European Babymoon

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, Wade had to go to France for business. Fortunately, it worked out that I got to go with him. :) Marsha and Terry blessed us by keeping our kids so that we could take a little "Babymoon" before our family grows from 4 to 5. It was a wonderful break, and I was so thankful that I got to go.

We started our trip with 2 days in Carcassonne, France. We stayed in a hotel that is inside of the city's castle, which was really cool. I can't say that I've ever stayed in a castle before... :)

We spent one day just touring the city, shopping, and eating.

Wade's boss, Tony, and his wife, Nanci, were our traveling buddies. They have both spent quite a bit of time in Europe and Tony is fluent in French. They were pretty handy tour guides. :)

All of the streets and buildings were so pretty.

This is the Basilique des Saints Nazaire et Celse - the Cathedral within the city's walls. It was magnificent on the inside! Such beautiful stained glass!

We spent Monday & Tuesday in Barcelona, Spain. The drive from Carcassonne to Barcelona was really pretty...

We happened to be in Barcelona the night that FC Barcelona played Real Madrid at the futbol stadium in Barcelona. We watched the game in a bar that was PACKED wall to wall with people. Barcelona won the game 5-0. The streets were mass chaos after the home team won! Those Spaniards sure do love them some futbol! I couldn't believe how they carried on.

On Tuesday, we walked around Barcelona and went to the Sagrada Familia. I think that may have been my favorite part of the trip! The Sagrada Familia is a HUGE, extremely ornate Catholic church in Barcelona. It was designed by the Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi, who began its construction in 1883. Gaudi died in 1926, but construction has continued through the present day. They still have crews there all day every day working on it! It estimated completion date is in the year 2026. That is an estimated 146 years to complete this building! Craziness!

Everywhere that you look there in intricate carving, lighting, and stonework. Everything is symbolic and artistic. You could spend hours and hours in there and still not grasp all of the symbolism! It was amazing! Pictures could never do it justice...

Part of the Front Facade - Can you see all of the cranes and scaffolding?

The front of the building is called the "Passion Facade." It depicts various scenes from the death and resurrection of Christ. It was very powerful!

The stained glass on the inside of the church.

So much beauty to take in!




Isn't that lighting the most magnificent thing that you have ever seen??? I hadn't looked up yet when Wade nudged me and said, "That is what it is going to look like when we ascend to heaven." Amen, Honey! Amen!

The back of the church is called the "Nativity Facade." It is dedicated to the birth and early life of Christ.

Have you ever seen anything so ornate? This picture fails miserably in comparison to its real life beauty.

The Nativity

On Tuesday night, we went to Toulouse. We had a delicious dinner there, and then I left for the airport before dawn on Wednesday.

We had a great time together, and Wade stayed for an additional 5 days to finish up his work there. It was a quick trip for me - only 6 days (much of that being travel time). I had never been anywhere in Europe before, so I was grateful for the opportunity. If I ever get to go back, I'd love to go to Paris and see more of the historic sites. I really enjoyed that part of the trip.

Disclaimer: Wade is a traveling salesman. He spends A LOT of time on the road. He loves, loves, LOVES his job and adores his boss. However, his job puts a big strain on our family and a lot of stress on our marriage. It is hard on all 4 (soon to be 5!) of us for Daddy to be gone so much. So, the airline miles and hotel points that enable us to go on great trips are really, really nice. But, I would gladly give up all of that to have my husband home for dinner every night. This is the season of life that we are in, and we are all trying to enjoy where we are right now. Trying to make the best of our situation, you know? I felt like that needed to be said. :)