#318. Sant Joan

The Festival of San Juan Summer Solstice Festival took place on Saturday night and Sunday morning on the Valencia beach. It's one of the largest pagan rituals still going. The entire under-30 population and plenty of over-30s headed to the beach at midnight to go for a paddle, then jump over a bonfire. Four hours and half a bottle of rum later I was joining in the tradition, except instead of paddling there was swimming in boxers and instead of jumping bonfires there was trying to warm yourself by the glowing embers of someone's old wardrobe while discussing buslanes and ecotourism with some friendly Columbians.

At sunrise the cops arrived to boot us off so they could clean the beach for the next day. Everyone put out their fires, finished their piñas coladas and caught the bus home.

Alas, as a result of this nighttime dip, I'm feeling fairly crappy today (I missed Sunday) and I've been confined to eating plain rice (albeit wholegrain basmati rice).