And with San Juan, the summer started

Caiòn beach

It´s summer! At last!

And I feel so happy, back from everything: the stress, the study time, the busy days. As it always is, San Juan (Saint John) is the key date.

In Galicia San Juan is a great celebration. When I was a little girl, I spent the afternoon picking up flowers in my hometown to decorate doors and windows of the house (this keep the Galician witches –meigas- away) and preparing flowers water to wash ourselves the next morning.

This is a magical night: night of fire, wishes, purification, spells, sardines… I always loved it. I liked it when I celebrated it with my family making the bonfire and I like it now in A Coruña, where is a festival declared of National Tourist Interest.

In Coruña San Juan is amazing. The first time that I was here to celebrate, I couldn´t stop getting surprised with the amount of people that meet up on the beaches, in the streets, with wood (even furniture) and grills to cook sardines. Everybody seems to be happy and having fun, the city becomes all joy and tradition.

Besides, this night has this feeling of freedom and of the start of holiday time, this feeling of pagan rythms, drums, dances around the fire, jumps and laughs keeping away the bad luck. Fire makes people to forget the time and the shortest night become the longest of the year.

And once again it was this way. From that day I have started a new routine based in sandwiches and going to the beach, a new routine of disconnection, towel and terraces. I have been from beach to beach in those that are closer to where I live.

Salsa beach

I prefer those in Arteixo area, that is really near to Coruña. Here the beaches seem wilder, having mountain and sea all together, they seem pure. In this kind of beach I feel like I get away of my daily life and, being far of the city, I feel that I am on holidays, although this is not completely true, the sensation is incredible.

Together with Baroña (mentioned in this entry http://www.slowtourismclub.eu/main/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=paraisos.html&Itemid=232&lang=it),  Caión is one of my favourites. I like it in the summer when it is a little summer village and I like it in winter when you hardly meet someone having a walk.

I relate it to several things and different moments of my life. I love to get here by the sinuous road, little by little with my old car, seeing the village from above, down in there, kissing the sea. I use to walk from the dock to the beach and I stay there a little while, just looking, breathing and relaxing. This gives me peace. Hundreds of times walking along Caión helped me to confront problems or worries, sometimes I have showed this place to family and friends who never were there, sometimes I just go and enjoy.

Caiòn in winter

This Sunday I came back with my friends, to spend the whole day and enjoy the sun, have lunch in a terrace, prattle on the towels… relax! As good Sunday drivers!

Some surfers were taking waves, families with umbrellas and coolers were occupying the sand, groups of friends… We arrived early and so we saw how the beach was getting crowded. In the afternoon, the kids were playing near to the shore, an authentic match (as the lady next to me said), couples and friends walked getting their feet wet despite of the water temperature.  We could see the terraces of the seaside promenade full of people, people enjoying the good weather and people full of desire to enjoy the summer.

To start the summer this way is a wonder, I hope it continue like this and that all of us could enjoy it. Happy summer time to everyone!