Tibidabo and the Temple of Sagrat Cor: the appointment with the artist with the best view of Barcelona

What is Tibidabo — Temple of the Sagrat Cor and where does it come from?

Tibidabo is the highest mountain in the Serra de Collserola — 512 meters above the sea. The name comes from the Latin 'tibi dabo' ('I will give to you'), a biblical reference to the words of the devil tempting Jesus with the riches of the world from a high mountain. The Temple of the Sagrat Cor was built between 1902 and 1961 — almost 60 years, in two phases: the neo-Gothic crypt below (1902-1911) and the neo-Byzantine basilica above (1915-1961). Designed by Enric Sagnier, one of Barcelona's most prolific modernist architects. Above the temple there is a sculpture of Christ by the sculptor Josep Miret, with his arms open, looking at the city.

Why go — and what's the purpose of your appointment with the artist?

Going up to Tibidabo is the date with the artist full body. The Tibidabo funicular (from 1901, one of the oldest in the world still in operation) goes up in 5 minutes. The walk goes up through a Mediterranean forest with the smell of pine and rosemary. The view from the upper terrace covers Barcelona, ​​Collserola, the Mediterranean Sea and, on clear days, the Balearic Islands.

How to take advantage of it (concrete practice)

Go up at dusk, when the city begins to light up and the sky turns purple. Buy a ticket to go up to the basilica and then to the upper viewpoint. Take a notebook. Write down what the sight brings you — probably new perspectives on what you've been thinking about for weeks. Then go down to the crypt and sit for five minutes in silence — the contrast between the expansive view and the closed crypt is exactly the lesson of the morning pages in spatial format.

Why this place connects with Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way

The practice of the appointment with the artist that Julia Cameron prescribes in The Artist's Path has a principle: creativity needs to be fed before I can produce. Cameron calls it 'filling the well.' The metaphor is exact: if it doesn't rain, the well runs dry. If you don't expose your brain to non-work stimuli once a week, your ability to generate new ideas quietly declines, week by week.

Tibidabo — Sagrat Cor Temple is an ideal place for a date with the artist because it meets the three conditions that Cameron asks for: It takes you out of your routine (a place other than your work and home), does not require production (you are going to receive, not create), and exposes you to curated stimuli (someone with judgment decided this was worth watching). Three conditions, an hour or two, once a week. It is probably the practice with the best mental ROI that you are going to add to your routine.

If you haven't taken the course yet, this is the place to start. Your Artist's Path is the free 12-week program that applies Julia Cameron's method to your life — including two hours a week blocked off on your calendar for appointments like this. More about the course at the end of the post.