Crayon Art

So lately, due to my lack of European travel, I've been exploring all the glories of http://pinterest.com/  Basically, the website is an online pin board (I've always said bulletin board, but whatever) where you can "pin" pictures of things and keep your ideas organized.

A lot of people use this site for planning their future wedding, home decor, and baby adventures, and the ides never leave the confines of the internet. I troll around it looking for fun recipes and crafts, and then I actually make the things I pin.

This week I decided to try my hand at melted crayon art. Here is an example http://pinterest.com/pin/67483694386609785/

For my project, I wanted to make a sun, but I'm a realist so I did a test run with other, non-sun colors. I don't particularly enjoy leaving the crayon wrappers on, as I think it ruins the mystique of the project. So step 1 is remove the crayon wrappers. I spent an hour and half peeling the wrappers off before I realized that if I soaked the paper wrappers in a tub of water, then they would fall off on their own.

Step 2, plan your design. I opted for an oval mirror (8x10in) set in the middle of rectangular canvas (18x24in). I wanted a circle mirror, but Joe said he didn't like the circles and preferred ovals, so that's what we went with.

Step 3, glue the mirror to the canvas securely. No one wants 7 years of bad luck for 2 hours of crafting fun. Next I glued the crayons in place, using a light amount of glue. Since the crayons will be melted to the canvas soon, secure gluing is not necessary.

Step 4, get out 1 hair dryer. I am emphasizing the 1 here because my sister(-in law) Angela and I tried using 2 at once, and blew a circuit in the house. This worked out okay though because the person not blowing the hot air could tilt the canvas.

Step 5, which should probably come before step 3, LAY SOME PAPER DOWN to catch the melting wax.

Step 6, set your blaster to high heat and melt your crayons. Angle the dryer into the canvas so wax doesn't go everywhere. The crayons will take a minute or so before they really start melting, but then the wax will start running like water. When you have a color pattern you like, turn the dryer off, and let the crayons solidify.

Here is the finished product! 

Sábado Gigante

Cranes and towers indicating
the location of la Sagrada Familia

Sábado Gigante is a game show on Telemundo which, when literally translated, means giant Saturday, which is what we experienced in Spain. After our tour of the music museum, we stepped outside, curious where to head next. The skyline answered that question for us, with a glimpse of the towers and the cranes of la Sagrada Família. The basilica has been under construction since 1883, is not expected to reach completion until 2026, and was designed by Antoni Gaudí, a leader in the mondernisme art movement. His style is reflected throughout the city of Barcelona, but la Sagrada Família is his crowning glory. Gaudí died in 1926, but the work has continued after him, relying on his detailed plans and instructions. If the building is completed in 2026, it will be 100 years after the master architect died.

Quaker Parrots in a Barcelona, Spain park

En route to the basilica, we passed through a park, where we noticed a green bird in with the pigeons. We were amazed and stopped to take its picture, only to be further flabbergasted when we rounded a corner, and saw a flock of dozens! These birds are Monk parakeets, also known as Quaker parrots, and are actually an invasive species in Spain, introduced most likely by people releasing their pets into the wild.

La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

Leaving the parrots behind, we proceeded to one of the grandest sights on our European tour. As a teen learning Spanish, this building was always part of the curriculum, and I had wanted to visit since it was first brought to my attention. The structure did not disappoint, it was unlike anything I have ever seen before, a riot of colors and textures all competing for attention from the thousands who flock there daily. Amidst all this, construction continues, evidenced by the cranes and occasional gaping holes in the ground to lay more foundation.

Construction continues on la Sagrada Familia
in Barcelona, Spain

The towers called to mind, a beehive with a sort of honeycombed appearance. They are colorful, painted as ancient temples used to be, and adorned with fruit. At the base of the towers, the beehives morphed into mud wasp nests, clumps of mud piled atop each other with tunnels to the interior. At present, only 8 of 18 towers have been completed, and I would appreciate returning in the somewhat distant future to observe the completed building. I’m not sure if I would call the outside beautiful, breathtaking to be sure, but beauty is more questionable. The statuary and sculptures I enjoyed; they were not lifelike, and looked to be carved with a rough hand, but I appreciated the simplicity and starkness of the pieces.

