Barcelona

This green space is the result of the urbanisation of what is popularly known as the Torrent de les Monges (Nuns’ Stream). The stream is named after the Sisters of the Sacred Heart Convent in Sarrià, which it runs through. It was once connected to the local stream system, flowing into the Riera Blanca.

The park has two spectacular attractions: the size and the height of its trees, particularly noticeable when you look down, thanks to the steep slopes and different levels.

Civil engineering work to drain and channel the rainwater, by naturalising the stream bed and turning it into a slalom-like walkway, has created a strong reminder of the water. The park is dedicated to the speaker of the Catalan Parliament between 1995 and 1999.

You start the route round at the highest point in the garden, through the Carrer del General Vives entrances, to observe the complex from a mirador shaded by a spectacular pine tree, one of a number of trees of local interest in Barcelona.

You can also enjoy a good panoramic view from the adapted access ramps that start from the Carrer Major de Sarrià entrance. From there you start your visit, walking downhill. The route takes you close to the retaining walls that are covered in ivy (Hedera helix) and bougainvilleas (Bougainvillea glabra) or a combination of Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and cats claw creeper (Macfadyena unguis-cati). Following the runoff channel, you can trace the Torrent de les Monges until it leaves the park on the lowest level, at the Carrer de Ramon Miquel i Planas exit. The central square contains a number of palm trees, some very tall (Phoenix canariensis, Washingtonia robusta and Washingtonia filifera).

The area surrounding it is landscaped with laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) and strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo). Close to the retaining walls you will see Mediterranean buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus), a large cheesewood (Pittosporum tobira) some very large Mediterranean dwarf palms (Chamaerops humilis) and Chusan palm (Trachycarpus fortunei). One of the park’s rarest specimens can be found nearby, namely a golden rain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata). Lower down, you will notice a pine tree that is very tall, as indeed almost all the trees you will see here are. All this vegetation was part of the natural environment and has been preserved just as it was. A Mediterranean dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis) grows inside an ornamental exposed-brick and ceramic-glaze flower pot decorated with floral motifs and shaped like a goblet.

This square is the heart and centre of the park. You will see a small depression of the flowerbed in the lower part marked with a sign. If it has been raining, you will very likely find water at this point. It is a drainage shaft, made and prepared for absorbing rainwater. As you leave the square you will also notice the rounded edge of the concrete path that marks out the route. It shows the limit of the stream bed, which you can walk along and down. Climber and creeper plants have already invaded this space and hide the gabion walls that bind the slopes. The park has a complete drainage system, underneath this vegetation, for channelling water away. Whenever there is heavy rain, water flows downwards with considerable momentum, picking up speed thanks to the pronounced slopes, and enters a system of gravelled trenches it is then filtered through.

You will see a remarkably large Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara) that is close to the Carrer de Ramon Miquel i Planes entrance.

The imposing slopes attest to the steep topographic relief of the land. From this lower level you will see the even more imposing pine trees that form a very small but compact wooded area dominated by an olive tree. If you stay still for a while, you will also be able to see groups of wood pigeons hopping between the understorey branches.

At this point you will pass under an old bridge that has been preserved. Immediately after this architectural vestige of the old convent, you will see some tall trees rising from large tree pits integrated into the concrete walkway.

Both the pedestrian area and the stream bed widen here. There are mounds of olive and mulberry trees above the stream bed, as well as a giant ombu. An equally gigantic black locust stretches over the path, with three privet bushes at its feet. A little bit further on, you will be greeted by oriental cherry trees (Prunus serrulata) and tipu trees (Tipuana tipu), invariably rising up from large circular tree pits. Continue walking down. You are now about to reach the end of the visible stream bed. The path towards the large wrought-iron drains is marked out by a row of poplars. There are alternating specimens of the two most common species in the city: white poplar (Populus alba) and black poplar (Populus nigra). The path here joins up with the walkway coming from the fourth entrance to the garden on Carrer de Ràfols, which is notable for its jacarandas (Jacaranda mimosifolia).