Güell Pavilions dragon gate, Barcelona

The wrought-iron dragon gate of the Güell Pavilions on Avinguda de Pedralbes, built between 1884 and 1887 as the entrance lodges to Eusebi Güell's summer estate. The dragon is Ladon, guardian of the Garden of the Hesperides, taken from Jacint Verdaguer's epic poem L'Atlàntida. Look at its open jaws and the spiky coils of its body, then at the patterned brick and tile of the lodges on either side. The gate can be seen from the street at any hour, which makes it an easy stop on the way to Pedralbes.