October 2015 Half Term

I have a love hate relationship with the kids' school half term breaks (See what we did for October 2014 half term).  I love the chance for a decent break before the usual Christmas & Easter times.  We get a chance to sleep in and stay up late.  It also provides for another opportunity to travel Europe.  When we stay in London, the best part is that I get to take my kids out into the city to experience the amazing things I see when they are in school.

There is one piece of half term that irks me - everyone else.

All of the schools in England (and possibly quite a large percentage of Europe) are off at the same time.  So that means the museums are beyond packed.  If you can book something in advance, you had better book it six months ahead because the Brits are planners.  Despite my annoyance with crowds, we try to cram in everything we possibly can.  This October, I let the kids help decide some of the itinerary.

Saturday: MC Escher exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery.  I've known his art for a long time, but I never knew it belonged to him!

Sunday: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - The autumn leaves are in their full glory, and we were happy to spend the day amongst them.  It's a UNESCO World Heritage site, too.    

Monday: Ai Weiwei exhibition - I left the kids home with Matt so I could see it.  Phenomenal show by a great artist.  There might also have been some walking in the city since the sun was shining.  We needed a top up of tea from Fortnum & Mason.  

Tuesday: Tower of London - My annual pass expired at the end of October, so we had to visit what we could one last time.  We brought one of Oldest Kiddo's friends along so that made for a really nice day.  The weather cooperated so much that everyone in England decided to go to the tower as well.  The Tower of London is another UNESCO World Heritage site.  Matt left for a week in America so I'll entertain the kids for the next seven days.  Wish me luck. 

Wednesday: Oldest Kiddo went for a sleep over at a friend's house in the afternoon.  I took Youngest Kiddo out for a dinner date to the ever exciting mall.  A little Five Guys & Cherry Vanilla fountain Coke makes me happy.  Some window shopping at Lego makes him happy.

   
Thursday: The day after a sleepover usually necessitates a rest day for her.  No one complained about watching movies in our jammies all afternoon.  A friend dropped her toddler off for a few hours while her older kiddos had swim lessons.  He was more than happy to play trains the whole time.  

Friday:  We had a big to do list to complete today to get ready for a few weekend birthday parties.  So we went back to the mall for lunch and a little shopping.  We barely made it home before the sun went down.  

Saturday: Halloween in London is super low-key.  Oldest had a birthday party in the morning and Youngest had one in the afternoon.  Then we all went out trick or treating with friends in the evening.  They received some interesting candy.  A few houses passed out marshmallows, single unwrapped marshmallows.  Ew.

Sunday: We had a full week to complete homework, but did we do it?  Heck no.  After pain au chocolat, the kids labored through their work.  When I say kids, I mean I played referee through each task because they could not have cared less about doing it.  As you can see from out the back window, there was nothing to see anyway. Pea soup out there, it was.

Next week is back to school for them (YAY!!), and I'm back to my real job - touring the city with some brunch mixed in for good measure.  

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.  

Amsterdam - Anne Frank House - Touring Tuesday

We had a very special tour prebooked (helpful touring tip!), The Anne Frank House.  Oldest Kiddo read a biography of Anne Frank last year so we knew she’d like it.  Her knowledge of Anne’s story ended about the time of their capture.  She knew they were taken to the concentration camp, but I know she didn’t have an understanding of what happened after their capture. 

Before we left for Amsterdam we had a heartfelt discussion about what she might see at the house.  I wanted her to be prepared if she saw photos or read anything about the Concentration Camps.  She understood what we told her, but she didn’t understand why people were treated that way.  That’s one question we could not answer.

The Anne Frank House is on an unassuming street along the canals.  The only indication was the line of people around the corner (please, please book your ticket in advance).  There are no words to describe what it felt like walking through the bookcase into The Annex.  We walked through all rooms.  There was no furniture, just artifacts on the wall.  We could see the growth lines on the wall showing the height of the children.  One particular spot that made my heart hurt was walking through Peter van Pel's bedroom.  It had a small staircase up to the attic that Anne would race to each morning to get the only fresh air she was allowed.  From her perch in the attic, she could see a small bit of the near by clock tower. 

When we returned to the street, my thoughts returned to the time with the Frank’s were in the annex.  The city did not stop when the Franks were in hiding.  People continued to go to work on the very sidewalk in front of the house.  Boats continued down the canal in front of the house.  

  

The tour did not show graphic scenes from the Concentration Camps.  One room had small televisions with some video playing, but Youngest Kiddo was my partner at this time and I did not get a good look.   However, I think if anything was shown it was quick.  The whole family took the tour, even Youngest Kiddo.  It was not the best place for a four-year-old boy that would rather be outside, but he made it through.

It’s a must go whilst in Amsterdam.