September Photographic Adventure

Towards the end of September, I had the honor of taking a mini-vacation to the border of Catalunya and France to a few lovely coastal towns. First stop was Perpinya where they were hosting a photojournalism exhibit that had photographs all over the city, decking it out in images both moving and intriguing. To add to the atmosphere, Oriol and I went on our very own photojournalistic adventure, trying to capture what represented these towns to us. I fell in love with the doors and silhouettes of things and people with the contrast of sun and light.

The temperature suddenly dropped that weekend and I welcomed the chill of the night and the soft rain of the day. I also welcomed the soft French that slipped from people's mouths and the richness of fresh croissants, dry red wine and the countless cafes, terraces and sunny spots to sit in. Did I mention I love France?

After walking around on the first evening, having a lovely dinner in a small bistro and then running under the rain, we slept comfortably and dreamt of the photographs we would see the next day and the photographs we would take. The next day, as we explored the city, we came across little fresh markets tucked away on a small side street where life unfolded in front of you. Dried goods, men arguing about the state of the world and people shopping for today's lunch. I was in heaven and Oriol snapped away all types of great shots.


There is something about the French, they know how to place the perfect sign in the perfect place, how to make the light appear more appealing, practically giving you the photograph in the palm of your hand. Meanwhile, we learned how to take advantage of each photograph we thought would work and to relax as we walked from exhibit to exhibit, eating a light lunch, sitting in the Autumn sun and drinking coffee.


That afternoon, after an overwhelming day of exhibits we got back in the car and drove back south to the coast, to a small medieval town called Collioure, which is absolutely stunning. Another photographic town, this time next to the sea with cobblestone streets, more cafes and terracotta buildings from centuries ago.


We had dinner at a tiny restaurant and called it an early night, preparing ourselves for the day to follow and the many more photographs we would capture. The town is famous for its anchovies and there was a perfect building to capture just how photogenic these towns are:

We welcomed yet another sunny and cold day, only this time nature added wind to it and it only added more to the adventure. We sat in the warm sun to have coffee on those great little wicker chairs you see in French B-movies. Then I stayed behind and wrote, inspired by my surroundings and the soft murmurs of the people around me as in the distance I heard Oriol's camera clicking away. We were lost in our inspiration and nothing could be better than looking for the next shot and finding it



The wind continued to pick up and you could hardly stand, much less hold your hair pack for the portrait. It was exhilarating and breathtaking to a frightening point.


After a late lunch we headed back towards Catalunya, to our last destination, Cadaques. After three years of living in Catalunya, I finally got the chance to see this Costa Brava town that people can't stop talking about. Just like expected, after a long and winding road next to a choppy sea that reminded me so much of Northern California, I saw the town perched on the coast with white buildings and cobalt blue trimming. As the sun went down, we explored the small and steep cobble-stoned streets, finding that one special restaurant Oriol had been to before that was literally in someone's living room. Then we went to have coffee at the town's "Casino" which is really a place where people meet to play cards, talk about world matters and people watch,which is exactly what we did, with a few self-portraits in between. We ended the night by visiting the bar where Dali used to hang out and listened to some live music.


The next morning we awoke to one of those perfect sunny and slightly warm days and headed to a natural reserve park known as Cap de Creus.

The place was windier than any other town we had been to and it was surreal, just like Dali and I understood where his paintings come from. How could you not be inspired? We had a lovely breakfast with homemade carrot loaf and chocolate cake as the sun seeped through the window and Andrew Bird played in the background. The moment couldn't have been more perfect and to think that the waiter would know who Andrew Bird is! Check his music out if you haven't and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.


After breakfast and reading the paper, sketching and writing, we headed back to Cadaques, bought some fresh bread, cheese and fruit and headed to a 'secret' cove Oriol knew about. We had a rock to ourselves and I felt as if I was the only one left on land, as I heard the splash of the water against the rocky coast, listened to Oriol swim in the almost winter cold water and I finished the day by capturing some of my last images, letting out a long peaceful breath. Once again, managing to experience life and everything it has to offer.