Exploring the joys of nature.
It was just past 6 a.m., the sky a bit overcast and the sun yet to rise. A large group of people were sitting comfortably listening to a man standing a few feet across. They then stretched and performed yoga exercises, and finally with a loud cheer dropped their outerwear and ran to take a dip in the water. I watched with amazement all of this unfold, from a distance in the controlled air of my hotel room. The sun was starting to peek behind the clouds, and I decided not to stay cooped up but enjoy the fine beach scene.
It was a perfectly warm Mediterranean spring morning as the sun rose ever so slightly on the Barcelona horizon. I slowly walked past the group that had now returned from their dip and were toweling off to get into their street clothes. They mostly looked like they were in their twenties or early thirties – college students and young professionals. Couldn’t help feeling a bit amused, wistful, and jealous all at the same time!
Stopping by, I casually chatted with a few young ladies. I was half expecting an answer in Spanish and was glad to hear one of them respond, “We are college students. I am from Costa Rica and this is my friend – she is from Mexico.” I was so pleased to see folks not too far from my California!
“We study in the University here and come to this beach every Wednesday morning.” That intrigued me and so we chatted on. I learned that what started with two guys exercising and taking a dip in the ocean before heading to work had mushroomed into an Instagram community of over 200! A group of young adults who enjoyed nature and had fun while pursuing a healthy lifestyle. What a cool idea!
As I continued my walk there was a group of older adults chanting, praying at what looked like a small memorial ceremony with flowers and candles. A young father and his baby in a stroller jogged past.
Slices of life playing out by the water, as the sun rose gloriously above.
~ AK Irvinekar
Dear Archana,
It was so nice to read your blog after a long time! So nicely depicted!! Sunrise and spending time with nature early morning is absolutely blissful!
You can maybe complete this post with another blog about sunset!
Please do keep writing!
Best wishes always,
Padmini
Thanks Padmini!
And that’s a great idea for a follow on post 🙂
Refreshing blog Archana. So nice to read after a long time! Love how you narrate your travel experiences with such insights. Your keen observations and conversations with people bring out subtle connections of life – with nature, lifestyles.
Travel is a wonderful instructor 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post!
And I need to be more disciplined about writing!
Interesting article. Another example of how social media can bring together people with similar interests..