life behind a lens

chapter ten

June 5, 2015 - Costa Brava, Spain

A combination of loud squeals, some rustling, and blinding streams of sunlight wake me up. A clear, baby blue sky can be seen through the small roof window, and exotic looking green and bright red patches of flowers are spread around the dusty road.

It is the first morning of our Spanish holiday; we arrived here very late last night, and we were all to tired to realise who was sleeping where.
Looking around the room, I can see Becky and Lily having a pillow fight, Stephanie reading, and everyone else still asleep. I close my eyes again.

Once we have all woken up and had a bit of breakfast—consisting of half a bacon sandwich—we all traipse sleepily downstairs to meet the other schools. There is a posh Welsh School, a very casual looking Cornish girls group, and an all-boys school from Scotland. The other four groups are in a different town, including the Irish groups and English.

Six of the girls from the Welsh school walk over to us and introduce themselves as Elizabeth, Hope, Emilia, Meg, Daisy and Gwen. Gwen is by far my favourite; with her dark glossy hair and slightly tanned skin, she is beautiful, with a warm smile.

When she shows me the photo that won her first prize, my mouth literally hangs open in amazement.

The photo is of a very simple view, in the centre of which is a clear dark lake. It has been taken at twilight, or midnight, I can't decide which, and a inky blue-black sky can be seen spanning over the water's surface. The distant outline of an owl's wings is silhouetted against the dripping silver moon; giving the picture the effect of a watercolour painting.

"That's amazing!" I breathe. Gwen smiles even more broadly. She goes on to congratulate us on our prize, and helps us take some artistic photography of some nearby flowers, and I can't believe that my camera would ever be able to process such a thing.

***

Over the next few days, my team of photographers set about to view the sights of Costa Brava. There are beautiful streets, edged with dusty orangey-brown painted houses. Thousands of pink, red, white and blue flower boxes are displayed outside the bottle green shutters. My photos show a rainbow of sorts, many colours and decorations all blended into one.

It isn't until an announcement comes round (a trip to the beach) that we start to feel abnormally excited. A chance to take some fantastic photos, and meet up with the other groups again. That's amazing until we find out we are walking, yes walking, to the beach at half past six.

"An opportunity to take some photos whilst the sun is barely up, and before the rest of Spain get there." Says our leader, Mr Harper, who is the headteacher of the boys' school. I suppose it will be brilliant.

The tufts of grass, which sprout out between gaps in dusty stairs, glisten with new dew drops. As Mr Harper said, the sun is barely up, and a pink glow can be seen slowly spreading across the horizon.

Becky, Gwen and Hope walk wearily behind me, and all four of us yawn as we drag our heavy rucksacks across the ground. Once we reach the not-yet-warm sand of the beach, we all flop onto our bags, exhausted. Finally, after a rest, I gather the will power to unzip my camera bag, and walk to the edge of the sea.

The white, foamy waves glisten with the light of early morning sun. They gently topple over the edge of the beach, lapping at my bare feet. I take a simplistic photo of the waves. Staring back at it afterwards, it seems as though the waves are really moving towards me.

Walking slowly back to the rest of my group, I notice a line of three palm trees starting to sway in a breeze that springs up. Bright flowers line the base of the trees, creating a colourful pattern. After a quick photo I rejoin Becky, Gwen and Hope; flopping down beside them to watch the sunrise.

As it dies away, most of the residents start to tumble down the stairs towards the beach. After a while, the blazing sun appears, warming us until we have to rush to the sea. The four of us race each other across the golden sand, laughing and splashing each other, as we reach the water's edge.