Placa Sant Jaume

Sam and I took the long route to our second and major destination for the day - we walked for about an hour in the heat of the summer sun. It provided a real insight into the outer suburbs of Barcelona, but the going was hard as it was hilly terrain. The hills are clearly the domain of the rich in Barcelona because some of the houses could only be described as mansions.

We arrived at the foot of Mt Tibadabo and caught the Funicular up the mountain. This is a tram that travels up the very steep hill, similar to the Scenic Railway in the Blue Mountains, except it goes even longer.

The effort to get to the top of this mountain was well worth it. The views over Barcelona were amazing. It is difficult to think of a city that has a better vantage point from which ti view the entire city.

There is an amusement park on top of the mountain which has utlized the height to maximum effect by building ferris wheels, and other scary rides which a placed in a precarious point on the edge of the mountain. Sam and I could not resist going on the Ferris Wheel, which is quite a scary ride given that the mountain drops away beneath the ride.

We then went to climb the to the church which is perched even higher on the hill. In the first level of the church we discovered a lift that was able to take us to the top level of the church. From there we could climb even higher, right up inside the highest steeple. The view from here was so spectacular it was beyond all expectations. We had 180 degree views. Not only could we see the whole of Barcelona stretched out before us in one direction, the eastern half of the view, but looking west we could see all the way to Mt Montserrat where the famous Monastery is located and all the settlements on the other side of the hills which form a natural boundary of the city. We could also look northwards and see the Pyrenees which form the natural divide between Spain and France.

The view was spectacular. It took our breath away. I cannot remember having such a high vantage point in any other city. Those visiting Barcelona should not miss this amazing perspective of Barcelona. We stayed up there for an hour - a fitting way to end our visit to this unique Spanish city, the capital of Catalunya.Meer informatie