For my pal Ms Daisy....because she asked so nicely!

After you have torn your eyes away from the ceiling, you start to take in small vignettes, details.
There is still a place for the traditional features, harking back to the history of churches, stained glass, Gothic windows. 

 Then you look towards the altar. I found this so beautiful.

 

This is a Catholic church, so the crucifix looms large. But I found the figure of Jesus more in the spirit of new beginnings, than the agony of death. The figure is already looking upwards, striving to reach heaven and be with his Father. The canopy is also adorned with a rich harvest, a promise of new life. (phew that was philosophical wasn't it but it was how I felt)

 The sun comes out to play, casting light onto the pillars

Each side of the church is adorned with stained glass, one side being coloured primarily in greens and blues....the natural side, new beginnings

The other side being coloured in reds and oranges, signifying pain, destruction and endings. 

These are the doors to the other entrance, whereas the doors we entered were pretty and natural, these were more austere.
They were textured to look like carved wooden doors but they are heavy cast bronze.
I have forgotten exactly what the words mean, but if my memory serves me right I think it is religious expressions written out in all languages.  
 

 We are now standing outside the doors looking up over the entrance. A complete contrast to the other side. Here we have the Passion of Christ.
This was commissioned and completed after Gaudis death, the artist has looked at drawings and concepts that Gaudi had started on and interpreted them.

St Peter, refusing Jesus three times

 Judas with his hand after accepting the coins.

 This is a clever mathematical thingy, every line adds up to 33, the age Jesus was when he died. There were some other clever maths symbolism to do with dates but I sorta zoned out a little....as I always did in class too!

 The artist made one of the statues with Gaudis face....and the soldiers helmets have a reference to the design on some of the chimney pots on Gaudis buildings

 We got to see a reconstruction of the workroom where Gaudis genius was translated to plans

 

 I really struggled to get the best shot of this building. But this was the school house Gaudi had built for the workers children. He could quite legitimately put up 4 slab walls, peaked roof. Quick and easy. 
But no! There were no straight surfaces, the walls and roof undulated. Again no computer aided design, I don't know how the bricklayers managed it. The roof has steel beams.....again how advanced was this man? There are only one or two pillars inside so floor space is maximised. The children must have been so happy to work in this magical space.

(took this image from the internet)

(and this is from the internet too!!)

 Under this magnificent church is the original church. A window allows the visitors to peek in to what is still a working place of worship, this is where the regular parishioners come to seek peace, and light candles for this extraordinary man, whose crypt is placed where he lived and died making this world a little more beautiful.

 Quite an appropriate Easter posting. I hope you enjoyed the tour.

(I guarantee these are all my own pictures....except the two I did get from the internet.....because I could not illustrate the whole beauty of that school room)
I encourage you to seek further pictures, you will probably see more professional shots but this is my online diary, and my interpretation of a wonderful time on my holiday.....thank you for joining me here.

Prepare to have a picture overload...

Seriously folks this is a post that I have put off in a way because I will rabbit on and on about the genius of the architect and the reason I travelled halfway around the world...(lets face from Australia everywhere is halfway around the world)...to see this particular site...sight....building...monument...church....wonder of the world!!!

So I will attempt to let the pictures do the talking.

This is the official front entrance of the church, the scale is massive but also intimate....you may be able to see as there is a human reference there bottom right hand corner.

This was an attempt to get a longer range shot, I am standing in a park opposite the church. The lens I took that day does not do landscape panorama.

 This is the pinnacle over the entrance, the tree of life and the doves are all ceramic. Not painted but glazed.

You see that dash of colour, that is part of the gates in this entrance. This was just recently installed, and are known as the rose gates. This side of the church is dedicated to nature, new begininngs.

 The gates were exquisite, and were completed by a Japanese artist to continue the vision of work started by Gaudi.

 They are cold painted bronze

This is another door way, the colours are more autumnal

 As we entered the tour guide asked us to look up. These sculptures were also completed by the same artist, and you may notice the features on the children's faces are Asiatic. This church has bought together so many artists who have all left their personality which makes this place incredibly inclusive and international.

 A small detail on the gate, I couldn't tarry too long there were queues of people behind me....wanting to take selfies!!!! Don't get me started on selfies.

Now we are inside, and the first thing to do is look up.

 Seriously, have you ever seen such a ceiling?
The light floods in through clever placement of skylights, this was during the day and there was no artificial lighting used. 
Medieval churches struggled to have natural light but this architect solved the issue, again we are talking design before computer aided programs, this was at the turn of the 19th century and even today he would be considered incredibly modern!

This is a small detail that Gaudi would certainly approve, you look back towards the entrance from inside the church, and this detail becomes evident. You wont see it from the outside only from inside. 
I took a bazillion pictures, and I will spare you a complete avalanche because I want you to appreciate the wonders not get bored and flick through.....hey I am guilty of the same thing on other peoples blogs...I get it, if its not your passion or project...you will flick through...........
This church was a passion of mine, there is more to see we have only just stepped inside, until next time lovely people....you have been warned. LOL.

February review

Well here we are....end of February.....another whole month, a twelfth of a year....a leap month....you get the picture!

These little circles of mine are counting down my year, and its quite a process now. I have read the wonderful blogs of the other participants of this challenge and the wisdom and varying styles is wonderful to observe.

I am not preparing my circles ahead of time, but I did spend a day cutting and preparing the background squares so I could just grab a square each day and hunt for the fabric that speaks to me in that moment.

I did fall behind for a day or two as life got in the way of the routine, but I made it my job to at least select fabric daily even if I didn't sew it on the day.



I am writing the date on the back of the squares and I don't cut the fabric away from behind the circle as some have told me that essentially weakens the quilt.......now don't all talk at once, I respect each and everyone of you and what ever method is best is the one you will swear by.....this is mine....smiley face....:-)...smiley face!

I have also managed to start another project that I was itching to try, the rope bowl.
This has been a whole lotta fun. You know all those slim strips of fabric that we get when we square up fabric before cutting? I saved these as they were often the full width of fabric, and then proceeded to wrap them around the clothes line rope. No particular pattern or design in mind, just wrapping the fabric around the rope.

Then I whacked it under the sewing machine, and with a zigzag stitch, (set to the widest setting) I coiled the rope and sewed it down.

There are many tutorials and youtube videos to illustrate. Its a little like a cross between potting and sewing, you angle the bowl up as you want to create the sides. You can do it gently and get a shallow dish, or more steeply and you get a bowl shape.

I am seeing more of these in my future, I have a thing for baskets and bowls. I also want to try other methods and styles. In fact once I did contemplate joining the basket weavers guild to learn more about that magical art. 
You know what? Nothing to stop me now, I think I will do it!!!

And like my sewing, I am lagging a little behind but linking up now with Quiltyfolk for the February review.