If you happen to find yourself at the sea shore in northern Spain near the city of Llanes, put your back to the beach and head inland about 100 meters. At the bottom of a steep hill you’ll find…another beach. What’s going on here?
This is Gulpiyuri, or the Playa de Gulpiyuri, if you’re really into Latinate languages. Unlike a lake or a stream-fed pool, Gulpiyuri is filled with saltwater. It has tides, waves, and even a white sandy beach — it’s like an itty bitty ocean.
The trick is in the rock underneath the aforementioned hill. Over time, the waves of the Bay of Biscay created a flooded sinkhole which dumped sea water into this grassy meadow. What was at one point a boggy mess has become a pristine ocean oddity. For those of you who enjoy visiting the wonders of Earth from the comfort of your office chair, check it out on Google Maps.
(Time for Fun via Reddit, Wikipedia, image via blablabla arbliblibli)
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Published: Jun 21, 2012 04:45 pm