David's Diary: Saturday, January 12, 2002
Part II: Tibadabo, Barcelona
Funicular Railway
We walked through Barri G̣tic to Catalunya Square where commuter railways offer easy rides to the outskirts of Barcelona. Our goal was Tibadabo, the hill to the North of Barcelona, visible from almost any part of the city. We knew that there was a funicular railway to Tibadabo so we caught the train to the Peu del Funicular train stop. The funicular ride up the hill was included in the price of our ticket so in just a few minutes we were wisked from the center of Barcelona to the shoulder of Tibadabo.
TV Tower
Our goal was the amusement park and church on top of Tibadabo. We had not taken the most direct route to our goal, but the television tower that dominates Tibadabo was only a short distance away and we started walking uphill towards it. The 228m Torre de Collserola telecommuncations and television tower was built in 1990-1992. You can visit the tower and ride an elevator to the top, but it is not open in January. We had to be satisfied with a view from the base of the imposing structure.
Temple del Sagrat Cor
It took us more than an hour to climb to the top of Tibadabo. While Jocelyn and Allen cheerfully used their scooters to travel the road to the top of the hill, we had to constantly wait for Kevin to make his way. I suspect that he's already missing his mother and his reluctance to join us is just an early indication of the challenges of the days ahead.
Once we reached the top, we saw the Parc d'Atraccions amusement park. Much to my surprise, none of the children were interesting in visiting. So we headed to Temple del Sagrat Cor, The Church of the Sacred Heart. It is really two churches, one built on top of the other. We didn't realize this at first and entered the lower church. We then found the elevator which took us to the top for spectacular views of Barcelona and the surrounding area. On the way down, the elevator stopped at the second level church and we were treated to a wonderful open space filled with light.
Tramvia Blau (Blue Tram)
Most people visit Tibadabo by taking the Tramvia Blau (Blue Tram) up the hill to the Tibadabo funicular railway that climbs through the woods at the base of the hill. We did the trip in reverse, riding the railway down the hill and then catching the tram for the rest of the route. A short walk took us to the railway station that delivered us back at Catalunya Square.
We had not had lunch, so we had lunch out. It was only 1:30, so we were still early for Spanish lunch, but we found a nice restaurant that was quite happy to serve us a sit-down lunch. Karalee has only been gone a few short hours, but the day seems long already. After lunch we took a half-hour to walk back to the boat. While my partner was gone, Jocelyn, Kevin, and Allen got to play with their friends on the dock. It should be an interesting couple of weeks.