Change In Plans

This very short post is about taking the cablecar (Teleferic) across the harbor in Barcelona.

We are sitting in the outdoor cafe on the Montjuic side of the line, having a drink. Zola is almost hyperactive with relief, celebrating with chocolate milk the fact that he survived the experience.

The port side of the cableway is a tower, protruding about 300 feet out of a jetty, close to the beaches and the Olympic Village. The cablecar travels about a quarter mile to a mid-station, climbing maybe 150 feet higher. After taking on passengers, the car goes another quarter mile, and ends on Montjuic, the little mountain which borders Barcelona to the South.

The cablecar was great: a classic Barcelona experience. Lu was asleep in her (newly acquired) stroller, but Zola was awake and very nervous about it all. A sample of his questions from the 20 minutes we were waiting:

“How long has this cablecar been running?”

“Has anyone ever died on this cable car”

“How do you know that no one has died? Did you look it up on Wikipedia?”

“How high up are we?”

“If we fell from here, would we die?”

“If the tower collapsed, would it be like we were falling, or would we go down more slowly?”

“If we are falling into the water, should I try to point my toes and go in straight, or do a belly flop?”

“Is this thing really safe?”

“Do I have to do this?”

When we got to the other side, Zola was the first one off, and sprinted up the stairs. His relief and joy are wonderful, like a small rebirth.

A short secondary point: midway through the ride, Tallulah woke up from her nap and said, “I need agua.” And fell back asleep. She is becoming bilingual, I guess.