Back on top of Barcelona - Rich and Rose - Day 3

Having been to Barcelona already on several occasions, there were a few loose ends to tie up, and one of them was to get back to Tibidabo, the mountain overlooking the city. On their first visit in 2005, they had made it up there, but only very briefly at the end of the day, and so had been waiting for an opportunity to get back and explore. And on Monday that opportunity arose. The four of us headed up the mountain to the foot of the amusement park, which was closed for repairs and which, combined with the relatively chilly wind and off season,  made parking no problem at all. After parking we headed up, walking past the modernista houses which line the entrance, before arriving at the gates of the amusement park. Before us stood the Sagrada Cor Temple, visible from almost anywhere in Barcelona.

The Tibidabo mountain, coming from the Latin words Tibi Dabo (I will give you) comes from the Bible passage about the temptation of Christ, and the stained glass windows reflect that saying with various scenes of saints and from the Bible. The temple is the creation of architect Enric Sagnier, one of the most prolific, if undermentioned, architects of Barcelona's modernista  movement (close to 300 buildings in Barcelona are said to have been built by him). The first hermitage was established on the mountain in 1886, but the temple construction did not begin until 1902. You can still see the original hermitage at the base of the temple.


Aside from the grandeur of the temple itself, the views over the city are unbeatable. We spent several hours walking up and around the temple, and getting a lay of the city below, from Montjuic to Sagrada Familia and the Agbar Tower, the whole city spreads out before you, and it is both inspiring and humbling to realize just how much work has been done, and how much there is to do and see.

For more information about planning a private guided tour in Barcelona or Spain, contact The Spanish Touch at 888-480-0013.