January 4, 2012

• Barcelona, Spain

  

  Barcelona is a city of views. Wide views. Whether you go up Montjuïc, or up one of the towers of the Sagrada Familia, or up to Park Güell, you can get fantastic views over the city as it basks in the sun. The best view, also the most distant one, is from Tibidabo. This is a hill west of the city, and it, as well as the church on top of it, are visible from many parts of the city. Getting to Tibidabo requires a metro ride, a walk or tram ride, and then a funicular ride up the steep hill. This is what I did in the morning, and you can see it on the map below.

  
  View Barcelona 20120104 in a larger map

  From my hotel (blue placemark) I walked down to Plaça de Catalunya (blue line), having breakfast along the way. The red line is the metro line that then took me to the Av Tibidabo. Some people would then get on an antique tram (Tram Blau) to take them to the foot of the funicular ride, but I walked the short stretch. I was lucky that the funicular was going because typically it's closed in winter (as Colin, Andy and I once found out when we tried to go up Tibidabo in February) but today it was in operation. The view from Tibidabo is spectacular as the city lies majestically beneath you. There's an amusement park there as well, although today it was only partially running, and the aforementioned church, which I visited briefly.

  From Tibidabo I took a funicular ride back down again (hesitating for a moment whether I should walk down, given that I'm in a walking mood, but deciding against it due to a lack of maps), had lunch in a bar (again with a great view) and then walked towards Park Güell. I have visited the park many times, and it seems to get busier each time I am there, but it's still quite a pleasure, and besides it was on my way back to the hotel.

  In the evening I took things easier, no long distance walks (as the green line tells you) but I did manage to have a nice meal and I also went to my 'neighbourhood' bar, which I've not done every night yet. A very sunny day, a very relaxed day! And only 7.6 miles / 12.2 kilometers of walking today...

  • 12:07 pm
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