A MISSION is underway to return a camera containing photos of a mystery woman’s once-in-a-lifetime European trip to its rightful owner.
The thousand-plus photo gallery, discovered on an old digital pocket camera on a Costa del Sol beach, documents the travels of an unknown blonde woman who appears to be in her sixties.
They feature her in a variety of glamorous locations and five-star hotels throughout France, Spain and Portugal as she tours the continent by railway, buses and even boats.
Some snaps feature the woman taking a glass-bottom boat tour in Mallorca, the ‘Train of Wonders’ Alpine voyage from Nice and posing in front of El Campello tower in Alicante.
There are even photos of the mystery lady surrounded by birthday cards taken on October 9, 2023 – perhaps a tell-tale clue as to her identity.
The first picture, dated December 1, 2022, depicts a luscious coastline from the Portuguese island of Madeira, taken from the terrace of a €180-a-night resort hotel.
The final picture of the grand tour was taken at the Magna ‘the Passion of Music’ festival in Malaga’s Plaza de Toros bullring, featuring some of the most prestigious and historic music groups from across Andalucia.
This photo, of an ensemble brass band, was captured on February 3, 2024. The following day, the camera would be found on a beach in Benalmadena by Swedish expat Madeleine Ahlberg.
“I was with my partner having a picnic on the beach, and we saw a black case lying by a wall,” Madeleine, 30, told the Olive Press.
“It was a bit of an odd place to lose a camera. But the battery was still going so we looked at a few photos and then we found this lovely lady.”
Madeleine suspects the woman – and her always-out-of-shot travel partner holding the camera – are British, based on snippets of the pair talking in videos on the memory card.
“I think she was on some trip of a lifetime, perhaps to celebrate something really important like a big birthday or retirement,” she said.
“She always looks so happy in every photo, and it’s sweet that they were using an old pocket camera when everyone has a camera phone now.
“It’s such a shame she has lost her pictures.”
It was a similar trauma that befell the recruitment specialist, who decided to emigrate from Stockholm to Spain’s sunnier climes six months ago, that motivates her to find the mystery woman and return her cherished memories.
“I lost all my photos from a year I spent in Australia when my camera was stolen,” she explained.
“So I know exactly how it feels to be robbed of your memories, and all the places you visited and the experiences you had.
“I would love to be able to get this camera back to the woman in the pictures.”
Madeleine is hoping that an eagle-eyed Olive Press reader will recognise the mystery individual, who may well be back in her native country by now.
Do you recognise the woman? Contact the Olive Press at newsdesk@theolivepress.es
