Well that’s my excuse for taking
an impromptu trip to the Costa Brava at the weekend. We stayed, as we normally do, at Hotel Rosa in the
town of Begur. We did our usual costal
walk (see previous posts on my Nine Toed Nomad Blog). But this time, in addition to walking, I
wanted to use the visit for some research.
In my novel in progress, The Gift, I have two scenes set in the cemetery
in Begur. In my mind I had imagined a
tiny cemetery perched on top of a hill overlooking the ancient town with the Mediterranean
sparkling in the distance. In reality,
the cemetery is located by a mini roundabout on a busy road. It is enclosed by tall whitewashed
walls. A group of four Cypress trees
provide some green relief amongst the white and grey crypts. The crypts, mostly family ones, are
functional in design. Some are adorned
with photos in oval frames. Some are festooned
with plastic flowers. Walking along the
narrow paths, surrounded by the crypts, I felt slightly claustrophobic. In a small clearing, I sat on a stone bench
and pondered where the final resting place would be for one of my
characters. Then I found it. A much better spot and far less clichéd than
the one conjured up by my imagination.
Now it’s back to the editing!
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| A great bench for contemplation |
