Holy Week in Spain: Part 4 {Easter Sunday & Easter Monday

Easter morning looked very different from our typical American suburban traditions: no hunting for plastic eggs, no wicker Easter baskets, and no deviled eggs! i threw together the girls' Easter treats in two plastic colanders and they didn't seem any less excited for the contents. Nick ran down to the corner bakery and returned with absolutely delicious chocolate pastries for breakfast, and then we all walked in the rain back to the Iglesia de San Pablo for the Easter service! after the service, the girls made out like bandits as parishioners kept handing them mini chocolate eggs.

dancing for joy with fistfuls of chocolate eggs

Nick hobnobbing with the organist

then it was off to continue the Easter celebrations with our first (and last!) proper meal out in Zaragoza. i had researched a few places with traditional Aragonese food, but without a reservation, it was tough to beat the crowds. finally we stumbled upon an unassuming but fantastic restaurant called La Ria which offered a menú del día for around €20 per person. the food was absolutely delicious: migas and paella to start, then ternasco (roast lamb) and solomillo (pork tenderloin) in pepper sauce wrapped in bacon for the mains. this was all accompanied by a bottle of red wine. the girls had chicken nuggets, French fries, and rice topped with tomato sauce -- just when i was worried about their meal being too Americanized! for dessert, we had delicious flan topped with caramel sauce and whipped cream. the service was prompt and friendly even though the restaurant was packed, and the atmosphere was jubilant. what a way to celebrate!

Greta is a fan!

when in Spain!

then it was time to pack up our things and head to the train station for the last segment of our trip! after just shy of two hours on the train, we arrived in Barcelona, nestled on the northeastern coast. the train station was a bit of a hike from our Airbnb in the El Raval neighborhood of Barcelona, but we were able to take the metro one stop to cut the walk in half. we kept marveling over how clean the metro station was and how there were actually functioning elevators so we didn't have to hoist the stroller up the stairs!

immediately, we also noticed how different Barcelona is from both Sevilla and Zaragoza. the wide boulevards and wrought iron balustrades reminded me of Paris, but there was no question that we were still in Spain, and in the hotly contested region of Cataluña (Catalonia) at that. the Catalans are a proudly independent people with their own language and customs, who continue to lobby for independence from the central government of Spain. official signs are posted in both Spanish and Catalan, a beautiful language blending elements of Spanish, French, and Portuguese. for example, "goodbye" in Catalan is "adeu", "exit" is "sortida", and "please" is "si us plau". as we passed diverse storefronts, whimsical lamp posts, and glitzy boutiques, i told Nick i was so glad we would be finishing out our trip here in this beautiful city.

the apartment sat right on a main road, flanked by restaurants, cafes, and several halal shops. it turns out the elevators in the metro station were but a slight reprieve, since we had to haul everything up five flights of stairs to the apartment. after checking in, i made a run to the nearest grocery store, and once again was absolutely blown away by the size and selection, like a Trader Joe's on steroids. why, oh why, can't we have grocery stores like this in Rome?! i sighed to myself.

after we settled the girls in their sweet little beds, Nick and i played a few games of rummy while drinking sangria out of a carton (because it was €3 and i couldn't resist).

spoiler alert: we ended up pushing their beds together!

date night in!

on Easter Monday, we set off bright and early to explore the city. just down the street, we marveled at the unique exterior of the Betlem Church, although the doors were locked. this church is appropriately famous for its nativity scenes at Christmas time.

the translation reads: "King Alfonso of Aragon sent two knights throughout Catalonia in search of a suitable place to found a Carthusian monastery. Under the Monsant mountain range they found a little shepherd. He told them that in that place, Jacob's dream had been reproduced, that is, the ladder that went up to heaven, with angels coming and going. The knights considered the proper place to build a Carthusian monastery there, which would naturally be called Scala Dei."

as we approached the Cathedral of Barcelona, we could hear music, dancing and laughter. i nearly started dancing with glee myself as i realized we had stumbled across a performance of the traditional sardana, the Catalan national dance (which was actually outlawed during Franco's dictatorship from 1939 through 1975). the participants place all their belongings in the middle of the dance circle as a symbol of unity.

