Barcelona on Film: Bunkers del Carmel, Gràcia and El Born

Barcelona is easy to love and hard to photograph without strangers' elbows. So I went early. At six in the morning I spent a few minutes convincing a security guard I was not a burglar, then stood alone with the dragon's back of Casa Batlló as its tiles caught the first light. La Boqueria at dawn smelled of oranges and floor cleaner.

Mornings in Gràcia were coffee and small squares. Evenings were the Bunkers del Carmel, warm concrete under my legs, cava and some badly rolled cigarettes that were not mine. Then down to El Born for vermouth under Gothic walls, or to Barceloneta as the beach emptied. The city stays up very late. I mostly let it.

Field notes · Barcelona

Climb to the Bunkers del Carmel an hour before sunset for a view over the whole city to the sea, and bring water, since nothing is sold at the top.
Photograph Casa Batlló and Passeig de Gràcia just after sunrise, when the avenue is empty and the light is soft on the facades.
Visit La Boqueria when it opens around 8 am, before the tour groups, and remember the market is closed on Sundays.
Have vermouth before lunch on weekends, a local habit, in El Born or Gràcia, and give the city four days using the metro.