Climbing Tibidabo! A nice little Sunday.

I realize the reason I don’t post on a regular basis is that uploading photos isn’t intuitive, and it’s a bit clunky. I want to share what we are doing so I am throwing up my hands on the photos for now. Too many days have passed where I have something fun or silly to share, so here goes…

We’ve been meaning to hike around Tibidabo since we arrived and finally carved out the time this past Sunday to explore. After I played a great game of doubles with a friend and new acquantances, we hopped a cab which brought us to one side of the “mountain,” dropping us along the side of the road. We walked along the road on a well-travelled foot path wondering where the actual hiking and nature was that we wanted. After a few minutes we saw the group in front of us cross the road and jump on a gravel path. We followed behind. Success at finding a steep and rocky and shaded path! After a about 10 minutes we were united with the main trail finding ourselves among others out to enjoy a perfect Sunday. The path was wide enough for mountain bikers and walkers and adorable dogs. We followed along and found ourselves at the top surrounded by spectacular views. Along the way we were wowed by clear views to the Mediterranean and vistas up and down the coast. We could see nearly all of Barcelona. We spotted the field where Lilly plays lacrosse each week too. At the very top we were treated to views of snow-capped Pyrenees – but when we twisted our heads we saw the Mediterranean and the beach. Really, really good stuff!

Wandering to the foot of the famous church, we snapped off a quick photo or two and set off towards the bottom. Oh – at the top there is also a fun little amusement park. Electing to head down the other side of the mountain, we decided to walk and see just what this side had to offer. We had other grand views of the coast and could see straight to our neighborhood. We cut in and out of gravel paths and the side of the one road leading to the top. The cable car station was abandoned and is not currently run (sad, no tourists). We carried on, winding through a beautiful shady park. When we eventually found ourselves at the bottom we toyed with the idea of grabbing a bus back home, but because we hadn’t meandered in this part of the city we hoofed it back home. It is literally ONE long, lovely street from the base of the mountain to our apartment about 3 miles away. Hunger set in at some point so we grabbed hot dogs and fries, sat on a nearby park bench and recharged. With full bellies we carried on to home.

I don’t know that I’ve explained the latest lockdown/restrictions here in Barcelona, and they are worth noting. Restaurants are only allowed to offer in person dining between the hours of 8-9:30 am and 1:00 – 3:30 pm, and takeout can carry on throughout the day, ending at 10:00. There is a 10:00 curfew. We are also not allowed to leave Barcelona proper – AT ALL. Oh, and retail stores that are non-essential must close on Saturday and Sunday. And any stores over 400M can’t be open at all (shopping malls, large department stores, bookstore, etc.). It’s all so strange and surreal. In order to work around things we have developed a bit of a new “routine.” I have class from 9-1 Monday through Friday so David and the kids hang out then. Because we are up late that usually means the kid sleep in and get rolling later than they probably should. We typically make reservations for lunch about 2-3 days a week, taking advantage of the only time we are all available for a meal. David starts his work day around 3:00 and we start school. Dinners have changed since we can’t do late night dining like we so enjoyed early on. Now it’s takeout or a simple home cooked meal.

The sun was shining and all was right in the world for us. Even though the stores and restaurants were shuttered we had a full day. The view from our corner straight up to the top of Tibidabo we are gifted each day is grand (the road we walked home). Fun to finally climb to the top and see what all the fuss was about! We are grateful for all this beautiful city gives us every day.

*edit- I spent another 30 minutes fighting my phone, texting myself pictures from David’s phone and uploading to this post. This is not in my strike zone.