Spring has sprung!

 Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.   

 Gustav Mahler

I've just returned from a long walk through villages and across fields,  filled with the warmth of a spring sun. Feeling like Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice,  my hem is covered in mud.  I'm a little less fashionably dressed than Lizzie.  However, given the chance,  I think Jane Austen would have updated her character's wardrobe to blue jeans.


My trek along the footpaths has been a joyous one. Spring has sprung in Nether Heyford!  It seems remarkable to me to be writing this in February. Especially when the word from home is snow, with more snow in the forecast.  February in Maine is a frozen month, with the average temperature being 20 F (-6 C).  But here in the UK the weather has turned mild and almost 60 F (14 C).  Flowers are blooming everywhere - crocus, daffodils and snowdrops.  

A whisper between twins

Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment.

Ellis Peters

Perhaps my favorite harbinger of spring here in the UK are the lambs.  Snoozing in the afternoon sun with their mamas, the lambs are adorable.  They're painted with a number that matches the ewe so that the farmer can keep track of family groups, and twins are a frequent occurrence.  They snuggle together or romp off and play.  

Outstanding in their field!

Yellow crocuses in front of my house

Fishing on the canal

 There are many other signs that winter's grip has loosened.  Fishermen line the canal and daylight now extends beyond the hours of school.  Hurrah for Spring!

A wall of flowers in Easter colors!

Spring light

A field of snowdrops

Sunshine!

For every person who has ever lived there has come, at last, a spring he will never see. Glory then in the springs that are yours.

Pam Brown

Gaudi's City

Those who look for the laws of Nature as a support for their new works collaborate with the creator.
Antonio Gaudi

Sagrada Familia at Night

Barcelona is a city of incredible architecture.  Beautiful buildings can be found on every corner. But perhaps the name most associated with the structural art of Barcelona is Antoni Gaudi.

Nativity Facade by Gaudi

Passion Facade, recently completed

Gaudi was an architect and designer who lived and worked in Barcelona during the late 1800's and into the twentieth century, forever leaving his mark on the city.  This week's favorite thing is his vision of nature in art.

One of Gaudi's most famous works is Sagrada Familia, the major cathedral that dominates the skyline in Barcelona.  Begun back in 1882 , Gaudi planned an overall concept for the church around designs found in nature.  He created the specific design for much of the interior and one of the facades, however; he left room for future artists to create and finish the cathedral.  His whole design functions on the principal of cooperation with future generations - a very forward thinking idea!  I was fortunate enough to have visited Barcelona once before, back in 1988, and I was amazed at how much had been completed in the past twenty four years.

I spent a long time outside the church, looking at the Passion facade before actually entering the cathedral. This is a more modern interpretation of the story of the Last Supper and the crucifixion.  Inside, the stain glass glows and casts rainbows on the white interior. The columns are created to resemble tree trunks, branching toward a vaulted ceiling.

We ventured up a lift to the top of one of the towers.  Being that high up with minimal guard rails was a little frightening, but the view was worth the shaky knees!  Below us the city opened up to the Mediterranean and the smaller spires and sculptures seemed close enough to touch.

Fruit topped spires

Abbie at the top of a tower

Paula, Beth and I try not to look down!

Headed downstairs....LOTS of stairs!

Two fabulous travelers

Inside the "snail"

While Sagrada Familia might be Gaudi's grandest and most impressive project, it is not the only example of his work in the city.

Sunflower tile 

One of several apartment buildings designed by Gaudi

Perhaps one of my favorite works by Gaudi is Park Guell, a beautiful municipal garden located in the foothills above the city.  Sloping upward, the entrance is guarded by a dragon fountain and features mosaics that cover walls, benches and planters full of flowers.

Beth, Abbie, Paula and I enjoy the sun and the Barcelona skyline

Mosaic Benches

Down the stairs and off to more adventure!

Saint Eulalia of Barcelona

Giant puppets dancing through medieval squares, acrobats forming human towers two stories high, drum corps and folk dancing.......this week's favorite thing is celebrating the feast day of Saint Eulalia in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, Spain.

These are no muppets!

These giant puppets represent historical and fictional characters.

Outside the seat of Catalan government.

St. Eulalia is the co-patron saint of Barcelona.  As a thirteen year old she was tortured and martyred by the Romans somewhere around 290 AD.  In the usual way of these things, her body had a mysterious journey until her bones finally found their resting place at the Cathedral named in her honor in 1339.  Her feast day is always celebrated on February 12th.

Outside of the Cathedral

Descending the stairs to St. Eulalia's crypt

St.  Eulalia's crypt

We were fortunate enough to arrive in the Gothic Quarter just in time for the parade of "gigantes" or "cabezudos" in Plaza Jaume I.  The gigantes, or "cabezudos" (literally "big heads"), are huge puppets built on staging, designed to be carried on the shoulders of the puppeteers.  Plaza Jaume I is a beautiful square, and the heart of the Catalan government.  This area of Spain is culturally unique and considers itself separate from Castillian Spain. The city of Barcelona is the capitol of the Catalan district, which has its own flag, language and culture. 

Cabezudos

Part of the Gigantes parade

Next came the colles castelleres, or "castle teams".  These colorfully dressed acrobats build human towers.  We watched one team build a "castell" so tall that the top person joined some revelers on a second floor balcony of the Palace of the Generalitat building on one side of the square!

Colles Castelleres

This takes some mad skills!

Following a pair of giant puppets down a narrow, medieval alleyway we ended up at a stage in front of the cathedral.  A live band was playing folk music to accompany groups of children performing traditional Catalan folk dances. 

Stage in front of the cathedral

Folk Dancers

After enjoying the dancing and music we spent some time in the cathedral. The ornate chapels were filled with statues and artwork, while a long line of pilgrims waiting to pay homage to St. Eulalia at her crypt moved slowly through the center of the cathedral.  To think that a young girl who lived over 1700 years ago would be the cause of all this pageantry is amazing. History in this part of the world takes on mind-expanding proportions!


We ended the day with some fabulous tapas and an excellent red wine.....and lots to talk about!

Another epic young lady who may make history!