La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia (or the Basilica of the Holy Family) is a spectacular unfinished Catholic cathedral in Barcelona begun by Antoni Gaudi in 1882. This building is his masterpiece and it shows off splendidly his Art Nouveau architecture style. He worked on the cathedral until his death in 1926, but it is still a work in progress. It is anticipated to be completed by 2030.

This cathedral is a complete original -- it is so detail-oriented and intricate, but also very modern. It is a very different take on a cathderal than the typical European cathedral. By design, everything you see means something. Gaudi put in an insane amount of time and energy into making every detail of the cathedral have meaning.

His general goal was to tell the story of the life of Jesus and the history of the Catholic faith. The 3 main facades of the church show the birth of Jesus, his death and resurrection and the place of man within the natural order. One example of the great details here are the turtles at the bottoms of the columns. They symbolize the stability of the cosmos -- the one closer to the sea is a sea turtle and the one close to the mountains is a land tortoise. Even the gargoyles in La Sagrada Familia are unique -- they look like they are not guarding the cathedral but rather escaping from it. They actually look like the little lizards in our neighborhood that scurry away every time we walk down the street. Clearly that was Gaudi's inspiration...You will also see a cipher on the wall which is very familiar to fans of "Lost." They actually contain Hurley's "numbers" -- spooky, right?!?

The inside is just as stunning as the outside. Again, it looks no other cathedral you have ever seen. There are numerous gorgeous, modern stain glass windows. There are going to be 4 large organs -- one at each end of the cathedral. Around the entire perimeter is a balcony where the choir will stand. It has been created to maximize the sound inside, which means that a concert there should be out of this world.

TIP: I am not always a fan of audio guides, but take the audio tour here. It was both interesting and not overly long.

If you find yourself in Barcelona, your trip would not be complete without discovering the wonder that is the Sagrada Familia.

La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona, Spain

www.sagradafamilia.cat

Telephone: +34 932 073 031

E-mail: informacio@sagradafamilia.org

Brief Hiatus

The blog will be taking a brief hiatus for the next two weeks while I travel with my hubby to Spain. We will be visiting Madrid, Barcelona and Seville. I hope to come back with many new ideas for blog posts based on these travels.

Westminster Abbey

 

So, I, like many other women around the world (and the men who love them) watched Prince William marry Kate Middleton in Westminster Abbey last Friday. It was a magical event that I am sure made millions of little girls want to be princesses. It also reminded me what a magical place Westminster Abbey is.

As anyone who watched the Royal Wedding knows, Westminster Abbey is located in the heart of London near Big Ben and Parliament. It was built in 1245, though it had been a place of worship since 960. It has been the site of the coronation of the British royalty since 1066 and is the final resting place for 17 monarchs. You can still see the Medieval coronation throne there. There have also been many other royal weddings in Westminster besides Wills and Kate's, including Prince Andrew and Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson's. Many funeral services have taken place here, including, most famously Princess Diana's. It is one of the most famous examples of Gothic architecture in the world and contains numerous examples of Medieval art and architecture.

Besides royals, many other famous Brits have also been buried or commemorated in Westminster including Jane Austen, William Blake, Robert Browning, Lewis Carroll, Geoffrey Chaucer, Sir Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, and Henry James. Most of these memorials are in "Poet's Corner" which is like mecca for us English majors. When you walk around Westminster, it is stunning how many famous names you see memorialized there. It is basically a museum of English history!

What is also stunning about Westminster is its size. It is huge and it sits in the middle of a major city. It is pretty amazing.

TIP: Westminster Abbey is closed on Sunday for visitors like many churches, so plan your visit accordingly.

Westminster Abbey is a must-visit in London whether you are an architecture buff, historian or wanna-be princess.

The Chapter Office Westminster Abbey

20 Deans Yard London SW1P 3PA UK

+44(0)20 7222 5152

www.westminster-abbey.org