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.  

Stonehenge - Touring Tuesday

Our day trip to Stonehenge continued on after our picnic at Highclere Castle.   

I'm not sure about you, but I had some romantic ideas about Stonehenge.  I pictured the stone formations in the middle of a huge field surrounded by idyllic fields of grazing animals.  Well that's not exactly how Stonehenge is laid out.  As you can see, you can do a drive-by viewing from the road. 

Aside from the road bisection, Stonehenge is surrounded by the fields of grazing animals.

The visitor center for Stonehenge newly opened in January 2014, and it is a modern space.  The former visitor center used to be next to the rocks, and I appreciate that the new one is nestled at the bottom of a rolling hill and out of view from the rocks.  It is a mile and a half ride via the tram or your own feet to get up to the rocks.  The visitor center exhibition provides history and theory behind the rocks.   

Then we made it up to the rocks.

Wow.

Visitors are not allowed to walk among the stones as the composition of the dirt is heavily chalk based and therefore unstable for masses of people each day.  For a separate fee you can get up close to the stones.  Or you could be President Obama and just go among the rocks because you can.  

Oh and the clouds.  What a spectacular addition to the day.  

The Day We Ate Lunch At Downton Abbey - Touring Tuesday

The M25 is a motorway that rings the greater London area.  To some Londoners, the world does not exist outside of this road.  Up until August, we were content with touring within the border of the M25.  Partially because there was so much to see in London and because we don't own a car.  

Just before the kids went back to school we rented a car for a day trip to Stonehenge.  As you can see from the map below, it's way outside of the M25 ring.  I'm sure some were not sure if we'd ever return from the unknown.  Like good Brits we planned ahead and booked entry tickets for late afternoon to give us time to get lost or take any detours we chose.    

Matt rented a car from Heathrow which meant that's where he had to go to get the car.  It took a bit longer than expected because he had to travel on the Underground to Heathrow and then drive back to our house.  Lesson learned on that one.

As we crossed over the invisible M25 barrier, a sign caught my eye.  (I did not get a photo of the first one because I was slightly dumbfounded after reading it.)  Did that sign say Highclere Castle?  No, it can't be this close to us.  It is not the same Highclere Castle.  Or is it?  However the Rampant Cat seems intriguing, but that's for another time.  

A quick search confirmed that this was, in fact, the actual Highclere Castle.  It is home to Lady Mary, Anna & Mr. Bates, and the always overlooked Lady Edith.  We did not have tickets for the tour because all the online tickets were sold out, but a detour couldn't hurt.

Our effort was rewarded.

The parking lot was free, and we pulled in to take a few photos.  As we talked to the parking attendants they told us that it was a slow day at the castle and walk up tickets were available.  Unfortunately our timed admission to Stonehenge kept us from going in.  Fortunately for a small admission, the family could walk in the gardens of Highclere Castle, and we could bring our picnic!

I know that the rest of the family did not care if we ate lunch at the castle, but there was no way I was leaving without getting somewhat close.  We grabbed our gear and plunked down in the middle of the lawn.  Whether or not you watch Downton Abbey, the gardens of Highclere Castle are amazing.  

The gong rang to tell us it was time to leave for Stonehenge, but that did not stop me from taking a few sneaky photos through the window.   

Summer Holidays Part 2 - Barcelona - Touring Tuesday

After a quiet night in the hotel, we rolled our suitcases to the metro for a ride to our apartment in the heart of Barcelona's touristy area, La Rambla.  Our apartment was smack in the middle of it, and I think it was the best choice for our family.

La Rambla is a pedestrian friendly strip of walkway paralleled by a street on each side.  The street is jammed at almost every hour of the day.  The area is filled with fountains, souvenir stands, street vendors, a few pickpockets, beautiful buildings, and lots and lots of Go Pro cameras.  

The city's busy open air market, La Boqueria, was directly across the street.  It was significantly busier than the market in Lisbon.  So busy to the point that it was not fun to walk through.  The number of people taking photos in the market far outnumbered the shoppers.    

Barcelona began to show off once we ventured off La Rambla.  

A Pause In the Summer Holiday - Touring Tuesday

After a few days in Lisbon, we jumped a quick flight to Barcelona.  Unlike our trip up the hill in Lisbon, we had an easy trip into Barcelona thanks to the airport shuttle.  Our first night was spent at a hotel in downtown Barcelona. 

 The kids were thrilled to swim and have little downtime from all that walking.  It was a bit too chilly for Matt and I to don our swim gear, but the kids did not care.

Like the civilized children they are, they had a quick game of chess before dinner.  

We could already see a difference between Lisbon & Barcelona just from the view in our hotel room.  We had no idea what was waiting for us tomorrow.  

Mercado da Ribeira - Touring Tuesday

In the European cities we've visited, there is always an open-air market.  The stalls sell everything someone would need for their dinner: fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, olives, oils, and spices to name a few.  There are also many flower stalls because every dinner table needs some decoration.  

Lisbon's Mercado da Ribeira has been running near the waterfront since the late 1800's.  Although time moved forward, the market stayed the same.  That is until 2010 when the Lisbon City Council asked for private bids to manage the storied market.  The Lisbon branch of Time Out magazine won the bid and transformed part of the market.  The new space opened in May 2014, and it is spectacular.  The main market stalls still sell fresh items

The new modern side is transformed it into a hipster food court.  We visited early in the day while the restaurants were just opening for the day so we did not partake in any of the food.  My rudimentary translation of the Portuguese menus indicated there were no kids meals. I'm sure these tables are jammed with tapas, wine, Ibérico ham, and a lot of laughter.  

Unfortunately for this guy, he probably won't have any fun once the dinner crowd shows up.

Kudos to the folks at Time Out Lisbon for honoring the history of the market and updating it for today's needs.