount.