Summarizing more than 1,200 pages divided into three books and more than nine hours of film divided into three films –and, therefore, apologies to the fans–, The Lord of the Rings tells the story of how the hobbits, elves, men, and dwarves of Middle-earth – J.R.R. Tolkien's alternative and fantastic world – united to fight evil and to try to destroy the one ring, an evil jewel with which the world could be dominated. Just when a new season of the series "The Rings of Power" is about to premiere, and a new film in this universe is being filmed, the Gràcia neighborhood is proposing itself as a luxury setting for new productions. Right now in the center of Barcelona there are several Gollums – the owner of the ring for many years, a creature that inspires both fear and pity – dragons, a magical forest, and a wizard Gandalf. But Gràcia does not only remember The Lord of the Rings for this.

The closure for renovation works between the Sarrià and Gràcia stations of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) on the Barcelona-Vallès line is testing users' patience. Trains have not been running on this section since Tuesday and will not resume until August 23rd. As an alternative, a special bus service has been established connecting the two stations and covering the usual route, with stops at Sant Gervasi, Muntaner, La Bonanova, Les Tres Torres, and Sarrià.

It's Wednesday at noon, and at the bar of the Hermós fish bar, located inside the Llibertat market, in the Gràcia neighborhood, two couples are sitting talking about whether to choose razor clams, mussels, or scallops. At the six-number stall (which means six meters) that the Hermós bar occupies, chef Alexis Peñalver and chef Alejandro Serdà are living farewell days. They explain to their regular customers that this Saturday will be the last day of Hermós, the fish and seafood restaurant in the Llibertat market, which has been four years full of joys and also “losses, linked especially to the restaurant's opening hours, which can only be from 12 to 4 p.m.”. And they also inform everyone that there will be a new restaurant, which will be run by chef Carles Ramon, who will cook new fish and seafood dishes with other techniques and will do it very well. And what will happen to all the dishes that Alexis had made during these four years at Hermós? They will not disappear: “I'm going back to La Pubilla restaurant, which is about to turn sixteen, and there we will continue making them,” he says.

The third weekend of May has confirmed the good feelings that were already intuited in rehearsals, with various groups taking a step forward and, in some cases, advancing schedules. The squares of Valls, Vilafranca, and Gràcia have been the great epicenters of a weekend that already leaves the first notable achievements of the season.

Something is moving in the fabric of Gràcia's bookstores. In recent months, two new establishments have opened: Nocturama, in Plaça Revolució, and Pàgina 128, at Carrer Torrent de l’Olla, 177. For both, this is their first Sant Jordi in the neighborhood: Pàgina 128, specializing in children's books, has a stall in Gran de Gràcia, but Nocturama has not prepared anything special. “Today is about meeting readers and readers meeting me,” says bookseller Marina Rodríguez, who opened the shop just two weeks ago. Furthermore, on May 15, a new bookstore, Finestres Palestina, will open on Carrer Verdi. They will therefore be three additions to Barcelona's most extensive and varied bookstore network. “We are the second neighborhood with the most bookstores in Europe, only surpassed by Charing Cross in London –boasts Jordi Duarte, owner of Taifa Llibres, on Carrer Verdi–. The number fluctuates each year, but in the entire district there are usually between 36 and 38 bookstores. Each has a different model, and a network has been created where if you don't find a book in one, you'll find it in another.”

Who hasn't gone out for a drink in Barcelona's Gràcia neighborhood? It's one of the city's most popular areas for nightlife and also one of the most visited by tourists, but sometimes choosing a restaurant for dinner in Gràcia can be a challenge. The neighborhood's fame has led to a proliferation of restaurants. There, you'll find many places to eat similar to those you might see on the streets of any other European city, but in Gràcia, traditional bodegas and restaurants with a long and established history still thrive.

Every August, Barcelona's Gràcia neighborhood dresses up for the festivities, and its streets become magical settings. Vegetable gardens, zoos, fish tanks, and all kinds of imaginary worlds come to life thanks to the efforts of its residents, in a tradition that dates back to the mid-19th century. But on Berga Street, the future of that tradition seems to be numbered. "If the situation doesn't improve soon, this could be the last year we decorate the street," warns Montserrat del Castillo, a resident who has been responsible for the event for fourteen years.

This is one of those discoveries that, despite being a small space, it would not be fair not to share: it is theBeautiful, the fish bar inside the Mercado de la Libertad from the Gracia neighborhood of Barcelona. It's an extension of a fishmonger that already exists in the market itself, and the creator is the chef and owner of a restaurant located a few meters away when you leave the market: La Pubilla. We know the restaurant La Pubilla for its spectacular all-you-can-eat breakfasts, its competitive lunch menu, and its successful à la carte dinners.

The works on the L8 of the Generalitat Railways are preparing for a new phase: the arrival of the Tunnel boring machine that will drill through Barcelona from Plaza Espanya to the Gràcia neighborhood, next year. To introduce this large cutting machine underground, it is obviously necessary to make a hole through which the pieces will be lowered into the subsoil, the machine will be assembled, and drilling will begin. This attack shaft will be located on Gran Via, next to Plaça Espanya, between Llança and Vilamarí streets. It will run 20 meters underground but will nevertheless be very visible to residents because the hole doesn't reach it alone.

What is the best neighborhood to live in Barcelona? Each one has its own peculiarities and, of course, it all depends on one's tastes and priorities. In fact, there is often debate between supporters of different neighborhoods. Now, what does generative artificial intelligence think? We asked two very different AI chatbots: the American ChatGPT and Chinese DeepSeek, and both come to the same conclusion.