DELPHINE MARTINS AND THE REALIZATION OF ONE OF MY CHILDHOOD’S DREAMS

From a distance it appears that the top of the island is snow. A strange phenomenon in spring and at sea level. But the approach discovers a surprising sight: thousands of gannets have chosen these islands of Bretagne, forming the natural reserve of the Seven Islands.

I tell the story that goes back to my childhood. I believe that, at least in my generation, the readings of our childhood and adolescence marked our future. In my case, I was an avid reader, the novels of two British writers, Richmal Crompton, author of the books of William, and Enid Blyton. This last wrote several series, but the one I liked the most was the first. Four boys, inseparable friends, George, Jack, Dolly and Lucy, lived many adventures, hence the name of the series. They were all nature lovers. Georges had a special gift with animals and Jack had a passion for ornithology. He photographed golden eagles in Adventure in the castle and enjoyed the sight of seabirds in Adventure in the island, an action that occurred in the Orkney Islands in northern Scotland. Since then, my dream was to visit one of these places.

Time passed and I was about to achieve this while, with my friend Albert Cañagueral, we did an article for the Sunday magazine of El Periodico on the Lofoten islands in the Arctic Circle on the Norwegian coast. We embarked, to see one of these islands, but the waves and currents prevented the boat could cross a narrow strait and out to sea, and i missed my chance.

REINE, LOFOTEN ISLANDS CAPITAL

A few years later, Delphine Martins, who heads the press office of the West of France in Spain,representing the regions of Bretagne, Poitou Charentes and Pays de la Loire, invited me in the spring of 2002 to a trip to Bretagne for the Sunday edition of El Periódico. Then I discovered that the program was scheduled a visit to the reservation of the Seven Islands, a place about which I had read a lot. Luckily, the day of the visit wore a bright sun and I could see and photograph the show of some 30,000 gannets, and also puffins, razorbills, guillemots and a infinity of gulls of varied species.

DELPHINE MARTINS

A few days ago I saw Delphine, who came to Barcelona to present the program that offer the western regions of France that she represents in Spain, for the coming months. And I remembered the story.