Stained glass windows inside
La Sagrada Familia
Barcelona, Spain

 

Towers and lights inside la Sagrada Familia
Barcelona, Spain

Scale model of a finished
Sagrada Familia

The inside, is most definitely beautiful, and is a glory to behold. It was the brightest place in Barcelona that day, and the way light was designed to enter the building could make me believe the day was sunny instead of gray. The columns were designed to look like trees, and the stained glass windows were abstract images combining color in a pleasing manner. The entire space was amazing, and I highly recommend it to all who visit. While the entrance price of 13 euro may seem steep, remember that your ticket is buying further construction work, and you get to be a part of it.

Spanish Adventures

Being in Spain was a lot of fun, though I’m not sure Catalonia is representative of the whole country, especially since Catálan is prominent there, a mix of Spanish and French (sort of). Still it was very refreshing to be able to understand the people around me and to communicate with them.

When we arrived at our hotel, it was already evening, so the city was not able to impress me with any architecture or parks, as it was too dark to see them. We ended up getting dinner at a place near the beach, and ate it outside, a perfect evening. With the Mediterranean Sea air washing over us as we sipped our first authentic pitcher of sangria, we could not ask for more. The restaurant was on a sort of promenade, like a wide alley, about the size of a road, but only for pedestrians and bikers to enjoy.

The next morning did not bring the sunshine and balmy weather promised, but a gray day fraught with drizzles and chill, wet winds. I was not quite a happy camper that morning. Furthermore, when Joe went to check into our return flight (you can do this up to 36hrs ahead of time) he found their site wasn’t working, due to the unforeseen (?) cause of bankruptcy. Our airline had no money, and had cancelled all flights until further notice, in fact, it appeared we had arrived on one of their last ever flights. We did manage to check in using the carrier airline, Lufthansa, so it seemed that mess managed to work itself out.

As for the rain . . . it altered our plans a bit, in that we would not be traipsing around the city visiting outdoor parks, but instead content ourselves with more indoor attractions. Our first stop was the music museum; free thanks to our Barcelona cards, where we travelled through time via historic musical instruments. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed, but we were able to listen to recordings of the historic instruments, and it was a fun way to spend the morning. http://www.bcn.es/museumusica/en/Historia.html

HIE

Our hotel this trip was the Holiday Inn Express, chosen for its location in the center of the sites we wanted to see. Upsides, the hotel was cheap and came with a free breakfast included. It had wi-fi for a fee, and cable with a few English channels. Downsides, no restaurant in the hotel and no room service, so after a day of travelling, you still have to leave the place to get any dinner. Also, at this particular hotel, there was a smoking patio outside that carried echoing voices up to our room. In the past we’ve stayed in soundproofed rooms (though never intentionally), and the difference here was noticeable. 

Kicking it Old School

View of the Alps out the plane window

Awhile back, for funsies, I was checking out the prices of flights to certain areas around Europe, and I found that we could fly to Barcelona for the weekend for only 200 euro, total. We settled on 27-29 of January, and bought the tickets. Joe was worried we wouldn’t be able to bring luggage or be charged for it at the gate, and I assured him, no this wasn’t some janky airline, it was Spanair, a star-alliance member, and we would be fine.

To arrive at the airport in Munchen we had a couple options, one of which was parking the (rental) car there all weekend. We decided to call this plan B in case something went wrong, and take the train into Munchen instead. This enabled to walk to the train station and not have to pay to keep the car anywhere. So we bundled up into many layers, to be shed later in the warmer climes of Spain, and set out for the train station. 40 minutes and 3.5km later we arrived, very cold, but early.

