I ended up in El Born by accident. The plan for that day in Barcelona was to visit the Fundación Antoni Tapies, but it was closed, as the new exhibition was being set up. Disappointed, we headed towards the museum of Picasso, but the long queue put us off. That’s how we came to walk around the El Born district without any plan or goal.

It is one of the oldest parts of Barcelona, complete with cobblestones, narrow streets and a charming shabbiness. But I have lived a large part of my life in Tallinn with its medieval Old Town, so it takes more than charming cobblestones to wow me. And it is true that El Born is now trendy and touristy, with luxury boutiques and expensive cafes. Still, I was won over. Partly I think because I didn’t really know where I was and partly because it was Sunday and everything was closed, leaving only sunshine and some confused, aimlessly wandering tourists on the streets. The Santa Maria del Mar basilica in the middle of it all was so bleak and unadorned for a catholic church that it made me think of the austerity of the Lutheran churches at home. I felt comfortable and at ease.

The next day, I visited Barcelona’s perfume museum and the adjoining perfume shop (Bois de Jasmin has an excellent review). When trying on every Spanish perfume they had, I came across Carner Barcelona’s El Born. Somewhat surprisingly, it turned out to be a gourmand: an interesting variation on vanilla, like a rum crema catalana eaten from a wooden plate. It is supposed to have herbal, fruity and floral facets, but to me, it lacks almost any higher register, it’s a soft, low hum of caramel, licorice, honey and boozy vanilla and an even lower hum of old wood and exotic balms and resins.

I wasn’t sure at first how this is related to the neighbourhood itself, but thinking back on all those cafes and bakeries with their incredibly rich pastries, churros and dulce de leche, it does make a certain sense. It is very likely that I would never have bought this fragrance if I hadn’t been in Barcelona: vanillas and gourmands are usually not my thing. But I’m glad that I own it now, this strange not-quite-dessert perfume for lazy summer afternoons. When I close my eyes and pay attention, I think I can smell sunshine on cobblestones.