Barcelona - La Sagrada Familia

Post #3 of my 24 hours in Barcelona. You can find the other two posts here: Park Guell and Incoming! 

La Sagrada Familia was begun in 1882, and is still under construction today. It's expected to be finished in the next 15 or so years.

There are three facades to La Sagrada Familia: The Nativity Facade, Passion Facade and Glory Facade. Glory is the one that is still under construction.

Our visit began with The Nativity Facade, and it's 4 towers.

As you may have guessed from the name (cuz I know my readers are smart like that!), The Nativity Facade depicts the details of the Birth of Christ. Click on the pic to enlarge it and see more of the details. 

The Nativity Facade was the first to be built, and was directly overseen by Antonio Gaudi. It faces the east and the rising sun, further symbolizing the birth of Christ.

Then we walked past the under-construction Glory Facade - not much to see or photograph unfortunately, just the peeks of these towers topped with colorful fruit on the left.

This will be the main entrance to the basilica. It will have a grand staircase and it will go over the existing road with a tunnel. The tunnel will represent purgatory.

Interesting factoid (because I'm full of them...): they will have to knock down several apartment buildings to finish the facade. Apparently when the apartments were built, they told them they could live in them for 90 years (the original finish date was projected to be 1980ish), but then they would be knocked down. So they've gotten an extra 30 years...not a bad deal!

We rounded the block to view The Passion Facade. In contrast to the highly decorated Nativity Facade, it is austere. The 6 pillars are meant to resemble sequoias. Here you see 4 more towers as well.

This facade depicts the 12 stations of the cross. From the last supper to the betrayal by Judas, to Christ carrying the cross through the streets. 

This is the center, the lower portion shows the trial, with roman soldiers, and then the carrying of the cross. The upper portion is of course the crucifixion. 

Here's the detail of the crucifixion portion - the way the cross is horizontal vs. vertical, and the position of the body (leaning forward) is really striking. Above Christ is the representation of the torn veil in the temple. The crying women are depicted, as well as a figure on the left who doesn't belong - that would be Gaudi himself. 

The Passion facade faces west and the setting sun. 

The bronze figure representing the resurrection of Christ sits between the towers

When finished, La Sagrada Familia will have a total of 18 towers which will represent the 12 disciples, the 4 gospels, Mary and Jesus.


The construction of the basilica is 100% funded by donations, hence the uber-long construction. Even so, today's construction very much follows the original design of Antonio Gaudi.

Amazing and beautiful.

Barcelona 5/14 - Park Guell

After inhaling as much coffee as I possibly could in 15 minutes, we headed back downstairs to meet up with our group and set out for our city tour of Barcelona. 


Marta was our tour guide, and our day started out at Park Guell. The Park is part of UNESCO World Heritage Site "The Works of Antonio Gaudi". The park was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site, the idea of Count Eusebi Güell, whom the park was named after. It was inspired by the English garden city movement. 

Only 1 plot was ever sold in Park Guell, and it was purchased by Gaudi's lawyer (no pressure, right??!). The failed development is now a municipal park. 

Here we are in front of the big marketplace: 

And a wider shot of the whole market

And yes, we climbed the stairs all the way to the very top. The view was totally worth the climb. 

The idea of the park was to blend nature with the construction, so that the park blended in with the hillside. This "tunnel" is one example of a shaded area:

And this is the other side of the above corridor

This is the top of the marketplace, looking up the hill to the only plot that sold in the development (the lawyer's house). 

These are the two buildings are at the front entrance of the park. One was the caretaker's home, and the other was Gaudi's studio. And a beautiful view of Barcelona in the background. 

The market

The mosaic tile work is found all over the park: 

Even the ceiling of the market

There's a bench that runs around the top of the market - all mosaic tile. It's shaped so that it protrudes right into the small of your back, making it VERY comfortable (for a stone bench). 

This window had an intriguing combination of tile and iron work, it's bowed out, making it even more intricate. 

