A city or a town?

In England, what is the difference between a town and a city? Answer: a city has a cathedral and a town or village does not.  Hence, Oxford is a city and Cambridge is a town, even though Kings Chapel in Cambridge is much larger than Oxford’s Christ Church Cathedral. 

(Stock Photo)   At the heart and center of Oxford is Christ Church Cathedral, which dates from the 12th Century. It is the diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also, uniquely, the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. 

(Stock Photo)  Christ Church cathedral has the distinction of having a world-renowned choir since 1526.  Every year the choir performs a Christmas concert.  We’ve been able to attend twice now.  The music, the readings, and the atmosphere are all stunning.  It is a treat to hear the choir anytime (we’ve been to many Evensongs) but the Christmas concert is especially enchanting.

I wasn’t able to take many photos, and those I did where without a flash.  Sadly, I haven’t been able to capture the ambiance.  

To hear a song from the choir, here’s a link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_9we_OWvZc

Christ Church Cathedral is often claimed to be the smallest cathedral in England, and although it did once hold this distinction there are now smaller cathedrals, as several parish churches were elevated to cathedral status in the 20th century.

Visca el Barça i Visca Catalunya

One of the benefits of living in England is that there are several budget airlines that fly from the smaller London airports to just about anywhere on the European Continent. This past week, John and I took advantage of one of these cheap airline offers and flew to Barcelona, Spain, for 4 days.

Easy Jet and Ryanair are the leading budget airlines in England.  They offer no frill flights all across Europe.  For your money you get a seat (in many cases a non-reclining seat) to your destination and that is it.  You pay extra for everything else, including checked bags, anything offered on board (no free drinks), requested seats, etc.  They don't even offer frequent flyer miles.  They offer a very stripped down way of traveling and the planes are packed!

Barcelona was a delightful surprise. The architect Antonia Gaudi has left an incredible legacy of his work in the region. Gaudi was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. His works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style that is heavily influenced by themes in nature.

The Sagrada Família is Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece and one of Barcelona's most popular tourist attractions. Construction on this church has been ongoing since 1882 and will continue for at least another decade or two.

I was stunned by its sheer verticality, beauty, and, in the true manner of the great medieval cathedrals it emulates, the fact that it is still not finished after more than 100 years. 

The interior of the cathedral looks like a forest of trees with beautiful alignments tree trunks, branches, and clusters of leaves. In this forest of columns, the light filters through the windows like it does from a canopy of a forest.

I can't even begin to describe the incredible details on surface of the cathedral. The light, the design, the space…it defies description. I was in awe. 

I especially loved the light, color and design of the windows.

The view of the city and of the continuing construction from the towers is breathtaking. 

Gaudi also designed Park Güell, a garden complex situated on the hill of El Carmel. It was built in 1910-14 and well worth a visit. 

La Boqueria is the city’s main covered market place, and is located on Las Ramblas. It offers every kind of Mediterranean cuisine products you can imagine -- a Foodie’s paradise! 

Barcelona reminded me a bit of Paris with it's graceful city blocks, large tree lined streets and boulevards.

Even the graffiti in the city was interesting. 

Everywhere the proud and independent spirit of Catalonia was on display.

On our last full day we took the train to Montserrat, mountain top monastery situated atop an unusual multi-peaked mountain, it is very popular among Catalans, and Catholic pilgrims come from far and wide to see the Black Madonna. 

My favorite wizard and I enjoyed most hiking to the top of one of the peaks and seeing the view of the countryside.

The best for last: Casa Batlló, another Gaudi masterpiece. It is a family home that Gaudi restored in 1904-06 in his Modernista style using the theme of water and ocean throughout the home. This is a photo of a window taken through a pane of glass.

In Barcelona, every block hold surprises and delights in design and architecture.

Barcelona is a gem of a city -- well worth a visit.

Great place to stay: ARAMUNT APARTMENTS, Eixample , Calle Muntaner 60, Barcelona

Worth it: The hop on hop off bus 2 day pass

Don't miss: Familia Sagrada. Be sure to see the interior and climb the tower

Don't miss: Casa Bastilo. The admission for both of theses amazing buildings go toward either the continued building or general upkeep of these treasures.

Don't miss: The Picasso Museum

Terrific Tapas: Maitea Taberna, Carrer de Casanova 157, L`Eixample

Easy and interesting day trip: Montserrat

Loved: Just walking through all the neighborhoods

Used: Cheap deal with Travel Republic. We were very happy with the service.