Cable Car and Castle, Barcelona

When my youngest saw the cable cars going up the mountain, he knew what he wanted to do while we were visiting Barcelona.

View of cable cars from the bus

After dinner, we took the bus back up Montjuic to the base of the cable cars. We bought round-trip tickets to the top, where a fortification was built to defend the city. The ride was fun for all, except Mom, who played up being nervous about the ride.

Daughter not at all nervous

The ride isn't very long, maybe fifteen minutes, but gives spectacular views of the city.

Barcelona from the air

The Mediterranean in the distance

Sagrada and Torre Glories

Mysterious church or castle on the other mountains

The kids really played up being relaxed on the ride. 

Snoozing at the middle station

A statue seen from above

At the top, we walked around Castell de Montjuic. Originally, a beacon for sea travelers was on this ground. The first fort was built in 1640s. The current fort was made in the 1750s, though they've been making small additions and changes throughout the centuries. The fort is a bit infamous, since it was used to jail political prisoners and many were tortured here. In the 1960s, it was partially given to the local government. In 2008 it was turned over completely to the locals who have made it a civic area. 

Castle walls

Cannons outside the castle

The causeway into the castle

Since we arrived a bit late, we opted to just walk around the outside instead of paying to walk around the inside. The views were amazing.

The bustling port

Containers a million

More of the fortifications

Definitely a recent addition

View on the way back down

More of the same

The cars behind us

The tour bus was no longer running, but the subway system is connected by a funicular railway to the main subway lines. That was a fun ride too, but no pictures, alas. It was not very picturesque since we went through several tunnels on the way down.