La Sagrada Familia - Touring Tuesday

One of the highlights of our summer holiday to Barcelona was a visit to the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia.  I can say with absolute certainty that this is one of my top five places I've visited in my life.  If there is one attraction that you must prebook, this is certainly it.  The line for walk up tickets snaked around the building; it's probably not ideal when the Barcelona sun in shining down.  We did not prebook our tickets before leaving home, but our hotelier graciously booked our tickets with two days advanced planing.

Francisco de Paula Villar began work on the building on 1882, and it started out as what I would describe as a typical looking European church.  The original plans showed a neo-Gothic building with many spires and a tall bell tower.  However, just a year into construction Francisco bowed out of the project over disagreements with the man who originally developed the idea for the church, Joseph Maria Bocabella.   

The talented architect Antoni Gaudí took over the project in 1883, and it became his life's work until his death in 1926 (43 years!).  The design of the building changed dramatically from Francisco's original plan.  The building was not complete when Gaudí died; Sagrada Familia is still under construction today.  Yes, that's over 130 years.  The current timeline indicates that 2026 is the target for completion.

I was unsure if it was proper to refer to Sagrada Familia as a church or basilica, so some research on the internet set me straight.  Which has to be true since I found it on the internet.  All kidding aside, Sagrada Familia could be called a basilica when Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the building in November 2010, which means the daily mass can commence.  La Sagadra Familia is beyond words inside and out.  I purchased a book in the gift shop because I knew there was no way we'd see everything there was to see, nor understand all of the symbolism in the architecture.  Much of the information I share today is from that guidebook.  

The outside has three distinct façades: Nativity, Passion, and Glory.  The Nativity façade depicts the early years of Jesus Christ's life.  It is further broken into three porticos called charity, hope, and faith.  The carvings on this façade were what we first saw upon entering the grounds.  It had a calming aura that encouraged us to take the time to see all of the impressive living things and symbols.

The Passion façade had a much different feeling.  Gaudí indicated this façade should scare the viewer as it depicted the last days of Jesus Christ's life.  The twelve carvings on this side of the building show Jesus's life from The Last Supper to the Resurrection, also known as the Stations of the Cross.  The bronze doors on the Passion façade measure up to six meters tall.  The raised letters depict gospel texts of the last days of the life of Jesus Christ.

The Glory façade will be the main entrance upon completion of the basilica.  It is still under construction so we did not even know it was there.  Information indicates that the theme for this façade will represent the rise to heaven or descent into hell. 

 

That's just the outside dear readers.  

Once we walked inside, I felt like I was floating.  The gorgeous Barcelona sun flooded the room with every color of the rainbow.  I had no problem sitting in the central nave to stare at the beauty.

The inside is filled with five naves and a high altar.  The  symbolism in all of the architectural designs would take weeks to share with you here.  Most notable in the central nave is that Gaudí designed the supporting beams to resemble trees, which drew our eyes up to the ceiling.

I made note while sitting in the central nave at how many people were touring the basilica at the same time.  However, by the calmness inside you would not know it.  I suppose we were all a bit mesmerized.  

Not For The Squeamish

Back in the fall there was a story in the papers about an increase in the number of gigantic spiders seen around London.  The kids and I came across many of these spiders on our walks to school and even in our own backyard as you can see in the photo below.  Isn't that an impressive web?

Once I read the stories about the spiders, I was on the hunt for spider repellent.  All I could find in the shops was non-harmful deterrent spray.  What?!  I didn't want to deter the arachnids, I wanted them d-e-a-d.  Full stop.  Yes, yes spiders are a part of the food chain, and extermination of this species would have a devastating impact on the world.  But for goodness sakes look at the size of them!

So, I bought the all-natural spray and immediately sprayed every window opening or vent the little buggers could possibly use to gain entry to The Manor.  I felt better knowing that the spiders would walk on by our house for another that was not protected.

I was wrong.

One night after I put the kids to bed (and Matt was out of town), I saw something out the corner of my eye.  At first I thought it was a mouse, but after I jumped I saw this nasty beast in the middle of my kitchen.  