the Cathedral itself is a glorious Gothic structure with a storied past. originally, the Romans built a Temple of Jupiter on this site. in 343, a Christian church was erected, then replaced in the 11th century with a Romanesque churhc. and finally, in 1298, construction on the current cathedral began. however, the facade wasn't completed until the 19th century. the Cathedral is the burial place of two of its founders, whose tombs are decorated with the red and yellow Catalan coat of arms. even more famously, the cathedral houses the tomb of St. Eulàlia, a Barcelonian who was martyred by the Romans at the age of 13 by being crucified on an X-shaped cross.

once inside the cathedral, the eye is continuously drawn upwards along the huge columns. although the interior is mostly monochromatic, somehow that enhances the sense of scale and grandeur even more.

the chapel of Santa Maria Magdalena, Sant Bartomeu and Santa Isabel

Our Lady of Montserrat (Mare de Déu de Montserrat)

the cathedral has twin organs, each flanking a side of the choir

chapel of S. Pere (Peter), S. Martí (Martin), S. Ambrós (Ambrose)

Chapel of the Annunciation, with St. Helena and the True Cross.
St. Helena was Greta's saint of the year, so she was very excited to be able to
touch the medallion attached to the rope and therefore to "touch" St. Helena.

these sarcophagi hold the remains of two of the founders of the cathedral,
mounted under the Catalan coat of arms.

gorgeous crucifix above the high altar

15th century choir stalls

the choir stalls are decorated with the coats of arms of the Knights
of the Golden Fleece, created by Charles, Holy Roman Emperor

the view from inside the choir

one of my favourite things about traveling is discovering saints for the first time. we were quite intrigued by the unusual set up of the tomb of St. Raymond of Penyafort (Sant Ramon de Penyafort), seen below. St. Raymond was a 13th-century Dominican friar who helped rearrange and codify canon law during the papacy of Gregory IX, creating a book known as the Decretals of Gregory IX which remained the standard until 1917. he also served as confessor to King James I of Aragon, whose desires to serve the church were thwarted by his simultaneous devotion to a mistress. when St. Raymond told the king he would leave if the king continued to see his mistress, the king flew into a rage and forbade the saint to go anywhere. at the time, they were all living on the island of Mallorca, and the king went so far as to forbid any of the local ship captains from transporting St. Raymond. the story goes that St. Raymond announced, "“Soon you will see how the King of Heaven will confound the wicked deeds of this earthly king and provide me with a ship!", removed his long black cloak, tied one end to his walking stick and spread out the bottom of the cloak on the water. he then crossed himself, waved goodbye to his Dominican companion, and set sail on his cloak past the bewildered ship captains, arriving in Barcelona six hours later. humbled by this, King James repented and lived a holy life thereafter. St. Raymond died at the age of one hundred, and is honored as the patron saint of lawyers, especially canon lawyers.

chapel of Sant Josep Oriol, a 17th-century priest known as
the "Thaumaturgus [Magician] of Barcelona" for his healing powers.

detail of a sculpture of St. Eulalia on her x-shaped cross

we stepped into the cloister for a breath of fresh air. the girls loved squawking at the geese to make them "talk", and watching the fish in the pond. there are always 13 geese in the cloister in honor of St. Eulalia's 13 years.

meanwhile, Nick and i took turns circling the cloister to visit the little side chapels. patrons of the cathedral are buried beneath the pavement, with their coats of arms symbolizing their trades.

an homage to a crucifix that dates from the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, when Pope
Pius V won a major victory over the Ottoman empire.

Chapel of St. Raymond Nonnatus (Sant Ramon Nonat), a 13th-century Catalan saint
who was delivered by C-section. the hospital in Call the Midwife is named after him.
the small vials contain holy oils.

in the chapel of St. Lucy

i spy scissors!

tomb of Manuel Girona y Agrafel, an influential 19th century banker,
politician, and mayor of Barcelona who died in 1905.

glimpse of the spires from insid the cloister

i'm obsessed with these gargoyles!

then we headed to a little cafe called La Fabrica to try some of their famous empanadas. and oh, did they live up to the hype! we ordered an assortment of spicy beef, Thai chicken, and ham and cheese.

street food at its finest!

more gargoyles!

in the afternoon, we had a tight schedule in order to fit in two of architect Antoni Gaudí's most famous creations: Park Güell (pronounced "gway") and the massive church Sagrada Familia. we took the metro to catch the shuttle up to the park for our 2:30 PM reserved slot. once again, i was glad i had researched enough to know that reservations were strongly recommended -- we watched many people without reservations be turned away once they made it to the front of the line.

i didn't know anything about Gaudí prior to our visit, and was a bit skeptical of how his works would stack up after viewing the gorgeous Gothic cathedral. imagine my surprise to find out that Gaudí was a devoted Catholic, nicknamed "God's Architect", with a cause open for canonization. his work was inspired by the natural world as well as classical art and architecture, resulting in a fresh, whimsical style that is still firmly rooted in the tenets of beauty and faith.

