There are advantages to having God as a client, the 19th century Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi once said.

There's no need to rush, he explained, because God has all the time in the world.

So, 126 years since the first stone was laid for his magnificent La Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona, the place is finally getting a roof.

It's been described as a melting mudpie, a fairy-tale fantasy, Magic Kingdom gone sacred. More than 2 million people visit the site every year to marvel over Gaudi's Gothic- inspired masterpiece of Modernisme.

Gaudi never expected it to be finished in his lifetime, although he dedicated the last 40 years of his life to obsessively and patiently working on the cathedral. He carefully planned for it to be completed in stages by subsequent generations.

In fact, the current chief architect, now in his 80s, has been on the project for 20 years, following in his father's footsteps. He says he'll keep working on it as long as he's able to manage the cathedral's many stairs, but he doesn't expect to live long enough to see it completed.

The roof work, which will cover the vaults of the transepts and the apse, should be done by 2010, allowing religious ceremonies and cultural events to finally be held within its wall. The current prediction is that the crowning element of the Sagrada Familia -- the 550-foot central Tower of Jesus -- will be finished in 2025.

In 1984, UNESCO declared several Gaudi structures as World Heritage Sites and, in 1985, expanded it to include portions of the Sagrada Familia that were completed during his lifetime.

The Tourist Office of Spain says the architect "embraced modern technological innovations and developed complex inverted weight studies to develop his plans for the Sagrada Familia.

"Drawing on his love of nature, he developed columns that tilted like trees and forked at the top like branches," it explains. "Upon entering the nave and as light filters in from its stained-glass windows, visitors have the sensation of walking under a forest's canopy. For Gaudi, not only the decoration, but the actual structure of the church should reflect religious symbolism. The Cathedral's stunning silhouette, with its many towers, has become Barcelona's icon and, when completed, is destined to have 18 towers, representing the twelve apostles, the four evangelicals and Mary and Jesus."

Admission to the Sagrada Familia is 10 euros, students and seniors 8 euros, and tickets can be purchased at the entrance or online at telentrada.com. Information and images of the Sagrada Familia can be found at sagradafamilia.org. Information on traveling in Spain is at spain.info.

Bouncing babies

Why don't infants have to wear seatbelts on airplanes?

The 400-pounder inextricably wedged into his seat has to buckle up in case of bad turbulence or a rough landing, but a wee infant is left to become a human projectile under the same circumstances.

The Dallas-based Baby B'Air Company has come up with a solution -- the Baby B'Air Flight Vest for lap- sitting children under two.

It's a safety-restraint vest that attaches to the adult's seatbelt and keeps the baby snugly restrained during flight. In testing, it has been found to exceed the FAA stress test levels. It has been approved by the FAA for use inflight but is still awaiting approval during takeoff, taxi and landing.

Made of 100 per cent cotton, it can be ordered for $34.95 US from babybair.com.

Cross-border connection

Who better than a Canadian to end the season at an American attraction?

Juno-winning songbird Sass Jordan will be the final featured attraction of the summer at Artpark in Lewiston, N.Y. She'll be onstage for a free concert on Wednesday, Aug. 27, after a 6:30 opening act The Filter Kings.

Jordan's CV includes singer, songwriter, VJ, radio host, acting, Canadian Idol and stage partner to the Rolling Stones and AC/DC in the 2003 SARS relief concert in Toronto.

Also appearing next week at the outdoor amphitheatre across the river are The Irish Tenors Anthony Kearns, Finbar Wright and Karl Scully. They'll sing on Monday, Aug. 25, at 8 p.m. with tickets ranging from $37.50 to $55.

Parking on site is $6.

For details or tickets, call 716-754-4375, go to the Artpark website at artpark.net or visit tickets.com.

Planning w-a-a-y ahead

It's almost two years from now, but when an event happens only once in 10 years, you don't want to miss the boat.

Or in this case, the plane ... to Germany in June 2010 for the 41st production of the Oberammergau Passion Play.

Residents of the Bavarian village have been staging the play since 1634 after townspeople vowed they would perform the passion of Christ every 10 years if God spared them from the bubonic plague that was sweeping the region.

Local travel agents Judy and Al Wilson of Jual Travel Consulting are organizing an excursion to Switzerland, Austria and Germany, including Oberammergau. There's an information night planned for Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. at Tansley Woods Community Centre in Burlington, where the couple will go over the itinerary and details.

Highlights include a train ride on the narrow-gauge Glacier Express through the Alps, a cruise on Lake Lucerne, a tour of Zermatt, a walking tour of Innsbruck and an in-depth exploration of Munich.

The fare of $5,599 per person, double, includes air and land transportation, taxes and surcharges, door-to-door airport service, 16 meals and other features. Contact Judy Wilsonat 905-529-5825 or e-mail her at jualtravel@cogeco.ca.

Oy vey!

A Jewish Jimi Hendrix? Yiddish hip-hop renegades? A klezmer garage band? Argentinian Yiddish tango?

All that and more is in store next week at Toronto's seventh Ashkenaz Festival, one of the world's largest public celebrations of Yiddish and Jewish culture. As many as 75 artists and groups from Canada and around the world will participate in various musical and artistic performances.

One of the theatrical events is a production of If Cows Could Fly, written and performed by Dora award-winning actor, singer and klezmer musician Allan Merovitz. Hamiltonians can get a sneak preview of this show when Merovitz takes it to Beth Jacob Synagogue on Thursday, Aug. 28, for a 7 p.m. curtain. Tickets to the play that the CBC's Avril Benoit calls "a lovely heartwarming evening for the whole family" are $25, $10 for students and children under 18 and can be reserved by calling 905-522-1351.

The Ashkenaz Festival is on from Aug. 26 through Sept. 1 at Harbourfront Centre. Tickets can by purchased in person at the Harbourfront Centre box office at 235 Queens Quay West, by phone at 416-973-4000 or online at ashkenazfestival.com.

Street walkers

Stone churches, fenced mansions, classic Ontario architecture and early industry combine to make Guelph a perfect city to tour on foot.

The Guelph Arts Council's popular walking tours of the town resume tomorrow after a brief hiatus. The guided tours held until Oct. 21, are offered every Sunday at 2 p.m., starting at different locations, depending on the day's tour. There are five different routes.

Cost is $3 a person, and tours take about two hours to complete.

See guelpharts.ca/guelphartscouncil (use the search function or click the link in featured events), or call 519-836-3280.

mnolan@thespec.com

905-628-5928

Talk back to Mary K. Nolan on her Internet blog by going to the Traveller site and clicking on Roaming: the travel blog