Tibidabo Amusement Park

ERICA  On our first whole day in Barcelona, the Salmi family took my family and the Carpenter family to the Tibidabo amusement park. Obviously as an eleven year old this was one of my favorite things on the trip. Before we arrived at Tibidabo, I asked what kind of rides they had. Noelle, the Salmi mom, told me that there weren't too many rides, but a lot of them made you really dizzy. So, of course, I was already psyched. We all took the local bus to Tibidabo, where we found ourselves in a tram (funicular) that would take us up the Tibidabo hill. Going up the tram was amazing because you could see everything as you ascended up the mountain. When we got to the top, we saw the famous church which we took a brief look at, but most of us just ran to the amusement park entrance. (I was one of the ones who actually wanted to take a look at the church.) When we all got our tickets we went out to a viewpoint where, if it was even possible, you could see even more than you could from the trolley. It was pretty easy to spot our house from up there because of the large swimming pool. It was also really interesting because I had no idea how big Barcelona was when I first got there. 
When we finally got started on the rides, we easily picked the roller coaster to start on. It was pretty good size, and really fun to ride with my friends. We loved it so much that we rode it twice, and it was especially fun to know where the camera was. And, of course, we took the opportunity to pose some funny faces.  Next, we went on the water ride, where there were two drops, each soaking all of us. I sat in the front both of the two times that we rode, and it was super refreshing from the Barcelona heat. 





After that we all rode the "Tchu Tchu Tren". The train is the four year old Salmi son, Aksel's, favorite. It was actually pretty fun because it went really fast and there were the occasional jolts that were really fun. After the train, we all went into the Haunted Fun House. Sophie, the Carpenter daughter, and I were really scared, and we were clinging onto each other the whole time. There were also obstacles on the ground, such as rolling cylinders that almost made me fall on my back. The obstacles were also really hard because it was pitch black inside. After that we all had a lunch at  an amusement park stand. I had cheese tortellini with bolognese (meat sauce). It was pretty good, although it was hard going from the pure Italian version to an amusement park one. After stuffing ourselves, my dad and the kids (with the exception of Aksel) went on the flying chairs ride. It was really fun because it went super high, and, again, you could see everything from up there! I'm not afraid of heights, but even I thought it was pretty scary! 
The next thing that I wanted to do was the Hurakan ride. In the Hurakan, you are seated in a long platform, with two rows of chairs. You get securely strapped in, and the ride begins. The platform is attached to a long pole that spins in circles like a clock hand. Then, the platform can swing, too. Don't worry, it doesn't swing freely, it has a certain routine. No one else wanted to ride it, so I happily rode it by myself. When I told my friends how you feel really safe, and it's super fun, next thing you know I rode it twice more with all the other kids! (Again, with the exception of Aksel.) It was easily my favorite ride in the park. We thought that that would be the last ride of the day, but then we saw the mirror maze, and we all had to go for it. It was super fun, and there was one part where it opened out into a room with a variety of mirrors that each performed its own trick. When we exited, we found out that Aksel and Noelle went inside the maze after us, so the kids decided to go on a little train ride. The train is attached to a pole up above, like a ski lift. The first part opens up into the fresh air, and can see almost the same view that you see from the viewpoint. It was really cool, because you don't feel like your just looking out from a platform. You feel like you're soaring up over the mountain. Then the train goes into these little tunnels that are filled with creepy objects, and fake people. It's meant for kids a little younger than we are, but it was still fun to pass the time on it. At the end of the ride, we all gathered together and went back down the tram. Tibidabo was a really fun amusement park, and a great way to celebrate San Joan.