TIBIDABO, the backdrop to Barcelona!
February 16th, 2007
Barcelona has many symbols, whether it be Gaudi’s famous Sagrada Familia, the colour-changing fountains of Plaza España or the Ramblas, but for me an important and always visible symbol of Barcelona is ‘Tibidabo’. But what is it????
Well, it is quite simply a mountain to the North of the city, topped with a huge white church which can be seen from all corners. Tibidabo literally means ‘I will give to you ( all that you see)” which is apparently what the Devil said to Jesus whilst stood at the top of the hill. And he would have got a lot, since you can see the entire city from this point, from the Olympic park to the twin towers and beyond. On a clear day (which we are blessed with many of in Barcelona), you can see the bright blue coastline and even a boat or two if you have very good eyesight.
The thing I like about Tibidabo is that it has a lot to offer depending on what mood you are in.
The church itself is very pretty and certainly worth seeing and obviously most people go up the hill for the views, but there is also a fully functioning fair ground with roller coasters, a huge ferris wheel and a log flume ride for the thrill seekers.
Then at night time Tibidabo changes its’ mood again, with many posh restaurants and bars which attract the young and fabulous (I normally just get something to go!). The church is lit up with a bright golden light which shines over the city, and they say that if you are around Tibidabo hill at night, you can sometimes see wild boars. Thankfully I’ve never come across one, but they are not said to be too fearsome!
The journey to Tibidabo is quite eventful in itself, since it can take three different forms of transport - metro, tram and funicular (a small train that actually goes up the side of the hill), the views are definitely worth it!
I think visiting Tibidabo is a great Sunday afternoon activity, on a sunny day, with a picnic, camara and good book in tow! Enjoy 
/Janine
This entry was posted on Friday, February 16th, 2007 at 3:34 pm and is filed under General Barcelona, Nightlife, Other, Things to do. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
