Tibidabo in Barcelona

This Magic Mountain can be seen from many different view points in the city of Barcelona and looks particularly striking at night when it is lit up and shines like gold. The Mountain of Tibidabo is 512 metres in altitude and is the highest point of the Collserola hills. Up until recently the amusement park there was in disarray but has recently been restored by the Generalitat of Catalunya. Famous for its hall of mirrors, it’s old charm and the fact that it was created 100 years ago, Tibidabo amusement park now has new attractions such as; the Plane, the Carrousel, the Automata Museum, the Talaia, the Panoramic and three children's rides Les Llaunes, Pony Rodeo and Río Grande.

There is also a 12minute film, subtitled in Spanish and English in the Cel building which tracks the history of Tibidabo over the years starting from the 1920’s to the present day. It primarily celebrates the 100th anniversary of Tibidabo and shows its close links to the history of Barcelona. The amusement park dates back to 1899, to the founding of the “Tibidabo Company” by the pharmaceutical pioneer Salvador Andreu. One of his aims was for people to have somewhere in the city where they could come and relax and thus created this special recreational area on the hilltop.

After leaving your Barcelona hotel or Barcelona apartment, make your way over to Tibidabo by train (L7) to “Av Tibidabo”, then take the funicular, Tramvia Blau or Tibidabo Bus up to the top. You can also catch the Tibibus from Plaça Catalunya, which runs from 10:30 everyday. The Blue Tram and the Funicular were inaugurated on 29th Oct 1901, and shortly afterwards the first attractions were installed on Tibidabo. The park still conserves some of the most significant ones that have filled it during its hundred years of existence: for example, the Castle of Terror and the Big Dipper. One of its most unusual items is the aeroplane, which dates from 1928 and is a replica of the model that made the first flight between Barcelona and Madrid.

If you want to see a bit more than just the amusement park, Tibidabo is home to other interesting sites such as The Fabra Observatory and the Experimental Physics Museum. As well as this, the two buildings erected between 1901 and 1905: the first by Camil Fabra, the Marquis of Alella, who built the astronomical observatory which bears his name, designed by Josep Domènech i Estapà, and the latter, nearby, in 1905, built by Ferran Alsina; the museum of experimental physics named “La Mentora”, which, due to the great interest of its collection of scientific apparatus of the time, has been conserved to the present day. Finally, in 1908 the slopes of the mountain were converted into a municipal park and it is lovely to take a walk here and leisurely make your way back to your Barcelona accommodation.

Luis Buñuel's “The Exterminating Angel” adaption by Joan Ollé in the Theatre Today!

Joan Ollé’s adaption of the infinitely successful film “The Exterminating Angel”, or in original Spanish “El ángel exterminador”, by Luis Buñuel, is hitting the stage in Barcelona on Thursday 10th July. There is plenty of central Barcelona accommodation so you can be close to the theatre. A film which explores the relationship between reality and dreams, this show is set to be an exciting portrayal of human nature in the most dire situations. The film, originally entitled "The Outcasts of Providence Street", was renamed "The Exterminating Angel" after Buñuel picked it from an unfinished play his friend José Bergamín was writing at the time. After a night at the opera, a group of wealthy aristocrats meets for dinner. As the evening draws to a close, none of the guests are able to leave the dining room. There is no reason for this; they simply find themselves trapped. The days wear on, and etiquette is gradually forgotten. Food becomes short, and the filth begins to pile up. Conflicts begin to appear amongst the trapped partygoers. The movie was released in Mexico in 1962, and was just as critical as its predecessor “Viridiana” had been.

Bunuel made “El ángel exterminador” following his long exile from Spain after the Spanish Civil War, where he was invited back to his country of origin in 1960 by General Francisco Franco and asked to direct a film of his choice. Buñuel wrote and directed Viridiana, which starred Silvia Pinal and was produced by her then-husband, Gustavo Alatriste. It was the first film Buñuel made in his native country. Released in 1961, it sparked great controversy both in Spain and the Vatican, and as such, all existing negatives were ordered to be destroyed. The film, however, won the Palme d'Or at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, and copies of the movie that had been shipped to Paris survived and were subsequently distributed. Viridiana was released in Spain 16 years later, in 1977.