They were doing a photo shoot with this ballerina in the market, and I snapped my own pic

I loved Park Guell, and would have loved to have had  more time (and energy!) to explore it. But it was time to move on to our next stop - La Sagrada Familia. Stay tuned! 

Barcelona - 5/14

Day 1 was really just travel - DFW to JFK (for me), MCO to JFK (for mom), then JFK to BCN.

Except, we almost missed our flight to BCN, and it was totally my fault.

Our flights to JFK were landing right about the same time. Neither of us had been to JFK, or knew what to expect. All I could tell was that our expected gates were close together - WHEW!!

So as my flight approached JFK, I listened carefully as they announced connecting flights. Hopped off the plane and headed off to the gate they told me.

There I waited for my mom to find me, munching on a salad and some fruit (hey, one last chance to eat somewhat healthy before I gorged in Italy! don't judge).

Except, no mom.

I ate. I waited. I called. I texted her. I ate some more.

Still no mom.

I checked for her in-bound flight, and it actually arrived BEFORE mine.

So where was she??

Yeah. You guessed it. She was at the OTHER gate for our actual Barcelona flight. I was at the wrong gate...

We boarded, got settled into our seats, and endured the crossing.

After a decent meal, restless naps, a movie or two (Rent, The Tourist and Shrek), we caught the first rays of the sun rising through the clouds

And then we saw Barcelona - a city spread by the Mediterranean Sea, backed by mountains.

Oh yeah. I'm ready!!

We breezed through immigration, and found our bags waiting for us. I tell ya - DFW has a lot to learn from Spain!

After a game of charades with our taxi driver, finally being saved by my iPod/email, we arrived at our hotel: Hotel Continental Barcelona.

aka the hotel where pink threw up.

Now, I knew full well everything in these hotels rooms were pink. Friends had stayed her before, and I had browsed Trip Advisor before our trip.

What I didn't expect was the plastic furniture. Disclaimer: I borrowed these from tripadvisor.com - they are NOT from our exact room.

So see that plastic "dresser"? yeah..that's it.

and see those pink chairs? Lift up the covers..and plastic! the kind you'd put out on your patio (if you're cheap). (again, not our actual room..but you get the idea)

Now, if you know me at all, you know that pink is simply NOT my thing. That said, the hotel was comfortable, clean, and we had no complaints.

And the hotel is located right in the heart of the old historical part of the city, on Las Ramblas. I've never seen so many people - day and night - in the street.

But I'm getting ahead of myself - we didn't actually get to check into our room when we arrived. It was 8:30am after all. And our tour of the city was meeting at 8:45.

That meant a quick swill of some coffee, a light freshen up in the restroom, and we were off to start our adventure.

Stay tuned for more of Barcelona!

So..yeah..and bonjourno!

It's been a whole month since I blogged. An awful lot has happened in that month. Fortunately, most of it hasn't been awful.

It's been - well wonderful. 10 days of it anyway. The other 20 days were fair to middlin. I'll take that, yanno?

About those 10 days.. I'll be flooding the blog with more detailed posts. I just wanted to get a teaser posted. It's mostly to motivate me to post, and you to read.

Yes, I have posted most of my pics on FB (as of today, I still need to edit the 400ish pics of --well I'll tell ya later). But here is where you'll find my favorites, and the stories that go with them.

10 Days.
3 Countries.
1 Very Pink Hotel Room.
1 Quaint B&B (with a hall bath).
1 Rather large cruise ship.
Me & my mom.
Dream.Trip.

First there was Barcelona (la Sagrada Familia)




We boarded the ship in Barcelona.

The next day we woke up in Provence, France (Toulon).

The day after that we visited Pisa (Italy!)

and Florence (uhm, Italy)

The day after that, it was Rome.

And the day after THAT... Sicily.

Then finally...our day at sea. I slept that day - almost all day. And no pictures either. I needed to save my energy for the last two days...

...in Venice!

and yes, I still have about 400 pics of Venice to edit. The other 800ish pics are already posted on FB.

Are you dying yet?? I still can't believe I had the opportunity to see the places we saw, and do the things we did. I hope you'll enjoy the upcoming blog posts with me, as I do my best to recount my trip.

