Friday 15 November 2013

a note to Jacques Yves Cousteau


Quería escribir esta entrada en español, pese a los varios errores gramaticales y la expresión torpe que seguramente seguirán. Quería escribirlo así porque me gustaría expresar mi pasión por, y mi delicia en, la costa de este parte del país en palabras que reflejan un lado distinto de yo mismo, uno más pensativo, emotivo, y menos analítico que qué pienso que lo suele expresar mi propio uso de mi lengua nativa.

En realidad no he explorado tanto de las playas de Cantabria, pero puedo decir sin duda que lo que sí he visto me ha dado más felicidad y tranquilidad que todas las otras experiencias que he tenido aquí hasta ahora. 

La semana pasado tenía mi primera clase de surf española, en que pude revisar todo de lo que podía recordar de las clases en Boscombe hace un año además de aprender un montón de cosas nuevas, no solo de mi técnica sino también del movimiento de las olas, cómo funciona el oleaje y cómo el cuerpo humano consume la energía durante hacer ejercicio. Era una experiencia genial que no veo la hora de repetir!


Lo que me encanta de esta costa también es la falta de gente, particularmente durante esta temporada; como me hago mayora me doy cuenta de que, mientras que siempre me ha considerado alguien extrovertido, me consuela enormemente en estar sola, ya sea entre una multitud de gente o en una playa vacía. Aquí no hay turistas ni personas por lo general, ya que el tiempo es demasiado incómodo para hacer un poco de baño de sol. La inhospitalidad de esas playas me recuerda de Poole dónde vive mi abuelo así que me ofrece mucho consuelo.


I wanted to write this entry in Spanish, despite the various grammatical errors and clumsy language that will surely ensue. I wanted to write it so because I’d like to express my passion for, and my delight in, the coast of this part of this country in words that reflect a different side to me, one that is more pensive, emotional and less analytical than what I think I tend to express through my own use of my native language.


In reality I haven’t explored the Cantabrian beaches so much but I can say without a doubt that what I have seen has offered me more happiness and peave than all the other experiences that I’ve had here so far.


Last week I had my first Spanish surf lesson, wherein I could go over all that I could remember from lessons in Boscombe last year as well as learning a load of new things, not only to do with my technique but also of the movement of the waves, how swell work and how the human body consumes energy whilst exercising. It was a great experience that I can’t wait to repeat!


What I also love about this coastline is the lack of people, particularly during this season; as I get older I realise that, whilst I’ve always considered myself an extroverted person, I gain huge comfort in being alone, whether than be amidst a crowd of people or on an empty beach. Here there are no tourists nor people in general since the weather is too uncomfortable to do a spot of sunbathing. The inhospitality of these beaches reminds me of Poole where my Grandad lives and thus offers me much comfort.

Saturday 9 November 2013

things I have learnt so far: Part 2

it's your Birthday? Great, buy me a drink!
to my eyes it's a very positive aspect of Spanish culture, their pleasure in giving and sharing things. And it's not just with material things; I have never encountered such willingness to help one out through the sharing of knowledge, from my estate agents' recommendations and tour of the best bakeries in Torre to my surf instructor's thorough, detailed explanation of tidal movements and coastal features. They love it, they love sharing stories and giving things so much that they will use any excuse (birthdays, weddings, sister's wedding, birthday 2 months ago) to bring in cakes/wine/chocolates and home-made tortillas...the only downfall is that on your birthday it is you that foots the bill and buys the drinks. At least it only happens once a year eh, har har.

personal space is not a "thing"
or at least the permitted personal space allowance per individual is greatly reduced from what I'm used to in the UK; in various situations I have found myself close enough to be inspect the pores of my fellow converser. However, I'm learning to appreciate the feeling of confidence that it so expresses as well as the generally more physical nature of Spanish social interaction interaction. No longer do I lean back slightly when greeted by people with a kiss on each cheek; on the contrary, I've found the less you resist all this intimacy the more you acknowledge its value as an exchange of trust and friendship.

neither is brown eye make up
exemplified by both my housemate and my extreme difficulty in finding any in the shops. Rachel tells me her experience of being met with blank expressions or of surprise when requesting this elusive object. The style of make up here is black, black, black and a little bit more black. Which looks lovely on Spanish skin but a bit vampiric on Rach and my paler, rosier complexion.

english language music is v. popular
but they don't understand the words. For example, TV shows/ads frequently use songs with vaguely inappropriate lyrics or by musicians whose accompanying culture is at complete odds to that of the show - 'Californication' and Avril Lavigne play in the background of a documentary about Cantabrian livestock whilst the explicit version of Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop' bridges a segment in a day-time chat show. Bizarre, visual/audio juxtapositions galore.

someone saying "See you later" is more like someone saying "seyalaah"
"hasta luego" will be expressed "'stalogo", said rapidly and in passing to a neighbour or conocido. There are plenty of other interesting details of pronunciation that I'm learning, such as the Northern tendency to drop the 'd' in past perfect verbs. For example, "pasado" becomes "pasao", making it sound quite Portuguese or even Chilean (to my limited knowledge anyway!).

So there's a little update on some of the fascinating things I have noticed (or at least think I am noticing as it 
could well be all in my mind) from my time spent here. Expect more at some future date!

Friday 8 November 2013

buenas vistas, thigh ache and one big rock

So off we speed in a big coach full of loudly excited Spanish teachers and their spouses whilst my friends and I are still wiping the sleep dust from our eyes. We're heading to Peña Sagra, a mountain nestled within a mountain range that borders los picos de Europa. After a couple of hours of zooming down country lanes and round the feet of several great, grey mountains, our walk beings on an challenging upward incline; I can already tell that this isn't going to be some kind of countryside stroll!

we were just getting going and yet check out the views!

The journey up is arduous but satisfying as we're almost immediately greeted by beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. After a little while I spot a few deer high up the side of the mountain and realise how glad I am to be outside and away from Torre; it's not like I dislike living in a city but I always feel more "myself" when I'm away from all the people and noise of urban living. The Spanish group who we're with are so friendly, interesting and interested in ourselves. It's always great when my tendency to pigeonhole 'the Spanish' as a loud, showy lot is debunked from conversation with actual individual Spanish people.

break time: "say 'Buuuugle'!"
After a quick break we continue on up where the incline becomes suddenly more sheer and precarious. It's tiring work but throughout the journey I'm stunned by panoramic views of both the Cantabrian coast and the stark, desolate outline of los picos. Following a tricky route over an area giant, eroding rocks, we've finally reached the top! The view, well, here's some shots from the top:





endless sky

feeling pretty pleased with ourselves!

jus' chillin' on this big ol' rock

...pretty amazing! The descent, as always, is the less enjoyable part of our journey and the next day my legs were scratched and burning from an hour of uncomfortable stumbling/near-tripping down a steep incline covered in pricky gorse. After the momentary trapse through gorse hell, however, the rest of the journey was lovely and full of wildlife - including wild horses - and lots of farm animals towards the foot of the mountain.

After approx seven hours of hiking we were rewarded with a stop at the nearest bar, where we enjoyed bowls of unshelled walnuts - lots of fun had trying to work out how to actually open them - and huge 1.5 pints of cerveza! 'Salud' to an awesome day!

relishing that sit down like no one's biz