The beaches of Riazor and Orzán were one of Picasso's playgrounds, where he amused himself by dodging the waves. The other two are the Santa Margarita park, where they held stone fights, and the Pontevedra plaza, where they played bullfighting. It was precisely in the first of these sandy areas that he discovered female nudity, looking through the lock of a bathing hut.
Sometimes, after school, we play by throwing stones on the hill of Santa Margarita. Other times, we go to bullfight in the Pontevedra square. Our jackets, as the red capes, and I, as the bull. But the best is when we go to the beaches of Riazor and Orzán to bullfight the waves. Don't let them catch me! I swim very well, but only up to my waist!
In the school, the students’ benches stand in front of the windows, which are enormous. While the teacher, wrapped in his robe, strives to teach us the transcendent principles of Rhetoric, Psychology and Mathematics, our eyes escape through the stained-glass windows to contemplate the struggle between the sea and the coast: the waves crashing against the rocks and flooding the beach. What a spectacle! Especially in winter.
In summer, lots of people come for the wave baths. On the sand, there are some huts painted in blue and white, which are the local colours, for people to get changed in. I’m going to tell you a secret: the first time I saw a naked woman was in one of these huts. I’ll never forget the excitement I felt.
There are barnacles in these waters. Barnacles are an exceptional thing. Eating them is like eating Orzán beach. I can't wait to have a sardine pie. Or "xoubas", which are small sardines. In Galicia everything tastes like sardines. You eat ham and it tastes like sardines because the piglets are fed with sardines. All animals are fed with sardines.
Authors of the text:
Elena Pardo and Rubén Ventureira