Zahara de los tunas beach
It's barely 10:30 in the morning and the morning mist she is still the owner and lady of the Zahara de los Atunes beach, that little town brimming with charm and fishing air that conquers so many souls year after year.
We are in the middle of July, but some hard waking days have handed over to a strange, atypical sunset. Some of those travelers who annually choose the small town in Cadiz As a vacation spot, they go for a walk along the shore early in the morning. sweatshirt through and without sunglasses : okay, no one be alarmed, that the sun will shine again is only a matter of hours.
Zahara Beach
In the sand, located between two banners that delimit the space , a group of young people -and not so young- stuffed in neoprene is concentrated around an energetic individual, who is busy in display graphically the explanations and safety rules relevant on the sand.
Is about Jon, technical director and surf instructor at Zahara Surf , the only international school focused on this sport in the town of Cadiz, or what is the same, the business that runs since eight years ago beside Natalie, his partner.
because it is true that The surf It is usually related more to other southern beaches: Tarifa, Bologna or El Palmar appear on the surfing map of every fan, but, What happens to Zahara?
Well, it turns out that our acclaimed destination also has more than ideal conditions for enjoy catching -and learning to catch- waves. In fact, those who listen attentively to every word of Jon are the students of him today of him to the introductory course. Their tables, larger than usual -also softer- rest on the sand just a few meters from them.
Jon speaks loudly , transmitting passion in each of his words: despite spending a lifetime advocating the values and virtues of this sport, he continues as in love with his work as the first day.
A first day that goes back a good handful of years ago, when this thing of settling in the small town in Cadiz where I know found their origins It wasn't in his plans yet. Because although Jon was not born in Zahara , his southern accent is such that it betrays his roots.
His story, however, moves away from our borders: of a German father and a mother from Zahor They both met in the town when she was just a teenager and he was a young european in search of emotions traveled across the continent.
The crush -as that Mecano song would say- was instantaneous: he returned to germany but could not forget her and, after a period in the distance, he returned for her. That was how the daughter of the village matron -Jon proudly boasts that his grandmother was the one who brought a large part of Zahara's neighbors into the world- he ended up forming a family in german lands : our instructor was therefore born there.
But let's not get sidetracked, which is to know a beautiful story and let the lines go after it... Back to this particular surf class, and after a practical part on land , the moment so desired -and at the same time so feared- by the students arrives: It's time to get in the water.
Jon's instructions, who watches from the shore with the rest of the monitors, are constantly repeated in his head: reach the right place with the table , wait to spot the perfect wave in the distance, lie down on the board, row with your arms, get down on your knees, and get up! It seems that everything is clear... until you end up ingesting half an ocean in the first attempt.
However, something that is learned from the first moment is that perseverance is the best friend of those who surf. Also trust: if he doesn't come out at first, he'll come out at second…or third.
Indeed, that moment in which what has been learned is fulfilled to the letter and is identified the pleasure of surfing (albeit slightly and on the edge) some other wave , makes all the effort -and the consequent soreness of the day after- it was worth it.
Each course day , which can be from a day to weeks, consists of four hours -pause to regain energy included- full of romps, laughter, some other frustration and a lot of good vibes. Something that the instructors distill from the first moment: they already learned it Jon and Natalie when they founded his first surf school, in 2010, in Lanzarote where they still work. That was where they met, turning Famara beach at home.
We would spend our lives soaking in its transparent waters...
With spirits through the roof, energy through the floor, and a diploma under his arm that accredits the experience acquired, when the time comes to say goodbye, all you have to do is say goodbye to the surfboard : the sun is already shining brightly in the highest part of the sky and Zahara has much more to offer. Yes, before How about we eat something?
FLAVOR OF THE SOUTH
The gastronomic revolution in Zahor has perhaps never become such a revolution: the zero mile product is of such quality in these parts that they have spent a lifetime demonstrating that what the tall kitchen , here, is something more than his way of being. to classics like The Campero Tavern, Casa Juanito, El Vapor or the Trasteo Tavern, We must add other great claims that make our mouths water even before sitting down at the table. This is the case of Chiringuito Los Sueños.
go now 12 years ever since this absolute culinary temple opened its doors on the golden sands of Atlanterra beach and, since then, he has done nothing but please the local and foreign palates eager to taste the pure flavor of the south.
The souls behind this successful project - also owners of the Kraken restaurant, in Barbate- are Pilar and Manuel , mother and son from Madrid who left Captivate by the benefits of Cádiz and they set out, years ago, for this land determined to make their -of course- dreams come true.
As soon as you land on it, you have to decide between falling in love with it stylish interior or succumb to the feeling of enjoying a delicious dining experience with the feet sunk in the sand.
Do you want a good rice? Reservation at Chiringuito Los Sueños
Be that as it may, happiness will come to embrace us as soon as we feel the affection with which each of its clients are treated, but much more so when we take the first bite of their delicious octopus salad or to his -oh, mother of beautiful love- Almadraba bluefin tuna sandwich with Canarian almogrote and crusty bread.
And who is behind these exquisite recipes? The chef Jose Carbonell, also from Madrid and with extensive experience that has led him to work hand in hand with chefs like Sergi Arola or David Delgado. He is the one who devises each of the dishes, who invents, experiments, tries and succeeds.
And to check it you just have to keep tasting: any of its traditional llauna rice dishes, its coconut ajoblanco and sea bass tartar or any of the elaborations based on the Zahoreño product par excellence, almadraba bluefin tuna They will show us.
AND WHAT ELSE?
Well, much, much more, of that there is no doubt. Because if Zahara de los Atunes has something, it is that, despite the fact that she hardly has a handful of alleys and that its registered inhabitants scarcely exceed the 1,500 for most of the year , has a past worth discovering.
And to do so, there is nothing like embarking on a journey through its origins. The beginning is, of course, in his old castle. Or rather, in what remains of him: between the remains of the wall of this fortification , today used as an enclosure in which to celebrate the summer market every year, the old Chanca de Zahara Palace, built in the 15th century by the Duke of Medina Sidonia.
Their 15,000 square meters They gave for a full-fledged three in one: residence of the dukes, defensive fortress and chanca , that is, the factory where the tuna were handled and salted.
A century later it is the Parish Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel , just a few meters away. The history of this unique town was also written on its walls: the salt still oozes from the walls that one day served as a space for salt the fish In fact, it was not until entered the 20th century which acquired its ecclesiastical function.
However, the way to enjoy the real Zahara is walking: walking through its small handful of alleys and stopping at every detail, breathing that unique atmosphere of the corners of the south.
The quiet streets of the center of Zahara de los Atunes
chat with some of his neighbors , who will not hesitate relate with hair and signs anecdotes and legends related to the past, and reach the streets of the seaside neighborhood. The essence of what really was -and is- Zahara de los Atunes is found in their coquettish little houses, behind the windows decorated with curtains that dance with the Atlantic breeze.
What a good place to end this report. Although, perhaps, better to do it again to soak in its transparent waters, No? But this time… let time stop.