Grazie!

(and enjoy your new day!)

The Man in Black

Alternate title: Not to be confused with "Men in Black"

Johnny Cash's music is rattling around in my head.

"I hear the train a comin'
It's rollin' 'round the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine,
Since, I don't know when,
I'm stuck in Folsom Prison,
And time keeps draggin' on,
But that train keeps a-rollin',
On down to San Antone."

I don't usually read too much into my random thoughts, especially when songs get stuck in my head. 
Let's face it - music get stuck in my head way too often for me to have really deep thoughts about it. 
This time is different. I think. 
I'm not really sure if it's the "train a comin'" part that I'm concerned about, or the "I'm stuck in Folsom Prison" line that I'm whining about. 


Concern? 

Whine?


Erm, I'm going with Concern. Yeah. Uh huh. Concern tinged with excitement.


Why? 

I leave for Barcelona a mere 2 weeks from Friday. Yes really! 


I'm so excited, I'm ready to start packing my bags. Or at least maybe making a list of what I'm going to pack. Yes, a list is a grand idea. I wonder what I'm going to forget on this trip - Allie's law, I always forget something. 


I hope it isn't deodorant (not that it'd make a difference in Europe, they don't believe in that stuff). Heaven forbid UBS (undies, bras and socks - thank a college roommate for that acronym!). I'm sure I'll have extra UBS, just because I'm a wee bit paranoid about running out of the "U" part of that. 


While I go make my list, take a look at the finished shadow box which was a gift for my Canadian friend, Erin.  

I love the way it turned out! I sent it to her in honor of her 2nd Wedding Anniversary, and while it isn't exactly cotton, I hope she'll treasure it. 


Back to the list. Passport (check), Euros (check), iPod (check), camera (check), extra memory card (check), power converter/adapter (check) - well you get the idea. It's endless. How the heck am I supposed to fit 10 days worth of crap stuff into 1 large suitcase and 1 rollerboard?? 


I'm not known for being a light packer either. "kitchen sink" is often muttered in reference to my luggage. Heaven forbid I forget any clothing - the anorexics in Europe don't make fat girl clothes. 


Bottom line - I can't forget ANYTHING. Thus, I must have a list. 


"I fell in to a burning ring of fire.
I went down, down, down
and the flames went higher. 
It burns, burns burns, this ring of fire.
Ring of fire."


I'll let you read what you want into that particular song. 


Enjoy your new day!! 

Random

I feel like blogging. Hope you feel like reading!

And no, I don't really have a topic in mind. I think that's why I'm not out there ballin like Roo at NiceGirlNotes or trying to make a living off my blog with my etsy shop or e-tail store. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with wanting to do that. I'm just saying that's not my purpose for being here. Noone would buy my crap anyway!

I'm just here sharing things that happen in my life, products I like (but of course am not receiving any compensation for endorsing - seriously? who would pay me?!), pictures I take, and thoughts I have.

Tonight's one of those "thoughts I have" sort of nights. Ready? OK!

1. Pugs are hilarious critters. Mine crack me up on a daily basis. Each of them have their own personality and quirks. Jessie is my worry wart (and the new alpha in our pack). Bello is the clown/squirrel chaser (notice I didn't say catcher!). Audrey is a diva. I love them to bits.

2. I really don't care about the NBA playoffs. Even though the local team from Dallas is playing. ZZzzzzzz!

3. My BF on the other hand, cares very much about the playoffs. His team (from NY) is also playing.

4. Neither team has a chance at winning the whole thing. But we're watching the playoffs anyway.

5. I leave for Barcelona 3 weeks from tomorrow. Ole!

6. I'm ready for whatever comes next. Oh yeah, I'm ready. I want - no, I NEED - to make plans. Fall travel plans mostly. To NYC, to FL, and to Best Friends/Utah.

7. I realize my posts are boring without pictures.

8. I promise to overwhelm you with pictures when I return from Europe.

That is all. Amen.

