To get the best shot you often have to climb a few stairs, rocks, mountains or whatever. Many of you already know that the herd thins out when you have to climb one or two hundred stairs.

Today we had the top of the Tibidabo all to ourselves. To get there we rode the Azul bus to the transfer to the 196 line. Next up (literally) was the funicular. When you get off there is a platform that overlooks Barcelona. Most people go there. We climbed another 40 stairs that took us to Temple de Sagrat and got better views. Next was the elevator taking us to the next level.

There we stepped out into a strong chilly wind and fewer people. A small staircase took us up even higher. By now we are at least one hundred feet above the herd and there were only a few of us left braving the cold and the wind. Finally another very narrow staircase of over one hundred stairs led us to the top level. There we only met two couples the entire time we were up there freezing our tushies off.

The payoff? Unobstructed views of the entire city of Barcelona and surrounding areas. At lower levels the ever abundant cranes obstruct your view. Up here none exist.

The point of all this is if you truly want to see the best an area has to offer you must be in reasonable shape and be willing to break away from the herd. Some of the greatest photos ever taken were often only a hundred meters away from the typical tourist spots. The famous Picchu Machu photo that adorns so many travel brochures was only meters away from a typical tourist photo ‘overlook’.

If you are in a rut, next time you’re out think outside the box and do something different. Who knows, you may even stumble onto a great shot.