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Tibidabo
On top of the Collserola
Get above it all by take a trip up to Barcelona's balcony Tibidabo and its fun fair, especially on a clear day. Do check the weather before setting out.
Its name, peculiar even to Catalan ears, comes from the Gospel of St Matthew, as the devil tempted Christ in the desert: ‘Haec omnia tibi dabo si cadens adoraberis me’ (‘All this I will give to you if you will fall down and worship me’). The Catalans in their wisdom, relocated the famous encounter to Barcelona, believing it offered a far greater test of character than the rocky old Sinai.
On the very top is the ghastly Templo Expiatorio del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús del Tibidabo (1886-1961). No, Gaudí's Sagrada Família is simply not church enough to expiate all of Barcelona's sins. It needs this one too. Ever since it opened in 1961, someone has been in the sanctuary praying 24/7.
On the way to the top
Image by Laura Cuttier