Architecture Decay in Costa Brava

I recently visited Santa Suzanna, a beach resort in Costa Brava in Catalunya, a couple of hours from Barcelona. We were finishing the second wave of COVID-19, and things were starting to open up.

There wasn't much expectation of getting any sort of photography story from this location; after all, I was on vacation with my friends. However, one day walking through the empty streets of Santa Suzanna, it was striking to see the amount of concrete decay in the form of empty resorts, old hotels, and vacant balconies.

This fusion of old concrete under a happy holiday mask of decaying architecture that had passed its golden years creates this strange mix of nostalgia and an eerie atmosphere next to a beautiful beach. It has an unsettling yet satisfying feeling.

I was impressed with the amount of concrete and decayed hotels that had passed their golden years, with a mix of nostalgia and an eerie atmosphere on a beautiful beach. It had an unsettling feeling of how mass tourists had invaded a little town by the coast and left without warning, leaving behind the locals with a half-empty ghost town. Maybe the mass tourism will return—hard to tell if this is a blessing or a curse to the local population that stayed during the pandemic tourism exodus.

Santa Suzanna is a place of color, but the monochromatic photography style reflects the eerie feeling when you look deeper into the problems with mass tourism.

Hopefully, Santa Suzanna tourism will return, but in a more sustainable way without leaving behind the architectural decay that inspired this photography story. Thomas Milton - Alternative Spots founder

Hopefully, Santa Suzanna tourism will return, but in a more sustainable way without leaving behind the architectural decay that inspired this photography story.

Thomas Milton - AltSpots Founder