Tibidabo in the Fog

In thinking about what we would do on Saturday, Oct 26th, we remembered that we had to go to the top of Tibidabo to view the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor (Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus).  This was our last and only chance to have direct transportation to the top.  

Arriving to the T2A bus in the Plaza de Cataluña, we were surprised that we had the bus to ourselves.  We also noticed that the metro was very quiet for a Saturday afternoon.  Once we hopped on the bus, Bobby realized were everyone in Barcelona was.  They were at or watching the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid soccer match.  The bus driver had the game on his radio so he and Bobby talked about the game and team for our ride up the mountain.  Amelie, Liam, and I saw many large screen televisions set up outside on restaurant's patios with the game broadcasting as we drove through the city.  People had on their jerseys with their flags wrapped around their backs.  If the ticket wasn't so expensive, Bobby would have definitely loved to join in the action.  Instead, he was going to visit a church on top mountain with me.  I am glad he loves me so! :)

The church was only open to the public from 18:30 to 20:00.  As we drove up the mountain, the clouds started rolling in and becoming very dense.  One of the draws to Tibidabo are the amazing views.  Unfortunately, we could not see more than 10 feet in front of us.   The kids loved walking through the fog, and were not put off in the least.  This was another chance for me to practice being flexible when the events were not occurring as I had envisioned.  

With a height of 1680 feet, Tibidabo marks the highest summit of the Collserola mountain range that borders the city to the north.   The Temple of Tibidabo's silhouette can be seen from all over Barcelona.    It's Barcelona's version of Sacré-Coeur in Paris.  I like saying Tibidabo.  I learned that the name derives from the Latin Bible verse, Matthew 4:9.  "…et dixit illi haec tibi omnia dabo si cadens adoraveris me" — "And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me."  This is because Catalan legend claims Jesus was tempted by the Devil here on top of this mountain.

A 100 year old amusement park neighbors the church.  It was odd hearing the sounds of the rides without really being able to see any.  As any child would, Amelie really wanted to visit the amusement park.  Instead, she was able to walk around the interior of the crypt of the church.  :)

The clouds would part intermittently revealing Jesus.