Indian Summer to the Max

Mid October, and the news reporters are calling it an Indian summer and because we are not easily influenced by the media, us girls headed off to the beach. With winter jackets and my father’s best wishes we were off. Always the optimist, he shook his head in disapproval and announced that he would not be buying anybody medicine when we all came back nursing dreadful colds.

With that in mind we cozied up into the car and enjoyed the lengthy 2 hour view, sleeping against each other and cringing at my mothers version of Queens’ Bohemian Rhapsody. She made for a terrible singer and a most interesting travel companion. She takes the prize for quote of the ride, which surprisingly was not are we there yet, but “I miss the London pollution.”

Once we had passed the motorway, we drove through the New Forest, and saw wild horses in their dozens; black, brown and white; bathing in the rays of sunlight peeking through small clearings in dense forest. We hurried a few snaps as we passed the brave mares at the roadside, inches away from the open windows.

Then, we drove through a quaint little village, complete with thatch roof cottages and funnily named pubs. We exclaimed at all the village sights that one does not see on the London High Streets. Oh look, it’s an apothecary. Oh look it’s an old sweet shop. Oh look it’s a tea room. Oh look it’s a Costa coffee?

Oh look it’s the sea! My mother spotted it first and we all squealed in excitement, anticipating the waves crashing against our bodies as we jumped up and down, getting ready to the build the tallest sand castles.

Well, not me. I didn’t even touch the sand.  I lay my pink snuggly blanket down on the rocks, and slipped into a book. Yes, I could have done that in my garden but the fresh breeze, salty smell and symphony of waves created a better reading atmosphere. I entertained the thought of dipping into the freezing October sea for the duration of an entire page but rid myself of it as soon as I imagined the sand sticking to my wet skin as I tried to get changed under a flying towel. Not worth it.

I was content to just to watch my sisters splash about in the water and return not shortly after, teeth chattering and jumping into their dry clothes. Anyway, I got up to my own fifteen minute adventure, looking for fossils in the cliffs with the only tool available, a fork. No luck, except for a few pin sized shells, but I couldn’t really expect to find the ancient remains of an extinct species on my first go. Maybe on my next.

San Sebastián: A city of contradictions

During my short holiday in Spain, I enjoyed an afternoon out with my mother in the small city of San Sebastián. It’s a beautiful city in the north of the country that is a popular tourist destination because of its picturesque coastline and lively atmosphere. There is always something to capture your interest, whether you’re exploring the local shops and restaurants, snoozing on the beach or cruising the waves. Even just sitting on a bench and watching the people go by can be a source of entertainment. (A.K.A people-watching)

With so much going on around me and so many interesting things to see it was also a great opportunity to capture the moments using my trustworthy camera. Walking around like a first-time tourist in a city I had visited many times before, I had fun discovering San Sebastián and recording my excursion, following a theme of contradictions or paradox. It was not my intention to begin with; my finger reaching for the snap button was simply an automatic reflex responding to my fascination; but somewhere between the snaps and flashes the coincidental theme emerged and I fully immersed myself into it.

The most obvious contradiction/paradox was land and sea. The coastal city is outlined by hills and mountains and on a good sunny day its three beaches are swarmed with people soaking up the sun and small boats and canoes decorate the sea bay. There is also a small island (Santa Clara) that we took a boat tour of despite my mother’s obvious preference of land. She bravely ignored the unsettling swaying motions of the boat that brought a clenching to her stomach and was rewarded with the most amazing view.

Land & Sea

Santa Clara Island

“El Peine del viento” by Eduardo Chillida- abstract art or a lump of metal?

“La Concha” beach

Old and new is another paradox that is a prominent feature of San Sebastián. Although it is a modern metropolitan city and you could easily spend your day shopping for the latest trends at H&M before stopping for lunch at McDonald’s, you could just as easily travel along narrow cobbled streets, from bar to bar, trying traditional tapas and fresh seafood in the ”old part” (Parte Vieja) of the city. Most of the buildings in the Parte Vieja trace back to the 19th century and much of its original architecture has been kept the same creating a stark contrast between the old part at the core of the city and the modern area that surrounds it.

La Parte Vieja

“Buen Pastor” Cathedral

As we wandered along the city harbour, the sound of drums alerted us to another unusual contradiction. We followed the loud beating to a small crowd encompassing a group of uniformed, drum-bearing  children. They were celebrating a festival, dressed in Basque clothes and playing traditional Basque instruments, but instead of the expected Basque flag, we were surprised to see the Libyan flag carried proudly by a small Libyan boy. It seems support for the Libyan people is wide-spread and not contained to just the neighbouring Arab countries.

Finally, here is the picture that started off my entire theme of contradictions and paradox. Imagine our amusement and confusion when my mother and I walk into a bakery full of sugary treats to find a public weighing scales with a sign that translates to “observe your weight” right next to the large slabs of chocolate. Is this meant to be good for business or is it a new government initiative? I’m not sure what it says about the Basque people’s eating habits but it says a lot about their sense of humour.

Overall, I had a fantastic afternoon of “mother-daughter bonding” and can not wait to go back to San Sebastián and perhaps have a look at some of the museums and places I didn’t get a chance to see. San Sebastián may not be as well-known and popular as other cities in Spain such as Barcelona or Madrid but nevertheless it is a superb place and definitely worth a visit.

Raw meat and a pitiful fire

It seems that summer has come early here in England, much to my delight. People have taken off their heavy winter  jackets, the ice cream vans are playing their sweet music and the sun is shining! So, I’m making the most of it and soaking up as much vitamin D as I can before it all comes to a very abrupt and rainy end.

This weekend, we had our first barbecue of the year and so did everybody else. The supermarket was full of people stocking up on meat, coal and beer and the smell of barbecue was  prominent in our neighbourhood. Trails of smoke rose from every garden. Every garden except ours.

My father took charge of our barbecue. He never cooks but somehow when it comes to the barbecue he is in his element…or so he thinks. He cooked sweet corn, veggie burgers and very raw meat on a pitiful fire and served  up sweet corn, veggie burgers and very raw meat. Not that anyone could say so because according to him it was very well cooked. He refused to take any advice, suggestions or complaints, preferring to do it all wrong, all by himself. Give a man grill and an apron and he becomes a macho chef, very defensive (stubborn).

Although vegetarian me didn’t eat much, I enjoyed the feeling of an early summer and an approaching holiday. I don’t mean the easter holiday, which my contrary school has decided to take two weeks later than the rest of the country. I am looking even further ahead: summer holidays. Lets just hope that when they finally do arrive the weather doesn’t take a u-turn.

I do remember getting extremely excited last year when we experienced a miniscule heat wave. It lasted about three days, temperatures were fairly high and everyone complained. Then, it rained for the rest of the summer and well, everyone complained. But that’s just British weather and British people for you.

To all people around the world experiencing the current benefits of global warming, lets pray it lasts.