Hot! (¡Que calor!)...

It's hot. Really hot. Unusually hot. Not that Spain isn’t used to the heat, it’s just that it's started really early this year. Since the end of June, it's been one ola de calor (heatwave) after the other. And there was also a heatwave back in May that saw 40°C temperatures in many parts of the country. This really shouldn’t really be happening until August.

In Madrid, the temperatures have got the hosteleros (bar owners) worried. Their terrazas (outside areas) have been deserted during the day, meaning they’re losing a tonne of money – although I suspect they’d be doing a roaring trade once the sun goes down. 

More worrying is the damage to agriculture. The Galician potato crop has been decimated, as has the corn. The sea temperature in the Mediterranean has already hit 30°C in some places along the coast, which has sent the Lubina (sea-bass - a favourite here in Spain) scurrying for colder waters.

Back in Galicia, in some parts they haven’t even been able to drink tap water as the high temperatures have led to a increase in a certain sort of toxin. 

It’s the effects of cambio climático (climate change), the government has admitted.

I'm writing this post sitting in the shaded terraza of a bar with a cerveza bien fria (nice cold beer). It's a favourite way to beat the heat for me.

Writing this post with a cerveza bien fria. That's some interesting balcony furnishings in front of me

Here in BCN we've also got the beach for that - although if you're a local you'll most likely head slightly out of town for a dip. Barcelona's city beaches (like the Barceloneta) are great for a walk, jog or cycle along their wonderful, palm-lined broad walks, but swimming is mainly for the tourists.

Las Platja de la Barceloneta (Barceloneta Beach)

A good hint that there might be a lot of tourists here: the information signs are in English.
Oh and yes, you can still smoke on the beaches here

You will find some locals at Bogadell or Mar Bella beaches, but most will head out of town if they can - just a little north to places like Ocata or south to Gavá or Sitges (all of which are really easy to reach by the local trains).

La Platja de Gavá (Gavá Beach). If you're looking for a wide, kms long, sandy beach, this is a great choice

We popped down to a place not far from Gavá called Garraf the other day – it’s a gorgeous little beach lined with little wooden holiday shacks. There’s a great beach-side restaurant there too called El Chiringuito de Garraf that does a sensational paella. 

Just a bit on from Gavá is Garraf. Much smaller but very cute. Check out those little wooden holiday shacks lining the beach.

My favourite beach though is Balmins Beach in Sitges. Balmins is just a little north of Sitges’ main beaches and much more natural and relaxed - although that doesn’t mean there’s not a chiringuito (beach-side bar) right there on the sand for that cerveza bien fria when you need it.

Balmins at sunset. That's Sitges' stunning old-quarter in the background. 

Balmins is officially a nudist beach, but in reality it’s very mixed and a favourite with all sorts – young, old, gay, straight - swimsuited or not.

In Madrid, reaching the beach is somewhat more complicated, but not impossible as in the AVE (the high speed train), it's only 90 minutes to Valencia. Still, that takes a bit of planning (and it’s not exactly a cheap day at the beach), so a lot of people head to the municipal pools or the pantano (dam) for a swim.

I made the trip to the Pantano de San Juan just once. It's a beautiful spot to the south-west of Madrid - a huge expanse of water surrounded by lovely bushland. But - and it's a big but - it's dirty. Not enough bins and too much of a propensity for the punters to dump their picnic and BBQ leftovers in the bushland ruined it for me.

What I used to do most when it was hot in Madrid was head to El Retiro, Madrid’s fantastic city park. I’d lie in the shade of a gum tree (surprisingly the park is full of them) or to really knock two or three degrees off the air temperature, take a wonder through the park’s forested grottos. You’d be amazed at how much cooler it is there.

There's a surprising number of gum trees in Retiro, especially down on the lawns at the Atocha end.

Retiro has stunning woodlands right in the centre of town. 

Despite all this talk about keeping cool, I’d much rather be hot than cold. I’ve always been that way, although 8 years in London did confirm it.

Still, being so hot from so early in the year is a bit of a concern. Even more of a worry is that while one government department here is acknowledging that this heat is a result of global warming, another of that same government is cutting subsidies for renewables and even worse, is planning to introduce new taxes to penalise those who have bothered to install rooftop solar with storage capacity!

It’s enough to make you wonder if the government is suffering a bout of heatstroke from this ola de calor…

The season kicks-off (Arranca la temporada)...

Well it seems that the season has kicked-off here in Barcelona and even though it’s early days, it is looking like our first verano (summer) here is going to be a good one.

Up 'till now, I wasn't so sure. Now I know it could almost be considered a sacrilege to say so, but I’ve got to admit to finding Barcelona a little dull our first months here. Friends reminded me that it was “winter after all”, but I suppose I had become accustomed to Madrid, whose streets are teeming (with locals) even during the cold months. I was starting to get a little worried.

It seems I needn’t have. With arrival of the first weekends of sun and warmth, Barcelona has started to fill with the air of excitement and expectation that comes with a summer by the sea.

It’s been so long since I have lived by the beach – 15 years for goodness sake – that I’d forgotten what a costal city was like. Really, it’s very similar to Sydney. Despite how good the winter weather actually is, compared to say London or even Madrid, winter is a time of hibernation for the locals. Then, as the days get longer and the sun starts to not only shine, but actually radiate heat, the winter dens are abandoned and all hell breaks loose.

Well, OK, I’m not as young as I used to be, so “all hell” is probably not going to “break loose” for me, but certainly the sangria, mojitos and caipirinhas have started to flow and helped to wash down some plentiful servings of paella and seafood at some of the fabulous chiringuitos (beachside restaurants and bars) here in Barcelona.

We’ve found ourselves at the Barceloneta a lot these last few weeks. This is downtown Barcelona’s beachside barrio (neighbourhood) that also gives its name to the beach there - although I’m not sure if many locals actually go there to swim as there are nicer beaches just a little further up and down the coast. 

The beach at the Barcelona is actually what’s left of a series of islands once off the coast, and the barrio built on land reclaimed from the sea that used to separate the two. On one side there is the old port and on the other the sea, so you actually feel like you’re surrounded by water.

Both the barrio and the beachfront are packed with bars and restaurants that fill up with tourists and locals alike. Some of the restaurants, especially on the main drag, look a little touristy to me (photo menu boards and over-eager waiters standing outside trying to hustle you in), so I’ve steered clear of them.  But we’ve found some good and fun places, and already whiled away some lovely long afternoons with friends there.

And it’s only May. Bring it on…