Whenever you visit a foreign country, of course you want to go sightseeing, and visit the local town center where all the hustle and bustle is.
But whenever I travel -especially in a country with a warm climate like spain- I also want to enjoy nature, and explore the less touristy side of the city.
That's exactly why I decided to visit Tibidabo Mountain when I went to Barcelona last month with fellow steemians @solider, @agent, @mrs.steemit and @vanylou.
When we were staying in downtown Barcelona for the first few nights, I actually saw this mountain and already decided I wanted to go there.
The next day, I just looked at google maps and told the taxi driver: "Drop us off somewhere around this area in the mountains..." and little did I know that by chance, we drove to that exact mountain I'd pointed to before.
The Tibidabo is Barcelona's highest mountain, and home of the temple of the sacred heard of jesus as well as the Tibidabo amusement park.
It takes about a 30 minute drive to get to the top of the mountain from the city center - across narrow, winding roads and past stunning views.
Located at the very top of the mountain is an observation deck that offers incredible views over the city.
The platform was actually quite crowded, but it was still an amazing view to enjoy.
You could even see the ocean at the very back, behind all those buildings of the city that looked like tiny lego blocks.
The sky and the lighting were beautiful, golden hour had just started and the sun was going to set a little later.
Behind the observation deck lies the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor - Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
It's a roman catholic church which was built from 1902 to 1961 in beautiful white stone.
At the summit of the highest church tower is a statue of jesus, who overlooks the city of Barcelona - similar to the Cristo Redentor statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In the evening, the church is lit beautifully and the jesus statue is also lit from below, giving the whole scene a magical atmosphere.
The church was closed when we went there, but it was already stunning just from the outside.
Nowadays, you can hardly imagine how people used to spend decades building monuments like these - the details on the exterior are incredible!
I also like how the church was held entirely in white, it gives it a very sophisticated and elegant look.
After enjoying the panorama view, we went back down a little bit to our favorite viewing platform where I've also shot my last 2 dance videos.
As we were walking down, the sun slowly started setting - look at this beautiful golden light that was surrounding us!
It's really try that you can call this "golden hour" - the light just makes any photos or videos so much more beautiful and automatically adds an artistic, mystical atmosphere to it.
As we were walking along an alley of trees, the golden light started peeking through the gaps in between the trees.
We tried capturing it with a GoPro but of course this footage is nothing compared to real life.
Look at how beautifully the sun appears and disappears...
Another day, we went to explore the raw nature on the other side of the mountain.
There were tiny pathways, consisting of stones in all different shapes and sizes, and the most unique and mystical-looking trees.
It was honestly the perfect location for a Fantasy movie - or for a video / photo shoot!
We had to stop at this certain location when we saw how the setting sun was just peeking through behind an old, narrow tree - the light was golden and the color of the sky was gorgeous (these pictures below are not edited at all!)
The locals also nickname the Tibidabo the "magic mountain" - and from these pictures, maybe you'll understand how magical and beautiful it is ...
I recommend everyone travelling to Barcelona to visit the Tibidabo Mountain and also check out the beautiful Hotel La Florida.
The atmosphere up there is truly amazing, the views are stunning, and the air is so fresh and clean!
© Sirwinchester