Enjoy your new day!

More Crafty Goodness!!

I needed some zen today, and hid out in my craft room. I wanted to make a gift for a dear friend, and decided to copy a project designed & taught by Lisa Pace at the 2010 Artistic Journey.

Just to be clear...this is not my design. Not my idea. 100% copycat. (cuz crafters can get persnickety about stuff like that, even if it's inadvertent).

Supply list:
Maya Road shadow box
Jenni Bowlin mini-papers in a variety of red, cream & black patterns
Maya Road mini chipboard tag set and miscellaneous shapes (spool, needle, butterfly, heart, lock, key and tree)
Craft pearls (I don't know what these are called - they are half of a bead, and found on clear plastic so you can cut a string of them really easily!)
Glass glitter (silver)
Twine
Trim
3 Pearl buttons
Chalk ink - creamy brown
Craft knife
Adhesive (I used Glossy Accents, glue dots and tacky tape - yes, all THREE. hush)

The trick to this project is layering the mini tags, chipboard shapes and various paper patterns. Throw in the pearls and some glass glitter (BLING!), and a few heartfelt words from your printer, and voila!

Okok, so like, it took me most of the day to do this. But isn't it worth it???

Here are my creation steps:
1. Paint the backside of the shadow box, set aside to dry.

2. Choose the background papers - shuffled them around until I got the order I liked. I numbered the inserts and the back of the paper to keep everything together.

3. Assuming the back is dry, paint the front of the shadow box, and inside. Set aside to dry.

4. Choose the chipboard pieces that would go on top. And the paper that would go on them (again, I'm copy-catting this, so it was a little easier to choose the shapes). Then I numbered the chipboard pieces based on the squares, so I would remember which one goes where.

3. Using Glossy Accents, glue the chipboard onto the paper, and set aside to dry.

4.  Still using Glossy Accents, glue the background paper to the insert squares, and set aside to dry.

5. Lightly dab the gold chalk ink around the outer front edges of the shadow box.

6. Put a healthy dose of Glossy Accents on the chipboard that is getting glitter, add the glitter, and set aside to dry.

7. When chipboard shapes are dry, go ahead and begin to cut them out with a craft knife.

8. Outline all the chipboard shapes and the background squares with Creamy Brown Chalk ink.

9. Assemble each square. I used tacky tape to adhere the chipboard shapes to each other, and to secure in the squares into the shadow box.

Now, I will say this picture doesn't include two small personalizations I added - I still want it to be a surprise! I added an initial to the middle square (oval tag), and a date to the tag next to the tree in the lower left square).

I also wanted to share a few little tips with you that made this project come together for me (the classic imperfect crafter!).

1. It's difficult - even with a craft knife - to cut the paper around these scallop shapes. I do the best I can with the craft knife, and then refine with an emory board (nail file). Even then, it still isn't 100%. I used the creamy brown chalk ink to outline every shape - it ties all of the patterns together, and hides imperfections. In the pic above, you don't notice them. But look what happens when I blow it up:

2. I used gold chalk ink to highlight the shadow box itself. It gives some depth to it, instead of a flat black. You can really see the gold in the zoomie pics above and below.

3. I love glitter. I hate the fact that once you break out the glitter, you walk around looking like you got lost on the way to the club 15 years ago your entire household will be wearing it for weeks. I also hate the fact that glitter tends to shed with any accidental touch or bang. One way to avoid that is to seal the glitter with Glossy Accents. Keeps the shimmer, keeps the glitter in place. Especially with the glass glitter which will tarnish as time goes by.

4. Twine - this is not butcher's twine unfortunately, it's craft twine, and you need to add some sort of wax to it to keep it from driving you crazy make it easier to work with. A simple bar of white soap will do the trick. Run your length of twine through the soap a couple of times and it'll coat it just like wax. This is a trick I learned waaaay back when my mother tried to teach me to - well, I don't remember what she was trying to teach me to do (sorry mom!).

I enjoyed my day in my craft room, creating this gift for a friend.

Enjoy your new day!!