The play is set to take place at Teatre Grec, Pg Santa Madrona, 36 (Poble Sec) and it would be an idea to rent a Barcelona hotel or Barcelona apartment in the centre of Barcelona (only a few stops away from Poble Sec on the green line). The play is being held here between the 10th and 13th of July and starts at 10pm, costing 28€ per person.



Of his adaption, Ollé says that just as Marcel Duchamp painted a moustache on Mona Lisa, he has painted a moustache on Bunuel. Olle describes his work as a game that ‘won’t do any harm to the film’ as his script stays loyal to the film. Olle hasn’t wanted to speak about the political motivations of Bunuel’s film as he sees them as obvious and it’s just as obvious that the interpretations speak of a fear of freedom, rites of sacrifice and of the opposition between activism and passiveness.

La Diada de Sant Jordi

Did you forget Valentine’s Day? Did it turn out a new iron wasn’t such a good gift after all? Well have no fear because that initial yearly sentence in the dog house for such a blatant lack of chivalry or romance can be dramatically shortened thanks to one Saint George.

On the 23rd April the Catalan population will be exchanging roses and books in a historical, yet highly commercial, display of affection. Sant Jordi (as he is known in Catalan) is the patron saint of the six million inhabitants of Catalonia and he was said to be a very romantic and chivalrous guy. ‘The Day of Lovers’ begins with men giving their novias a rose in exchange for a book. The rose has been associated with this day ever since medieval times, but the introduction of the book was a clever marketing ploy taking advantage of the fact that the deaths of both Shakespeare and Cervantes occurred on precisely the same day in 1616.

In the few days leading up to the event, down Barcelona’s main street, La Rambla, hundreds of makeshift rose and books stalls pop up. It is estimated that by the end of the day, some four million roses and 400,000 books will have been purchased in the name of love. You will be hard-pressed to find a woman without a rose in hand, and half of the total yearly book sales in Catalonia take place on this occasion.

As this day is not well recognised across Europe there’s not the usual tidal wave of tourists crowding the centre, leaving many Barcelona apartments available for couples to rent. La Diada de Sant Jordi is not an "official" holiday, but most romantics ditch the office to stroll along the beautiful streets of Barcelona and to take in the sultry springtime weather. Elsewhere, events have included hundreds of Jordis, Georges, Yuris, Jorges, Gorkas and others named after the Saint forming a chain to try to get into the Guinness Book of Records. And there’s always a variety of street performers and musicians on hand to add a romantic ambience to nearly every public square and plaza.

I personally think that this tradition needs to be adopted across the UK. It would give our wallets sufficient time to recover from the onslaught of Christmas shopping and there is no room for error with the gift; a rose or a book…simple!

Bus turistic

Short on time but want to see as much of Barcelona's sights and attractions as possible? The Barcelona bus turistic is the perfect answer. Sit back, bask in the Autumn sun on the top deck of the bus and take in the sights with an informative and entertaining commentary as you go. With a total of 44 stops over two main routes with a bus turístic ticket you've got most of the city covered and easily reached from your barcelona apartment

The Northern routes encompasses many of the main sights of Gaudi's Barcelona from La Pedrera to Sagrada Familia and Park Guell in the North of the city. Meanwhile the Southern route takes visitors to Sants, Plaça de Espanya, Mont Juic (including the Olympic Village and Fundació Joan Miró), then down to the seafront and old port. During the summer months a third route 'Forum' runs round the sea front, new town and up to el Forum.

Tickets cost 19 euros per day for an adult, raising to only 23 euros for a two day (consecutive) ticket and can be used on any route. Tickets can be bought in advance at tourist information centres, Sants Station or online or alternatively onboard the bus. What's more, with your ticket you will be given a booklet of discount vouchers such as reductions on entrance to Sagrada Familia, some restaurants and even on F.C. Barcelona tickets.

Trust me, I'm normally against these over-touristy things but this really is worthwhile.