Recently I took Duna for a walk – locally – not too far from the house. We walked alongside this river, the Congost, which runs through Granollers. This is how it looks close up.
This is the same view when you stand further back
It made me think about how I look at things and how I can miss beauty if I don’t adjust my vision.
On the other side of the river is this soap factory
Granollers is an industrial town so there are lots of factories along this stretch of river and many have been responsible for polluting the water and the land. What probably was once an idyllic stretch of water is now lined with ugly buildings with little thought for their visual impact. It couldn’t be more different from a walk along the coast path at Lamorna.
But Duna and I had a beautiful walk.
Looking up there was a blue sky and signs of Spring on the bare branches
And the most wonderful thing was the art gallery along the walls – urban creativity and energy
Duna ran free and poked and pottered,sometimes stopping to sniff the air
I watched ducks on the river
It’s hard to photograph them when a Springer Spaniel keeps arriving to ‘spring’ them….
We were alone which is an unusual blessing in this land where people love to be outside and to gather in big sociable groups
We ignored the rubbish – for such a deserted place it wasn’t too bad
and when it was time to go we left by these colourful steps
Outside the towns the countryside is beautiful, there are hills and fields and wild flowers and little quiet lanes. Towns in general seem to be blighted by development but here by the river there was a different kind of beauty and many of these rather desolate places provide homes and food for a lot of wild life. There is now in place an Environmental Action Plan to support the ecosystem of the Congost and to offer some protection to the wild life. Green spaces have been created and the plan is to further integrate the river and its banks into the lives of the local population making it more a place to be used and enjoyed than forgotten and abused.
Along the river bank runs a long cycle path which you can take all the way to Barcelona.
I hope to do this one day and will tell you what it was like. Duna loves to run beside the bikes so it will be a great excursion for her!
A River Walk
(Visited 36 time, 1 visit today)
It’s extraordinary isn’t it, the urge to create? Just take a blank wall and make an artistic and political statement. I’d rather see good graffiti than concrete any day. Great pictures Kate.
Hmmm. It is sad to see beauty covered up by rubbish and concrete, but good to see that there is industry and presumably, therefore, jobs.
Janet
Hi Kate,
What you say about adjusting one’s vision is so true – and not just in the sense of what is before our eyes. But your photos are a striking example. As for the snow, do you think Barcelona is preparing for a raid from the North?
thanks for all your comments – I really enjoyed the walk and writing about it afterwards – I felt my perceptions shifting and changing and a new consciousness developing. Yes it is good to have the industry – people can work and although the factories have their negative side it is better than being a ghost town. i heard someone say today that’ charm is the enemy of beauty’ and it’s true that sometimes a too perfect prettiness can lack edge.
A lovely walk and great art.
I know what you mean about the coastal path above Lamorna. Many a sunny NY Day I’ve sat up the top there watching the seals bob about. Then struggling up the hill for a drink at the Wink.