Struggling to Smile Through The Sunburn

Words by Ben Wetzell & Dan Tyrrell | Photography by Ben Wetzell

If you’re wanting to escape real life for a weekend, Costa Brava seems like a pretty good place to do so. Escaping the fast paced, bustling city of Barcelona in a European hatchback may seem like a strange thing to do. But isn’t that why we travel, to find new places, with different cultures, and to be immersed in new environments? However, why when we travel to our destination do we not explore that little bit further, push beyond the guardrail? Luckily, in this case we did.

This trip became a reality from a chance meeting in the gym one evening. Alejo and I were similar in age and had the same thirst for finding new places. Little did we know the places this friendship would take us. Oftentimes you never know where that first “hello” will take you, but this time at least, it would lead me to Costa Brava, immersed in a new culture, surrounded by local Catalans.

Most of my time in Spain was spent on a tight budget, struggling to find the courage to make grocery runs, and besides, I can run off rice and beans if necessary. Luckily, Alejo had a car and a house in the oasis of Tamariu, located about 100 km's south of the French border. There is no better way to be introduced to a new place, than from people that grew up there. It provides you with a more sincere feeling for a location, with the infectious enthusiasm that comes from the people within it.

Costa Brava is like a painting developing before your eyes. The more you pay attention, the more you see. Colourful umbrellas keep sangria’s cool, whilst elderly men float between the moored sailboats. Locals laugh with friends, struggling to smile through the sunburn. Whilst kids jump off the diving board, frolicking until their parents warn them that playtime is over if they don’t reapply their sun cream.

This place left me with a sense of déjà vu. The feeling that I had been here before, seen the never-ending dramatic coastline meet the crystal clear Balearic Sea. I’d watched these boats sway in sync as they were lit up by the afternoon sun. This idea of finding old memories in new places is always something to appreciate. Whether it’s a familiar smell that brings memories rushing back, or the background noise reminiscent of a trip from years gone by. For me, Costa Brava has that.

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