Park Güell was originally conceived as a housing development, up on a hill overlooking the city. however, when those plans failed to materialize, Gaudí was commissioned to design a public park. many of the buildings look like they could have sprung from the pages of a Dr. Seuss book, with columns and other architectural elements designed to look like trees. Gaudí also designed large spheres to line the paths, forming a walking rosary leading up to the crest of the hill where a large cross points toward the heavens.

view over the city. i was so sad it was overcast!

the formations above the walkway are meant to resemble bird's nests

Gaudí's house has been turned into a museum.
the line to get in was outrageous, so we skipped it!

we walked down to the main terrace overlooking the city and the girls were thrilled to play in the gravel for a while with their new friend! the serpentine bench lining the perimeter of the terrace is designed ergonomically, with the bench angled back slightly to allow rainwater, leaves and dirt to drain. the mosaic designs were created with scraps of broken ceramic tile, glass, and even buttons collected from around the city, a style called trencadis that Gaudí pioneered.

gutters shaped like animal heads!

looking down to the two gingerbread houses!

Gaudí had a knack for incorporating nature itself into his designs. a beautiful garden leads down the slope to the houses, where we also found the adorable dragon guarding the double staircase!

note my trusty Rick Steves guidebook in hand!

the hypostyle beneath the terrace is meant to evoke an ancient temple

the crenellated walls are a reflection of Catalonia's topographic diversity,
from the mountains to the sea. see the red-and-yellow Catalan flag
in the center of the round mosaic?

there were some fabulous echoes in this little chamber!

this house is now a gift shop. i went inside just to see the interior,
as the line for the other house was also ridiculous!

view from inside the gift shop

outside once again, we made our way back around to the public part of the park.

this space was initially designed as a market place.

these rosettes are meant to symbolize the seasons as well as the sun and moon

one last glimpse of the gingerbread houses!

we walked up the hill for a while, trying to reach the spot with the cross,
but were stymied by unclear signs and trails that faded off into the woods.

La Casa Trias, designed in 1905 as a sample house for the community that never developed.

one last look at Gaudí's house -- not designed by him, but where he lived from
1906 through 1925.

we caught the 4:30 PM shuttle back into town, and arrived outside Sagrada Familia with enough time to stop in at a little cafe for some refreshments prior to our tour. we certainly paid extra for the privilege of sitting just across from the huge cathedral, but it was worth it! however, this was also the site of one of the trip's only tragedies: a gust of wind blew Greta's little stuffed bear (a gift from the seminarians) out of the stroller and we weren't able to retrieve it. this loss is discussed fairly frequently because Cecilia still has her corresponding stuffed bunny. oh well!

construction on Sagrada Familia began in 1882, and is still in progress today. visiting the church is a good reminder of what the people of the Renaissance experienced during the construction of their cathedrals. sometimes when we visit these vast masterpieces, it's easy to forget that multiple generations of craftsmen labored on these buildings without ever seeing the finished result.

after visiting Park Güell, i was sufficiently impressed with Gaudí to approach Sagrada Familia with an open mind, but a park is a very different thing than a cathedral, and i was afraid Gaudí's whimsical style would not translate well to the reverence befitting a church. and once again, i was wrong! every inch of the facade is symbolic and Gaudí's faith and self-reflection are evident in his designs. he worked on the church from 1883 until his death in 1926.

the Nativity facade shows the birth of Christ: see the Holy Family (Sagrada Familia)
at the peak of the door? above that, in the main alcove, is a sculpture of
Christ crowning Mary. the cypress tree at the top symbolizes the Tree of Life,
covered in doves. the tree is topped with a Greek cross and a final white dove, symbolizing the Trinity.

