The Place I Love but Can’t Describe

I’ve been trying to write about Costa Brava since the day I landed in Barcelona in late May and immediately fell head over heels. That was eight weeks ago. When I flew from Barcelona to London a week later, leaving my now beloved Spain behind, I spent the entire plane ride with an open paper journal and a pen. And a cocktail. I’m like Hemingway, I write best drunk and edit best sober.

I landed at Heathrow with a journal full of blank pages and a significant buzz. I’d told the flight attendant to keep ‘em coming until I told her to stop. I never told her to stop.

I spent the month after Spain reading posts about Barcelona, Girona, sailing on the Mediterranean, meeting Ferran and eating at El Celler de Can Roca, written by my friends who were also on the trip. I thought their words might jumpstart mine. They were great, but still didn’t bring lightning bolts of inspiration.

It’s August and I am still, verklempt. I am still, mostly without words.

Catalonia got under my skin, into my veins, began moving through my blood and seduced me in a way no other place besides Paris truly has. If I have my way, I’ll live there one day.

That’s the best I can tell you, the most convincing I can be. Costa Brava is the place I love, fiercely, but cannot explain; except through photographs.

The food:

The history: The people: The ocean: The views: The surprise:
The drink:
The art: And that’s only a brief overview! Since I can’t find the words, I will have to do more detailed photo posts to describe Costa Brava. I’m working now to curate all the images into groups and to somehow find some words beyond lame and unimaginative, “I loved it”!

If you’re looking to visit Spain and you need travel advice, please contact me – I’d be so happy to share with you the places you should go while in Costa Brava so you can fall in love with it too. I also post highlights of specific places and activities on my AFAR profile! If you’re a fellow blogger, see this incredible part of Catalonia for yourself when you attend TBEX in Girona this September. I somehow found enough words to be part of a video telling you why you should attend… I hope I’ll see you there!

I was a guest of the Costa Brava Tourism Board for #InCostaBrava however, my views and opinions are genuinely mine alone. All images in this post were captured with an iPhone 4S.