Colours of Lastres
Having spent a week in France for my best friend’s wedding followed by a short stay with my family in Tours, we decided to head to Spain for the last week of our holiday. It was basically a close-your-eyes-and-put-your-finger-on-the-map kind of situation. We ended up going to Lastres, a quaint old fishing village in the province of Asturias, where the mountains meet the sea. It’s not the easiest of places to get to without a car, but transport by bus is pretty reliable, and being able to sit back and enjoy the scenery was well worth it. Plus, we were lucky enough to arrive during the last days of the San Roque Festival.
Celebrations start mid-August and are held in many regions of Spain, from Andalucía in the south to Asturias in the north, in honour of San Roque, a Patron Saint who was traditionally invoked against the plague. They include religious processions, musical performances (I got woken up by a Spanish bagpipe band one morning and it felt right at home), various activities for kids such as fairs, rides, foam parties, street food stands - the works.
During the first few days, we were first taken aback, then annoyed and finally curious about the seemingly random explosions that occurred several times a day for a good ten minutes and could be heard from every part of town. We later got to know that those daily explosions and resulting rows of smoke clouds are all part of the tradition and set the tone for the big fireworks that mark the end of the festival.
The wildlife wasn’t too happy about the noise, with flocks of seagulls and other birds immediately flying away for hours on end as soon the first explosion occurred. As much as I still question the need for those deafening smoke bombs, I felt lucky to experience Lastres in such a lively, festive time and loved the place for its slow life, bright colours, dramatic skies… and of course - let’s not forget - the best cider I’ve ever had (sorry, my French half!).
