Tossa de Mar is the next door town from one side of the coast line. First time we went there by boat from Lloret de Mar and were charmed with it. From the first sight Tossa looks the same as most coastline cities — beach, rocks, hotels and small stores, but when you look closer you understand that it’s very different from all the rest of the small cities of Spain. It has its unique outlook, its special atmosphere of a "natural Spanish town" where the time stopped several centuries ago. We were so fascinated with this tranquil and picturesque place that we came back there by bus later on again.

View of old Tossa buildings

We saw an enchanting picture: deep-blue color sea caressing the golden beach sand, old white homes covered with reddish tiles, huge green rocks from the both sides of the bay and an ancient tower above all of it on the top of the rock hill right over the sea. The Roman period fortress was the first construction on its place and still now it predominates over the whole town. Inside you’ll find tiny tiled houses, narrow curved streets leading to the top of the hill and many great views to the sea that will capture your breath and your heart.

Dasha in the fortress

No wonder that this town was the favorite place of rest for many famous artists of 1930s among whom Marc Chagall, Jean Metzinger, Andre Masson and others. Many of them donated their works to the local Art Museum of Tossa de Mar or painted specially for the museum, that’s why its collection is so great and high-quality that you can’t expect from such small museum when you first look at it.

Picture in the Art Museum of Tossa

It has antics of Roman time, contemporary art and the most interesting is the collection of paintings that belong to the end of the 19th century — 30s of the 20th century with two works of Marc Chagall — “The Celestial Violinist” is one of them — as the jams of it. It really worth seeing!

Sasha in the Art Museum of Tossa

This picture is taken on the forth floor of the museum (with contemporary exhibits). These two black sculptures (in the foreground and background) are fishes and are made of different agricultural tools. It’s very interesting! We enjoyed the museum a lot, though Sasha was quite tired at the end as you can see.

It was raining at one of the days we’ve been to Tossa that gave us a chance to discover one more interesting feature of Spanish culture - on a rainy day at the entrance to any building (store, museum, restaurant) you should leave your wet umbrella in a special basket. There is no such custom in Russia as in the other case you risk to stay without an umbrella during the rain.

Basket for umbrellas

At rainy day at the entrance to any building (store, museum, restaurant) there is a basket for wet umbrellas. Before enter you should put your umbrella there. There is no such custom in Russia.

During our trip we met with one more Spanish "tradition" — to dry linen in the street. We noticed this in every place we’ve been to. It was especially remarkable in Tossa as the streets there are so narrow that the linen can dry almost at the balcony of an opposite building. We noticed this in every place we have been to.

Linen, getting dry in the street

Tiles with street names on the houses are very typical for this town and many of them are very artistic. Here is one of such tiles:

This small and charming place is one of the nicest we’ve visited along the coast. Here you can fell the artistic character of the place. Such an outstanding, poetic, calm atmosphere was created in this town that it was christened by Marc Chagall “The Blue Paradise” of the arts. And the most precious is that nothing changed from that time!