For me, the arrival of summer not only means a change of season, it is also a complete change of rhythm. Not only because the heat seems to dry up all my energy and I drag myself from one place to another, but because people in general are more relaxed. There are no more races to and from schools and you can take your time to get ready and for some unknown reason. Knowing you'll soon be on holidays or having just come back from them makes staying up late much easier than during the winter, and having longer days makes you want to take advantage of those extra hours of light.
Summer is also a time to meet up with your friends, and Spain is well known for its bar terraces serving ice-cold beers and tapas. Wherever you go, you'll see tables full of people eating and chatting under the sun umbrellas. In the evenings, you'll still find the tables outside full of people whichever day of the week and often until late hours in the night.
Children will also be allowed to stay up later, but this won't lower their energy levels and you can usually hear their cries and splashes from swimming pools in the vicinity or a beach nearby. Also, there is always the option of the well-known Siesta which will reboot your system ready for more socializing.
I find the bustling of bars and beaches relaxing and watching other people so happy and at ease infects me with the same feelings. You forget that this country is afflicted with the crisis and political corruption by watching people laugh and joke around the table and I'm glad people still know how to enjoy themselves and have fun even under the circumstances and pressure.
What are summers like where you live?
Ooh, I wish summers were like that here! I love the heat and find that the cold saps my energy. But here in Northern Britain, where it can be grilling-hot one day and cold and rainy the next, you can never plan what you're going to do with your holiday, you take it as it comes. Which makes us adaptable, able to change plans at the drop of a hat to make new ones, and gives us an endless topic of conversation. We're also always slightly rusty.
ReplyDeleteYou've made me extremely jealous now! I miss proper summers - when I lived in Montreal and Ottawa you could go out at night without freezing to death. In London if you went without a jacket you'd probably get frostbite.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds really delightful! I love the heat; it's the humidity I'm not so crazy about. I find that the roads aren't as busy in the mornings here; people are on vacations or putting off their errands until it cools down at night. Children's shouts and laughter is a dominant sound and barbecue and camp fires is a normal smell every night! People are outside more, doing yard work or relaxing in a hammock with a book and tall glass of lemonade. I love summer! :)
ReplyDeleteAh, summers in Spain sound marvellous! Here in Georgia during the summer, it's much too hot to stay outside for very long (with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees). But in the evenings, it's comfortable enough to venture out. People ride bikes, go on jogs, and of course, we've got some interesting nightlife.
ReplyDeleteI just wish we had a good lake or beach or mountain area, SOMETHING like that where I live. That's why I can't wait to get out of here... /:
I have the same summer experience as Jane. In the Midlands, UK, summers are erratic. I can leave the house in a jumper, roast under half an hour's worth of sun as I head to the shops and then get drenched through on the way home. I suppose this is why there's not the same sort of cafe culture in Leicester. Such variations of weather are not conducive to relaxing on a bar terrace.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a glimpse of Spanish culture in the heat. Southern Ontario is HUMID and rather warm. I'm glad that we have several generous shade trees.
ReplyDeleteYour writing's beautiful and makes me realise how much I miss holidays in Spain. It's raining in Hertfordshire and feels like autumn's on its way. So much for summer here.
ReplyDeleteJ x
Thanks everyone for telling me about your summers.
ReplyDeleteHowever, not everything is that great here, it does get really hot sometimes.
I find it so difficult when I've got to pack for England in summer, and I end up packing double, just in case.
Laura and Paul, I find humidity and heat the most difficult to bear.