Thank the heavens that this bowl was within easy reach to capture this beast.  Once I captured it, I was not sure what to do next.  No way in hell did I plan to squash it.  Blech, that would be a gooey mess.  Instead I grabbed a piece of cardstock which I slid under the bowl.  That did not make it happy.  It started running and jumping off the sides.  Once it calmed down, I called to Oldest Kiddo out of bed for some help.  She opened the front door and I walked into the street and threw the bowl and paper.  I watched it scurry into the storm drain while I gathered my household goods.  

Both kids were now wide awake during this excitement, and they were as thrilled as I that it was gone.  In the end we could all sleep well knowing it was back outside where it belonged.

This is not the only time we've been visited by one of these buggers.  Three in total (that we know of!) have made visits to The Manor.  The last two only made it as far as the conservatory before capture & release back to nature.  Once the blasted rain stops I shall make another round of the all-natural spray.  

Papa's Shadow

Youngest Kiddo and my dad go together like peas and carrots.  The boys are great partners.  Youngest Kiddo is an eager helper, and my dad is a patient teacher.  It's pretty much a guarantee that if you can't find the boy, he's hanging out with my dad.  

When dad works on a project, Youngest Kiddo grabs his tool belt, safety goggles, and speed square.  Dad always gives him a job to do, and Youngest Kiddo takes it very seriously.  The boy is an expert at holding screws and shining the flashlight.  

While dad's garage (aka the laboratory) was being built, Youngest Kiddo had a blast hammering nails into scraps of wood and measuring everything in sight. 

   

When the work is done, the boys have no problem relaxing.

Peas and carrots

Weekend in Stockholm Day 2- Touring Tuesday

After Saturday's epic walking adventure, we were pretty tired on Sunday morning.  Of course not too tired to partake in breakfast.  Once we were fueled up on carbs & coffee, we were back out on the street.  The goal for our day was to visit the Vasa Museum, which was a thirty minute walk along the waterways of Stockholm.    

The Vasa Museum is all about a boat - a seriously impressive boat.  The story goes that King Gustav Adolf commissioned the building of four boats.  Hundreds of men work tirelessly for almost two years to build the first one, and everyone turned out to watch the launch of the ship in August 1628.  

The ship was delivered with 68 cannons and over one thousand trees were used on the hull alone.  It was a celebratory affair with families and friends of some of the craftsmen on board for the maiden voyage.  

As the ship was on her way out of Stockholm Harbor the supporting cables from shore were released.  To everyone's surprise the ship started to list (tip!).  Water entered the gun portholes and the darn thing sank!  It only ventured approximately 1300 meters (about 4000 feet).  It is stated that around 30 people died on the ship.  

Obviously the Swedes wanted to find out what caused the disaster.  The final verdict was that the lower hull of the ship was too small to compensate for the weight on the top; the ship had two levels of gun portholes which proved to be too much for the vessel. 

The next part of the story is quite unheard of - they forgot about the ship for the next few hundred years.  I'm sure it wasn't forgotten accidentally; the King's inner circle probably made sure no one spoke of it to avoid embarrassment for him.  Explorers attempted to locate the ship over the years, but it wasn't until 1956 that two men found the wreckage.  An immense effort was taken to release the ship from many years of silt, and it wasn't until 1961 that the team successfully reunited the ship with land.    

The brackish water where the ship rested for hundreds of years preserved it so well that only 5% of the ship's structure had to be replaced.  The overall lighting in the museum was low, I suspect, to protect the ship.  In person the detailed carvings on the ship is astonishing.

We continued to walk during our final hours in Stockholm.  It just so happens we ended up over by the cafe where Matt had his soup bowl of coffee the previous day.  I'd had my eye on the Prinsesstårta, and it did not disappoint.

I'd been pining for a piece of this cake after it was on The Great British Bake Off.  If you can get the You Tube video below to load, skip forward to the 22 minute mark to hear the master Mary Berry explain the cake.  

After that calorie-free snack we slowly made our way back to the airport for our trip back home.  

