San Giovanni dell'Autostrada

I actually really like ultra-modern churches,
and San Giovanni dell'Autostrada,
near Florence,
was a real treat to visit.

Why I Adore English Parish Churches

These are views of St. Andrew's Church in Minterne Magna.
Aside from the charming name,
I stopped because it was right on the road
as I was heading down a rural route to Dorchester
(to see an iron age hill fort known as Maiden Castle.)
I took a quick tour around.
It contains the tombs of Winston Churchill's ancestors.
See, this is why I like English parish churches so much.
Each of them has a story,
a connection,
something interesting about it.
And many have lovely examples of art as well.

Sightseeing in 104 Degrees

I really like mission churches,
and San Antonio Missions NHP has some good ones.
Good enough to trudge around even in incredible heat
(the car-monitored thermometer reached 104 degrees by mid afternoon).
I had a great time,
and I'm still having a great time in Austin,
just an hour's drive to the north,
but it's much better now that rain has cooled it down,
to about the low eighties.
I have more adventures to write about on this trip
(keeping my sister company;
she's at a conference and I got a plane ticket with my miles
so that I could come along)
but I'm really, really tired right now,
so I will write more later.

More Details of the Holy Family Shrine

The altar inside this church has a lovely crucifixion group behind it.
The whole sanctuary end is raised up, with a short flight of steps,
and a pool of water beneath it
(there's a lot of water on the site, and water symbolism).

At the base of the crucifix is a relief sculpture of wheat,
appropriate for Nebraska,
and of course appropriate for the Eucharist:

Just above the crucifix,
etched into the glass,
is an oval portrait of the Holy Family.
While it can be seen from inside or out,
my exterior photograph is one I like,
to show the setting:

The Joys of Road Trips

One of the great things about road trips is that you see unexpected things.
And if you are not in a hurry, you can stop to investigate them.
While just outside Omaha,
we saw this cool structure.
At first we thought it was a barn being raised,
but then we saw the fine woodwork,
and the glass windows,
and then lastly the crucifix in front--
and we realized it was a church!
So we pulled off at the next exit.
And lo and behold, a sign saying "Holy Family Shrine, 3 miles."
So we followed the signs, and came out onto this:

Not only is the church and the site stunning,
but the landscaping is sensitively and exquisitely done.
The sense of peace and calm that radiates from this spot is just incredible.
The church interior is nothing short of heavenly:

The glass walls and fine attention to detail
(even the light fixtures have crucifixes in them,
the floor is smoothed chunks of local limestone)
make this a wonderful, relaxing, spiritual place.
Outside, the cross image is also wonderfully done:

Christ's eyes are actually open,
and His cloth is fluttering the direction of the predominant wind blow
(we could tell, it's plenty windy up on that hill).
It's more of a Resurrection than a Crucifixion scene.

We spent a very happy hour at this site!

Augsburg City Center

The facade of the Rathaus (city hall):

The Goldener Saal (Golden Hall) of the Rathaus:

The Barfusserkirche next to the Rathaus.

Ceilings of Peterborough Cathedral

Getting to see Peterborough cathedral was an unexpected bonus this trip.
I will write all about my weekend adventures when I have time.
It's a gorgeous building!