Nonnie & Papa by Victoria and Harry

For the past week our grandparents have been in town. We got to show them Barcelona and all the cool things we have learned. We also got to take them on the bus tour. We were lucky that we didn't get rained on. It was fun having them here but it seemed out of place having them here. They left this morning and I miss them already.

This week our grandparents were here. We went on a bus and did a lot of the stuff we had done already. But we went to Sagrada Familia. I am so glad my grandparents could come and see this amazing city, Barcelona :)

Montserrat by Harry & Victoria

 We waited in a long line to see the statue of the black Mary.  When you get up to the statue you can touch the orb that she is holding and say a prayer. You get good luck or a wish or something else good. People say that the statue will grant miracles. The orb symbolizes the universe.

 We heard the boys choir sing in the monastery. I thought at first that it was adults singing but it was just the boy choir. They sang beautifully. The chapel was very packed.

now... to the hiking

 Legend says that the Mountain of Montserrat was carved by angels with golden saws. But geologists say this landform was carved by nature after years of erosion. 

 My dad, my sister, and I hiked to the top of Montserrat. It was called St. Jerome 1236 meters (or about 4000 ft)

 Montserrat Monastery was built into the side of the mountain. It has been here since the 1400s and was rebuilt in the 1800s.

Sagrada Familia by Victoria

The most  magnificent building Gaudi ever created was by far the Sagrada Familia. Towering over at 343 feet this gigantic building is the first thing a incoming sailor will see. On the outside of the Sagrada Familia you can see the walls decorated with sculpted plants and animals. The giant bell towers loom over head they are decorated with ceramic tile pieces and are the crown of the Sagrada Familia. If you want to wait 3 hours you can climb the 430 stairs up the top of the highest bell tower. We decided not to go, it was not motivating me to climb the stairs.

The inside of the church looked like a magical forest with magical creatures hiding high up in the trees where they can not be seen. It would be great inspiration for a book. Maybe my teacher will assign me a writing lesson on writing a story that involves this enchanted forest.

FC Barcelona by Victoria and Harry

The FC Barcelona game was really fun. We finally found three tickets together for me, Harry , and our dad. Almost everyone seemed to take the metro to the game. The stadium could fit 100,000 people. We saw Messi and David Villa score, all thanks to our great seats right down by the field.

I love FC Barcelona!

The FCBarcelona fans were funny. One time these people were shouting, "Messi" and bowing down to him like he was king. A lot of people had horns and would blow them. It seemed like 90 people out of 100 (90%) were wearing FC Barcelona jerseys. It was a great night!

We love Messi

Alcazar Castle of Segovia by Harry

 Over the weekend we went to this castle in Segovia. A long time ago kings and queens lived here. Then it became a jail, then an artillery school. Now it is a Spanish historical site.

 We walked all the way up the tower to the top. It was 156 winding steps. Being on the top of the castle was my favorite part. It was a beautiful castle.

The Mad Hatter by Victoria

The other day we saw the Mad Hatter on La Rambla. The Mad Hatter is one of the most successful street performers on Rambla because he has a good costume and a good character. We have seen him before but we never walked up to him. But when we saw the Mad Hatter this time we walked right up to him. He was really funny and I hope you like him as much as I do.

Reina Sophia by Victoria

The current special exhibit at the Reina Sophia Museum is by Alighiero Boetti. His art was weavings of all the countries with the design of there flag on their country. It was a really cool art project and I do not know how he came up with it. The weavings were made in different countries and the only instructions he would give the weavers was on an elementary school map which was colored in with all the country's flags. But they could make the back round any color they wanted from a bright yellow to a dull gray.

My home away from home, Espana

I think that I can see my house from here.

I think Mrs. terBorg will like this picture.

Here is the original grade school map that inspired him to make the weavings.

Maybe this would make passport more fun for everyone.

This was another weaving done by the same artist. 

Can you find these 5 items? 

1. Harry Potter glasses 

2. a yellow crab 

3. a plunger 

4. a peace sign 

5. an alarm clock 

Comment if you find other interesting objects.

You can almost hear the voices of these faces talking all at once. Here is the math lesson for the day:  what do you call shapes that fit together with out any blank spaces? Put your answer in a comment.

Roman Aqueducts of Segovia by Harry

The Roman Aqueducts would bring water from lakes in the hills to the city. The aqueducts were in Segovia.

The Aqueducts made me think of the Colosseum arches in Rome. I thought that the arches were amazing. My dad told  me that the middle stone was called the keystone. Gravity pulls it down on the keystone and some how it pushes the two rocks on either side outward this happens all along the arch and so on. I liked seeing the Roman Aqueducts because it was cool engineering.    :)