Did we see all there was to see in Stockholm?  Not a chance.  Warmer weather is definitely the time to see this country, unless you fancy time on the ski slopes.  Our short weekend in Scandinavia certainly gave us a taste for this region.  

The best part about our flight home?  We walked in just in time for the latest episode of Downton Abbey!

A4 Update - January 2015

Happy 2015!

It took us longer than expected to get over the jet lag from our Christmas trip to 'Merica.  Matt had quite a difficult time as he had to return to NYC less than a week after returning from Christmas.   

Oldest Kiddo performed a short singing solo in her class assembly.  She was nervous, but she sang beautifully.  

Youngest Kiddo signed up for two clubs this term.  He is still in football (soccer in 'Merica) and chose Spanish Club.  Oldest Kiddo did not like any of the offerings this term so we spend the time without her brother at a cafe up on the High Road.  

I quit my job.

Matt was on a roll last weekend and booked the family in for a few trips.  If our time is up in December then we must use every term break for travel!  You'll be shocked with one of travel destinations.  Stay tuned!

We got snow!!!  Well, it was really sleet that accumulated on our patio table.   I caught a little video of the snow the next day.  So happy it did not stick around.  

The good news about the end of January?  The amount of daylight we receive in London increases dramatically.  That's good news since waking the kids up for school is no fun right now.  

Weekend in Stockholm - Touring Tuesday

Matt and I went to Stockholm for the weekend in early October.  It was the perfect chance for a get away because my mom was still in London for a visit.  We got out of town and she got quality time with the Kiddos before she flew back to 'Merica.

Our weekend started off with a flight out of City Airport.  I've never flown out of City, and when we got through security I immediately figured out why.  City Airport caters to business people with flights on smaller planes to major financial destinations.  Neither one of us had ever traveled to Scandinavia so we were pumped for the weekend.

We arrived long after sundown so our first glimpse of the city had to wait until morning.  Well, maybe wait until after breakfast.  If there is one thing I can say, the Swedes know how to put on a breakfast spread. The single photo was all I took for two reasons - I was starving and it was packed!

  

Just imagine tables lined with pastries, sausages, eggs, lunch meats, cheese, cheese, cheese, and the most interesting tubes of squeezy fish pastes.  I passed on the fish although it's a traditional Scandinavian food.  After breakfast, we finally got out into the city.  Oh my goodness was it worth the wait.  

We had no destination in mind for our walk, but we covered a lot of ground.  

Stockholm City Hall was across the narrow waterway from our hotel.  The building was closed at the weekends, but the outer architecture was beautiful on the sunny morning. 

The remainder of our morning was spent meandering the streets of Stockholm.  The cathedrals were beyond gorgeous.

The Riddarholm Church

In between cathedrals we stopped for lunch.  One guess what I ate.

The highlight of my day was a tour of the Royal Palace.  Act surprised.  I have to say, the Swedish Royal Family is one beautiful group of people.  Please follow the link to see them.  If we lived in Sweden I would carefully keep tabs on their lives as I tend to of William & Catherine.    

Photos were not allowed inside the palace.  We were surprised to see that pointing and ice cream were also prohibited.  

We needed some refueling after walking the halls of the Royal Palace.  Thankfully the most adorable cafe was nearby.  Matt tried to explain to the barista the recipe for a flat white coffee. Imagine the sheepish look he gave me when his drink arrived in a soup bowl.  I guess a double shot of espresso meant a double dose of milk, too.  The apfel strudel was phenomenal.      

The break gave our feet just enough of a rest to get back to our hotel.  Along the way we stumbled upon a small cemetery in the garden of the Adolf Fredrik Church.  The arrangement and style of the headstones and markers kept us engaged longer than I expected.  

  

As you can see the fonts on the headstones are beautiful.  We talked about so many of the people who rested here and speculated about their lives.  There were couples that lived long lives together and those that lost a partner early in life.  The families that lost children at very young ages, of course, were sad to see.  We were very pleased that we found this gem in the city.  

Our feet told us it was time to call it a day.  Overall, we walked an impressive distance across Stockholm.  We had a few hours to spend in the city on Sunday before our flight back to London.