these four completed spires represent the four Evangelists.
the word "Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus" is written horizontally at the base of the spires, then
"Hosanna Excelsis" in mosaics vertically from the top down.
the top of each spire is meant to resemble a bishop's conical miter.

the shorter spires on the left represent the Eucharist, with alternating grapes (for the wine /
Precious Blood) and wheat (for the bread / Body).

pretending to be Fancy Nancy, drinking sparkling water
with a lemon wedge in the shadow of a cathedral!

the stroller-accessible family entrance took us through the basilica's museum first (the opposite way most tourists come through). in a way, it was nice to have a better understanding of the history and design of the basilica before we saw the interior for ourselves.

inverted model Gaudí used to design the church at La Colònia Güell

the museum had some great hands-on exhibits for manipulating shapes,
lines, and other elements of design

a glimpse down into the spot where Gaudí is buried.

a model of the Glory facade, not yet completed. Gaudí said:
"Glory is light, light gives joy and joy is the happiness of the spirit."

the design for the facade includes the words to the Credo (the
Creed in Latin)

model of the bronze door of the Gospel of John

model of the bell tower

Gaudí's workshop and studio

finally, we were ready to see the church itself. the route led us back outside, under the Passion facade. of this facade, Gaudí said: "Some may find this doorway too extravagant. But I wanted it to inspire fear, and to do so I used plenty of chiaroscuro, recesses and protrusions, all of which provided a gloomy effect." in fact, Gaudí became suddenly ill while working on his designs for this facade, and his sketches reflect his own fear and emotional struggle of confronting his own mortality. he did recover from that illness, but the facade was not completed until after his death, by the architect Josep Subirachs. Subirachs executed the designs in a stark expressionist style. this was the only part of the basilica that i didn't like from a stylistic perspective (and it's actually what i expected of the entire design).

the text at the top of the arch reads "JESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDAORUM", the
Latin text on the sign nailed on Jesus' cross (meaning "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews").
the columns supporting the letters are supposed to look like bones.

Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss. the serpent is seen at the bottom right,
and a "magic square" is at the center of the photo (all numbers added
in each row, column, or diagonally equal 33, Jesus' age when he died).

Peter denies Christ before the rooster crows three times

the flagellation column

finally, we entered the church. i wished so much for a professional camera to be able to capture the nuances of light and shadow, and the sheer scale of the interior! Gaudí designed a nave that feels every bit like a church, but also like the center of an untouched forest. the graceful columns resemble trees, dappled with the colored light from the stained glass windows (cool blues and greens to catch the morning light on the east side, warm reds and oranges to filter the sunset on the west).

the rose of Gaudí, adorning a statue of St. George, the patron
saint of Catalonia

the central door that will eventually open to the Glory facade,
featuring the words of the Lord's Prayer in Catalan, surrounded by
the phrases "Our Father" and "Give us this day our daily bread"
in fifty different languages.

holy water font

the spiral staircases remind me of a nautilus shell

sunset to the west

sunrise to the east

the St. Joseph transept

the crucifix above the high altar, covered by a heptagonal canopy (representing the seven
gifts of the Holy Spirit). it's hard to see in this picture, but the words of the Gloria
are inscribed around the edge of the canopy.

looking down into the crypt

the Evangelist capitals flank the high altar (three seen here)

Virgin Mary transept

another view of the high altar

confessional designed by Gaudí

reality check: Nick and i took turns supervising the girls in the pews
so we could walk around and take everything in!

we concluded our day with a visit to two other famous Gaudí buildings, with a stop along the way to eat some forgettable gelato and to see another iconic Barcelona building: the Casa de les Punxes, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch. the central mosaic depicts St. George slaying the dragon, with a banner that reads, "Patron Saint of Catalonia, give us back our freedom!"

Casa Milà (conventionally known as La Pedrera, or "the stone quarry" for its appearance) was the last private home Gaudí designed before his death. built for the wealthy widow Roser Segimón and her second husband Pere Milà, the entire structure, both inside and out, is designed in flowing curves. this created some problems for Segimón. when she asked Gaudí where she was supposed to put her Steinway grand piano, he retorted that she should just learn how to play the violin.

as we were snapping pictures, a pair of gregarious Argentinian women approached us to ask if we would mind taking their photo. "we like to pretend that we live here!" they laughed. we chatted for a while, swapping travel stories, and then it was our turn for a little photo shoot (much to Greta's chagrin).