A few days ago we went to Costa Brava, a north-east region of Catalonia, in
the north-east of Spain. The Costa Brava is the north coast of Catalonia. It
is bound by the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees. The name was given by
Ferran Agullo, in 1905. 

It’s full of small beaches and big rocks. The water is clean and clear, and
this is one of the most important turistic places of Spain. The weather is
warm, and the water is not very cold in the summer. The environment is very
beautiful, and there are a lot of flora and fauna, and the best beaches,
coves, cliffs and forest of Spain.

Its coastline of 21 km reaches from Blanes in the south, which is bounded by
El Maresme and El Montseny, to Port Bou on the French border in the north.
Some days, there is a north wind called Tramuntana, which is very strong.
Another famous wind is Garbi, which blows usually in the summer. The
rainiest season of the year is autumn, and the driest is  summer, typical
Mediterranean weather. 

Our Impressions? Well it was autumn. It didn’t rain, but it wasn’t very hot,
so, the weather was wonderful. The first impression we got when we arrived
to the beach was the loneliness of a tourist village out of season. The sea
was very calm and the water was clean and clear. 

We felt the freedom of Catalonia, in our hand. And the smell of the water
which got into our nose and got out through our ears. We felt that if we
arrived to the edge of the cliffs we could jump and be eternally free. The
contrast between the life of the Costa Brava and the death of the dangerous
roads of the cliffs of Cap de Creus. There were a lot of birds, who sang at
the rythm of the calm sea waves, at their home, the best forest.

We spent all the day breathing the best wind in Spain, we took the life on
the seabed, the fishes, the ships, etc. There were a lot of fishing boats in
the beaches, some of them broken by a big storm. It makes us think about
life, about life and  death, about our oportunities and the wish of freedom
in our country and in all the world.
 
We caught a bus in Barcelona and went to Cadaqués. When we arrived there, we
went  sightseeing. We could see many small houses, they were white like the
reflection of the moon in the sea. Their windows were painted like the
colour of the sea in a sunny day, navy blue. Each house had two flats, so
they were village’s houses. They were small but they look like the houses of
an imaginary tale.

Cadaqués had many small streets. They are narrow, lonely and covered by
small stones. There were lean sides street and it was  very dificult for us
to walk on it. 

We walked near the blue and shine sea,  the waves crashed into the stones
and broke the silence. It was calm, quiet ...

After seeing Cadaqués, we went to Port Lligat. It is about fifteen minutes'
walk from Cadaqués. We could see Dali’s house from a distance. Now, it is a
museum. The beach was full of seagulls flying in the sunny sky. The sun was
shining brightly. The beach was desertic, nobody was there.
My feelings in the stroll were of peace, calm, lonelyness, and pleased for
being there. 

	
How nice to be in Cadaqués, where great celebrities have visited it for its
Mediterranean prettiness. This beautiful village is in the North of
Catalunya, beside the sea, wich has a deep and intense colour. Now we are
trying to describe this enigmatic place.

While the sun stamps its gleaming light on the water, under the attentive
glance of the shining boulders, some clouds, which are painted with a mixed
of sky and clear grey, are accompaning the anchored small boats and the
other ones which are replacing as water-lilies on the beach, without
breaking the harmonious scenery. The sky is bright, but its sharp is faded
for a smooth breeze. Ahead this incredible beauty the sea rises and
trought its free waves of withe foam, which always go and come back. The
pungent smell of the fish fills the coast, perhaps in sign of protest for
the harvest in the dawn of some fishermen. Seagulls flying are a parade in 
the sky, sometimes with smaller birds, over the deep blue of the sea. 
Dancing to the rhythm of the waves we find the seaweeds, of strong green 
color, linked in the blocks and the reefs which come and join the sea and 
the land. 

The promenade houses, of withe impressive color, look to the 
horizon behind sadness and hapiness, nostalgia and hope. As time goes 
by the buildings are old but seem that these homes don’t find the time to 
change. The sea impregnates it and all look like a wonderful collection. 
Almost all doors are blue or green; same the windows. Altough, the 
predominance of dark blue, marine and navy blue, matching with the 
water, is easy to see  the first time we look the town. The buildings, 
handmade and old, bring to the environment an ancestral and romantic 
touch. The doors shield itself of the strong Tramuntana, with the help of 
twisted hooks, and the piping, which catch the water from de rain and 
lead it to floor, are made with green maragda tiles. Thus, we see the 
things who had seen all of the steady changes of this locality, resting 
over narrow and tortuous stone streets, weared for any well-meaning 
rain, which combine with the architectural dynamic. One man, grown-up 
but very avid, passes near us, with his body tanning of the sea and 
some ditches in the face where the wind caress the man. He is one of 
the group who tomorrow, very early in the morning, will leave his home, 
cross some blocks and tackle the trip on board of a small fishing boat.

Now we are in Port Lligat, a very little village near Cadaqués. The famous
Spanish painter Dalí lived there for many years.
There are some little houses round a little square. In the square there are
some trees and an old boat. In front of the square there’s the beach, with
some boats made of wood out of the water. The sea is very clean and the
weather is good. I think today is a beautiful day.

The village is empty and I wonder if  there are people living there. No, I
think there’s nobody living there.

It is time to get back. It's so sad. There is no wonder how Dali could
develop his imagination in a place like this, especially in autumn.

Return to PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS Page

Return to ESSAYS Page