“We do not remember days, we remember moments.” – Cesare Pavese

In 1978 I went abroad for the first time. We went on a holiday to Spain. The Costa Brava… Rosas to be more specific.

Actually I don’t remember very much from that holiday as I was only seven years old. But I do remember moments… and these moments make it very clear that this holiday was fun and exciting… A holiday to remember forever and ever… A treasure of moments…

I remember parts of the long trip… how my mum and dad made a ‘bed’ in the car for me. Between the front seats and  the back seat they put cushions for me to lie on so my sisters could share the back seat (a seat belt wasn’t obligatory way back in the seventies!).

I remember how my mum took the flyswatter to give us a light pat if we should misbehave on the backseat… and how that flyswatter broke the first time she used it… and how we all burst out into tears… of laughter…

I sadly don’t remember us driving the périphérique around Paris as I was sound asleep… I had this thing for the Eiffel Tower (still have as a matter of fact!). Apparantly my parents saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance but didn’t want to wake me up to see it (and then it took me another 20 years to actually see it!!!).

I do remember how we went to the beach in Rosas… and how I went playing in the sea but didn’t want to lose my ring from my Holy Communion… so I put the ring in my beach towel. Coming back from playing in the sea, I took my towel, completely forgot about the ring, shook the sand from the towel before drying myself and then I realised my ring was lost in the billions of grains of sand on the Rosas beach… we tried searching for it but never found it back…

I also remember a breathtaking daytrip to the mountain village of Cadaques. I remember how my dad was nervous driving that winding road uphill and I remember the beautiful white houses in the little village and the stunning view we had towards the Mediterranean.

I remember a boat trip… and how I wore my favourite smocked top… and how the sailor flirted with my beautiful mum, helping her off the boat…

And I remember crying in the car as we had to leave our holiday resort after 2 weeks of sun, sea and sand…

My first holiday abroad… so many beautiful moments to remember!

Love, Kathleen