Here in Germany, there is a train ticket called the lander-pass, which allows you to travel anywhere in your region, all day, for only 29 euro. We had plans to purchase one of these, but found an older woman who was also travelling to the airport and had already bought her ticket. We gave her 10 euro to tag along, and hopped a train to Freissing. Here we got off the train and waited in the cold for 10 minutes, before taking a bus to the Munchen airport, called Flughafen, incidentally my most favorite German word.

We checked into the flight, boarded and settled in for our 2 hour flight southwest. I fell asleep midflight, but suddenly woke up (fate) and looked out the window to see the snow covered peaks of the Alps. Most amazing view of them is from above, though maybe within, I haven’t tried that yet.

After landing, we obtained our Barcelona cards. I found these cards online, and they are quite handy. The main perk was transportation–this card can be used on all public transportation, and unlimited number of times, for a set number of days. We had a 3 day card, enabling us to get transport to and from the airport and within the city. In addition, there are discounts at museums, restaurants, spas, etc. across the city, as well as free passes to a select number of places.

We used the card to get to our hotel, riding first a bus from the airport terminal to the train terminal, a train to the metro station, and then a series of metro trains until the stop that we thought was closest to our hotel before walking the remaining 3 blocks. As it turned out there was a closer station, which we used in the future. 

Shopping on the Glass Road

Snow covered Zwiesel, Germany
The building on the left is the Schott Zwiesel Kristallglas Factory

When we went to Passau, and visited the Glasmuseum, I expected to find all kinds of stores brimming with hand-blown glass, just waiting to be bought. This was not the case. We hiked all over the town and could not find an open glass store anywhere. We also did not see many (any? I can’t remember) open glass shops. So even though we were in the heart of Bohemian glass country, we went home empty handed.

To rectify this situation, I started on the Glasmuseum’s website, where I remembered they had a link to the “Glass-road” website http://www.die-glasstrasse.de/. This site details the cities along a 250km scenic route centered on glass. I then clicked on the shopping tab, and started running through the cities listed as selling lots and lots of glass.

I settled on Zwiesel (sssvy-sel) because it seemed (from online pictures) like it would be the cutest town to visit. It is also well known for its cross-country skiing trails and downhill ski resorts. I was hoping maybe we could find a place to ski, but there was nothing within walking distance of the train. Another perk of Zwiesel was its location, we could pay 29 euro to ride the train there and back. To get there, we rode a train to Plattling and changed trains to ride one into Zwiesel. The train into Zwiesel consisted of 2 engine cars, allowing the train to travel in both directions, but making the whole train not much larger than a city bus.

Regensburg has had relatively mild weather during our visit here. We’ve seen a few snow flurries, but nothing has stuck, and we’ve seen lots of rain. Zwiesel had OVER A FOOT of snow. The town’s webcam did not prepare me for this, and I am beginning to think it may not have been updated in awhile. Luckily, we had work our hats and boots, so we were not frozen solid.

As per usual, it was lunchtime when we arrived so our first priority was getting something to eat. We settled on the local brewery, Dampfbier Zwiesel, and I am so glad we did. The wait staff spoke English, which we did not expect in a town of 9,000 people. Furthermore, the guy was a joker–he had a fake bottle of ketchup he pretended to spray (I tried to dive out of the way before I realized it was fake) and a fake glass of beer, which he pretended to dump on Joe, causing a gasp of surprise from the old ladies sitting behind us. The food was delicious and the beer was unique. Dampfbier is steam beer, and method of brewing that is unique to Zwiesel. According to their website, http://www.dampfbier.de/_dampfbier.htm, they use malted barley because hops and wheat were a rare commodity in the Bavarian forest. It is a very tasty beer, and I always enjoy trying out new brews.

There were plentiful glass shops in Zwiesel, and I would love to go back on a weekday, when more are open (we did a lot of window shopping) but we were able to find hand-blown items to bring home, including some beautiful flowers and a carved bud-vase in which to display them. 

