100 Horse Chestnut Tree

During October a friend and I took a drive up to Sant’ Alfio to visit the Hundred Horse Chestnut tree.  It was a beautiful day and we took a little picnic for the kids.  

The Hundred Horse Tree is recorded as the largest and oldest chestnut tree known.  It is estimated be be between 2,000 – 4,000 years old and measured at about 190 ft circumference when it was measured in 1780.  The tree has split into several trunks above the surface, but they all share the same root system.

Legend has it that the Queen of Aragon along with her company of 100 knights were caught in a thunderstorm and they all took refuge under the tree.  The following is a poem written in Sicilian translated into English. 

Un pedi di castagna	A chestnut tree
tantu grossu	was so large
ca ccu li rami so' forma un paracqua	that its branches formed an umbrella
sutta di cui si riparò di l'acqua,	under which refuge was sought from the rain
di fùrmini, e saitti	from thunder bolts and flashes of lightning
la riggina Giuvanna	by Queen Giuvanna
ccu centu cavaleri,	with a hundred knights,
quannu ppi visitari Mungibeddu	when on her way to Mt Etna
vinni surprisa di lu timpurali.	was taken by surprise by a fierce storm.
D'allura si chiamò	From then on so was it named
st'àrvulu situatu 'ntra 'na valli	this tree nestled in a valley and its courses
lu gran castagnu d'i centu cavalli.	the great chestnut tree of one hundred horses

Written by Giuseppe Bordrello

 

  There was a little apple orchard next to the tree and I want to go back in the Fall to collect apples for apple butter!

Barcelona, Spain

Greg called one morning and said he found round trip tickets getting us to Barcelona, Spain for about $50 a piece.  Say what?!  Needless to say, I was ready to pack a bag and promptly the phrase “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain…” began running through my head.  We arrived at an airport about an hour outside of Barcelona, rented a car (for about $100), and stayed at a nice hotel (about $80 a night, including a free buffet breakfast).  We were just outside of Barcelona, so we had to walk about 5 minutes to the train station, then ride for 30 minutes or so into the city.  The weather was perfect and we were off to a great start!

 We arrived in the late afternoon starving only to realize dinner service didn't begin until 9pm.  What did this mean?  McDonalds was our first dinner in Spain!

I didn’t realize, but Barcelona is a very large city.  There is a little bit for everyone… art, architecture, aquariums, amusement parks, shopping, eating, drinking, and really the list could go on. 

   

We try very hard to keep a balance of “boring” adult sightseeing and child friendly activities.  We can stand in line for an hour to see the La Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi’s masterpiece with ornate carvings, breathtaking stained glass, and wild steeple tops…

 Inside of the Cathedral

Below are carvings on the outside of La Sagrada Familia depicting the birth of Christ and the Crucifixion

And visit Park Guell, while intended to be a garden community, only had 2 homes completed and was eventually turned into a public park…

only with the promise of “Fun World” (an amusement park on top of the Tibidabo mountain.  It has a real name, but Fun World is what Greg named it) being our next destination.  Honestly, Brady could have eaten cotton candy and taken a whirl on the carousel and he would have left a happy camper.  We also went on an airplane ride and the kids played on larger than life dice and dominoes.  There was an additional side the park that had rides for the older kids, but we didn’t pay for or venture that far.

 View overlooking the city

The best decision we made was to get tickets for the Hop on Hop off bus.  We were able to hear the history of the city and landmarks, while riding comfortably and getting off wherever we pleased.  The second day we visited the aquarium…

Were able to see the Christopher Columbus statue on Christopher Columbus Day!

He's in the middle between the boat masts.  I was going to crop it, but thought it was proper to have him surrounded by boats

And ended the day at Poble Espanyol, an open air museum of reproductions of various Spanish architectural styles.  Various craftsmen and vendors set up shops and sold their handmade goods.  It is a true pleasure for me to support people making things they love.  I love the sense of pride, heart, vision, and drive it takes to create.  There were glassblowers, ironsmiths, jewelry makers, and even a man making guitars!

All in all, it was a wonderful vacation and we had a great time as a family.  Barcelona is certainly a booming metropolis with a palpable heartbeat.