timistravels

Dec 25, 2014

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is the 2nd most visited site in Europe after the Eiffel Tower with about 3 million visitors a year. Gaudi spent 43 years working on this project and the “life” side was finished before he died. The rest has been, and continues to be, built from his vision and models. 75% is completed but the last 25% will be the most difficult.

There will be 10 more towers built and the main entry. They will need to tear down over 1000 apartments to finish the basilica. The goal is to complete it by 2026, which would mark the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death ( by accident, he was hit by a train 74 years old).

The side he finished which we entered through represents Life; Faith, Charity and Hope. Mary and Jesus are symbolized in the birth while there are the three wise men, Angels playing music, the star of Bethlehem. On the other side is the life of Jesus, this is sometimes called the “Bible in stone”.

At the base of the two main columns are turtles. One a sea turtle and the other a land one. This is because this Basilica is in the exact center of town 1/2 way between the water and the mountains.

Gaudi used nature as inspiration. He would say that he felt most near God when he was in the forest with giant trees and the sun filtering in through the trees. This is the feeling you get inside the church, the light flowing in through the stain glass is stunning and ever changing. It was just breathtaking.

Also inside are 52 pillars symbolic of the 52 Sunday’s a year. The balcony will hold up to 1200 choir members. Each of the windows have a name in the middle reflecting locations in the world with special sanctuaries.

The current exit side of the building reflects death, including the last supper and the burial. After Gaudi’s death another architect was brought into finish this facade. Ironically he was agnostic yet wanted to take on this challenge and insisted on living in the structure as Gaudi before him had done.

The side not built will be themed Glory, and those working on the completion continue to use the models Gaudi built and keep his vision in the forefront of all they do.

All in all stunning structure.

Dec. 22, 2014

The Royal Palace of Madrid is a great way to spend a few hours while in Madrid, and absolutely should be on your list. It is not lived in today though they are ceremonies that do take place in the castle. It is near the Opera station of the metro and costs 11euro to enter or is FREE from. 4-6 daily. Don’t confuse lines. The one you will see first is for group tours, go around the corner for individual tickets.

The original Castle was in 16th century but sadly burnt in 1734 and the current castle was built on the same site. It took almost 20 years to build the current structure in which Charles III first occupied it in 1764.

There are 3,418 rooms though on the tour you may only see 20-30 rooms. It is the largest square foot palace in Europe. Unlike the Versailles in Paris much of the interior of the palace is original and in tact. There are many famous paintings, much porcelain, gold, silver and even Stradivarius instruments.

All in all a must see when in Madrid. Ironically our host family here have never been! It takes guest sometimes for people to see a touristy thing in the back yard! NO PHOTOS allowed inside the palace rooms so photos are of postcards or off the website.

Dec 21, 2014
A perfect day trip from Madrid by car, bus or train, Toledo is a treasure not only because of its history (the former capital of Spain) but also because has a number of important monuments. It is called the “city of the three cultures” because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together there together for centuries, leading to much diversity. The city Is surrounded by River Tagus which helps frame the city on a hill.

It was quite easy to get turned around and lost as the streets maze in and out in the historic downtown. Small alleys almost so narrow you could touch the walls on either side are 100’s of years old, and many are not wide enough for vehicles. There are churches, mosques, and synagogues as well as convents and monasteries all in the downtown.

One of the first standouts is the Cathedral (8 euro entry) is thought to be an outstanding part of Gothic art. It was started to be built in 1226 but did not finish until the 1400’s.

The first official stop was Iglesias de Santo Tome to see the famous painting; El Entierro Del Señor De Orgaz or The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. It is a painting by El Greco, a famous painter who moved here from Crete, Greece. It’s a very large painting (we could not take pictures so this is from the museum site) that experts point out is “heavenly above and terrestrial below, but it gives little impression of duality. ”

We left there and headed to the Greco museum only to get lucky as they closing in 15 minutes so we ran and saw some of his other famous paintings.

All and all Toledo is a MUST SEE if you ever get to Spain!

Cathedral in Toledo, Spain