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.  

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.  

Where To Lay Your Head on Holiday - Touring Tuesday

On previous holidays we stayed in hotels because Matt had oodles & oodles of hotel points that made our stays cheap or even free.  Now that the points are gone, we decided to rent apartments on our trip to Lisbon & Barcelona.  

It was the best thing we ever did.

Renting an apartment afforded us the opportunity to choose exactly where we wanted to stay.  We could be out of the city center or right in the middle of the action.  We had a kitchen to have breakfast each morning and even made a few dinners.  On the days we spent a little too much time together, we appreciated the space in the apartment have our own space.  I say that with the most love and adoration for my family possible.  

The apartment in Lisbon was nestled in a neighborhood just two streets from the busy restaurants of the Barrio Alto.  The kids slept on the pull out sofa, which was actually more comfortable than I anticipated.  It had sliding doors that we used to separate our bed from the kids at night.  The apartment building had a shared garden in the back and an amazing view from the Juliet balcony.   

In Barcelona, our apartment was in the heart of the action in La Rambla and right across the street from La Boqueria Market.  This apartment did not have a separate room between adults and the kids, but that was not a huge problem as the kids were exhausted at the end of the night.  This apartment had a washing machine, which we made use of so we didn't have to pack as many clothes for our carry-on suitcases.

Be an informed consumer when booking an apartment.  Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Be picky about your location and think about what you want to get out of your vacation.  Your goal might be to relax in the peace of the country.  That choice might limit your access to cafes and markets.  Small towns might close up shop on certain days of the week (Sunday is typical).  Or as in the case of some European cities, shopkeepers head to the beach for the month of August.  If you plan ahead to do a big grocery run you will be fine.  Alternately, staying in the heart of the city can be loud until the wee hours of the morning.  Check out reviews of the apartment as former guests will leave comments about the noise.
• Check the description to ensure the apartment comes equipped with basic kitchen tools if you plan to do some cooking.  Typically you'll get pots, pans, silverware, and dishes.  We lucked out in both apartments with a Nespresso machine.  Don't expect to cook a huge Sunday roast on the two burner stove, but you can certainly get by with a basic meal. 
• The apartment might provide small amounts of dish soap, dishwasher tablets, and dishtowels.  I like to pick up a small package of napkins and paper towels at the grocery store, too.
• You will not get daily replenishment of shampoo, body wash, or fresh towels as you would in a hotel.  Each apartment has a cleaning schedule, which is usually every three days.
• If you purchase toiletries at your destination, be aware of the bottle size.  Airlines restrict bottle sizes to 100ml if you plan to fly with them beyond your apartment stay.
• Be sure to bring a few reusable grocery bags along as the shops will charge you a few cents/pence/crowns/yen for bags.

Enjoy your apartment rental, you will get to live like the locals!

#our41daysofsummer

Our first summer in London, affectionately known as #our41daysofsummer, is over.  The kids went back to school on September 2.  They were both so happy to play with their friends again.  It was surreal how everyone seemed to scatter across the continent the moment school let out.  On a personal note, I was thrilled to see their friends' parents again to catch up on the summer.  I sure missed spending leisurely mornings with them at the coffee shops.  

Our summer was only 41 days compared to the 79 days our American compadres scored (but who is counting).  No one can tell us we didn't try to squeeze 79 days worth of fun into our 41 days.

Sometimes our fun was in London

Other times it was outside of the city

For just a bit more fun, we took trip to Lisbon & Barcelona

And then there were just some days we had to be home

We made many memories during #our41daysofsummer.  Now it's back to real life and plan the next trip!