San Juan - June 23, 2009

Yesterday, June 23, 2009, was the longest day of the year a.k.a. San Juan and it was an excellent day! In the afternoon, Ibai picked me up from the university and we went to Sopelana to enjoy some sunbathing on the beach (not the nudist beach, thank goodness), some swimming in the salty water, some beers in our favorite bars, and supper in an Aussie-surfer restaurant (but the food was really quite Spanish as were the people working there... we weren't really sure why they claimed it was Australian). Then, the girls came to Sopelana for the festivities of San Juan!

San Juan is the celebration of the longest day of the year. Large bonfires are lit to represent the sun so that night never has to come, and you can enjoy light for the entire longest day of the year. As soon as the sun started to set, the sky started to fill with smoke. Every couple hundred meters, there was a bonfire from the coast to the center of Bilbao, and I'm sure much farther than that. By the end of the night, when we were taking the highway back home to Bilbao, the visibility was horribly reduced and the smell of bonfire wafted into the car through the vents. It was really quite remarkable. I imagine that the entire metropolis burning to the ground would have had a similar effect.

Now, I know what your thinking - if there are so many bonfires, how do you choose which one to go to? Well, that's a good question. It involves a lot of careful thought and a bit of strategy. I had stated that I wanted to enjoy my first San Juan bonfire along the coast, which was widely accepted amongst my friends, and then we discovered that one of the bonfires offered FREE hot chocolate! So, clearly our search for the perfect bonfire was over. I should note that hot chocolate in Spain is not some crappy powder mixed into hot water or milk. Oh no!! Here, hot chocolate means HOT chocolate. Real, delicious chocolate heated up until it's liquid. It truly is an inspiration for attending a bonfire. Not to mention I had forgotten my coat at home that morning, and only had my beach towel (conveniently a Canadian flag that allowed me to 'represent the homeland ') from the earlier beach going and was a little bit chilly before the fire really got going.

This is a tradition that I'm bringing home. Next year, San Juan in Saskatoon and you're all invited!!

Hasta la proximá vez,

Kathlene