A few corners of the Costa Brava have escaped real estate pressure. This is the case of the magnificent Marimurtra Botanical Garden, in Blanes. Carl Faust, a German businessman passionate about botany, decided in the twenties of the last century to invest his fortune in the creation of a paradise of vegetation in Blanes. "Faust wanted a space that would be a living demo for the great botanists of central and northern Europe, with the aim that they would not have to travel to see succulent plants and other exotic species in Mexico, South Africa, northern Morocco...", Josep Borrell, director of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden for many years, explains to me.I am in the oldest part of the garden, dedicated to cacti and succulent plants. "They were planted in this sloping area and gravel was put down so that water would not accumulate and damage the roots," Josep explains to me. There is a great variety of cacti, some of giant size, bigger than me. With Josep, I take a peaceful walk through the garden. It is a journey through the five continents, especially through places with a Mediterranean and subtropical climate. In addition to vegetation, fauna is also a protagonist: migratory birds, small reptiles... find refuge here. And insects! Without insects, there are no plants. Marimurtra introduced beehives for pollination, and now they have very good honey, which they have for sale. It is a honey from more than a thousand flowers and with an ever-changing and surprising taste: the bees have many combinations of flowers at their disposal.Suddenly Josep stops. "Look, the Wollemia nobilis!", he tells me. We are in front of a tree I had never seen before. If you go to see it, it will surprise you. It must be a little over 4 meters tall. This species coexisted with dinosaurs, and survived practically unchanged for millions of years. It was thought to be extinct. It is considered a "living fossil"."The Wollemia nobilis was discovered in 1994, near Sydney, in the Blue Mountains. It was found by a young park ranger, David Noble, exploring hard-to-reach ravines and rappelling", explains Enric Barril, head of biological collections at Marimurtra. "Its generic name, Wollemia, comes from the name of the national park where the discovery took place (Wollemi), and the specific epithet (nobilis) is a tribute to its discoverer and its majesty (in Latin nobilis means noble)", specifies Enric. "It is critically endangered. The exact place where it lives is an intact and pristine area. It is not known where. Well, only a few know", he tells me. "To preserve it" I say. "Yes, of course. But an international distribution of clones of specimens and seeds was made to some botanical gardens and scientific institutions to ensure its conservation ex situ. Thanks to this, we have this one here, at Marimurtra. Notice that it is slightly raised from the ground level. We have done this to prevent water from stagnating at the collar of its roots", Enric explains to me.Seed exchanges between botanical gardens are very common. They are mainly done to protect endangered species and for conservation projects. "We have our own seed bank and a catalog that we keep updated," Josep, who knows a lot of botanical gardens around the world, tells me. "Traveling is the cheapest way to learn," he says. "But I still have to go to the Hanbury Botanical Garden, located at Capo Mortola, in Italy, also by the sea, and integrated into the landscape – an inheritance from the English garden–. Faust was inspired by this Italian garden to create Marimurtra".I didn't have to wait long to witness a scene that repeats itself a few times a day. Two girls with Asian features, dressed in shades of red, come skipping down the stairs flanked by cypresses – Epicurus's staircase – to Linné's temple. It is a small temple that imitates the style of classical Greece dedicated to Carl von Linné – the father of modern taxonomy – located on the edge of the cliff of Cala sa Forcanera.Social networks have made this circular gazebo an object of desire for many people from all over the world, some of whom travel 9,000 kilometers to take a photo there, like the Chinese. "We have translated many texts from QR codes into Chinese," says Josep. "We have hired a native Chinese community manager to attend to the community from their country. For us, it is key that she can interact with them not only in their language, but also with their codes," he adds. "We have the challenge that they don't just come to take a photo," Josep tells me. "We are thinking about what else we can offer them so they can get to know the garden, its collection, and Faust's work." I make a zoom out with my gaze and I get an essentially bicolor picture: the green of the vegetation and the blue of the sea, and some white brushstrokes, which make the sea very rough. Then I close my eyes and feel even more the great variety of smells, and the sound of the waves that embrace the beach. And I put myself in the shoes of someone who does not have the sense of sight, who, in their own way, can also enjoy this magnificent garden by the sea.Historical images of weddings and other eventsA few years ago, to mark the centenary, the Cal Faust Foundation, which manages the Marimurtra Botanical Garden in Blanes, put out a call to receive old photographs from those who have taken photos of family celebrations there. It has been, and continues to be, a common practice for the people of Blanes, the inhabitants of the region, and beyond. This is the case of Josep's parents, who had their wedding photos taken there. The call – which remains open – allows us to learn about details of the garden from years past. Participants receive a gift: an annual pass.