Nurnberger

Interior of St. Lorenz Church

Joe says Nurnberger a lot now, similar to the character in 30 Rock who repeatedly says his own last name, Hornberger. This show is funny and weird, if you haven’t seen it, get on it, because it routinely cracks me up. Alright moving on . . . . to Nurnberg, Germany. This is yet another city that English speakers decided to translate, you may know it as Nuremburg, and while this confusing, I checked, and they are in fact the same city.

(Joe’s) Work brought us to the city at 10am. To make it there at this time we had to wake up at 5:30am, leaving ample time to accomplish various preparatory steps before we left. When we arrived we were quite tired, a little hungry (since we breakfasted at 6), and VERY cold because it was -7 degrees Celsius outside. Our attitudes coupled with the fact that we had visited the city in December during the Christkindlmarkt made us reluctant to tour around the city. We agreed to have lunch and then go back to Regensburg.

Destruction from WWII Bombing at St. Sebaldus

En route to lunch we popped into the first of 3 churches we would visit that day, St. Lorenz. This was necessary as it was not even 11:30 yet, and most places were not yet open for lunch. Inside the church, we discovered that giant cathedrals built hundreds of years ago tend not to have heat. So being inside the building shaves maybe 2 degrees off the temperature, making it a balmy -5 degrees Celsius. After lunch, we visited 2 more churches, Frauenkirche Nurnberg and St. Sebaldus.

St. Sebaldus inside St. Sebaldus Church

Each of these churches has managed to rebuild their glory following the destruction of World War II. Nurnberg was a hotbed of Nazi activity and it is estimated that some 6,000 were killed during the air raids, which leveled parts of the city. St. Sebaldus has a series of photograph posters, detailing the how the church rose from the ashes. Also inside St. Sebaldus church is St. Sebaldus, inside a richly detailed reliquary. I love reliquaries and pilgrimage churches, and there are 2 high on my list; Canterbury and Santiago de Compostela. More fun facts, Johann Pachelbel, as in Pachelbel’s Canon, as in I walked down the aisle to that song, was an organist in St. Sebaldus for over a decade.

Frauenkirche Nurnberg

Frauenkirche Nurnberg had a contentious history long before parts of it were destroyed by the Allies. It was built on the site of a Jewish synagogue following a pogrom in 1349. This parallels further treatment of Jews, during the Nazi regime, as Nurnberg was where all their rights as German citizens were revoked in 1935. To make amends for this treatment, the first of many war trials were held in Nurnberg (The Nuremberg Trials). I digress, back to Fraunkirche  . . . . It was designed to be the holding place of the Holy Roman Emperor’s crown and scepter, and was designed to appear as a giant case. Inside, it is small, further evidence indicating it wasn’t designed to be a large parish church, but a place for housing the symbols of the Holy Roman Emperor’s power.

Moving away from churches, Nurnberg has other tourist attractions. The city is famous for their Nurnberger Rostbrautwurst, which can only be produced in the city of Nurnberg (to earn the name). Joe ordered his to go in a bun, like a sandwich.

Nurnberg Castle

Nurnberg is a medieval city, still surrounded by the old fortifications. The wall is open to the public, with many places to walk along or through it. On top of a hill stands the old medieval castle, still protected by the walls. It is very quaint looking, and has a pleasant panoramic view of the city. The castle is now a museum and for a moderate price you can spend a couple hours following a guide around the castle tour.

And finally, Nurnberg is the home of Albrecht Durer. Unless your name is Megan Fox, you may be wondering who this guy is, and the answer is complicated. I knew of him from his prints, made by applying ink to wood or metal carvings and making copies. However, if you judge him only on these works, you will be missing huge facets of his other works. He painted and made altar pieces, and made star charts, and wrote treatises on mathematics and anatomy. Truly, a renaissance man, though I guess that is only funny if you know he is from the renaissance. Regardless, check it out for yourself, here is a link to a complete collection of his work http://www.albrecht-durer.org/