A short trip to a childhood summer holiday location, and loads of film, some old photos, and plenty of family, make for great photo and storytelling opportunities. Join me for a personal trip down memory lane.
Camping La Paz
I have started this post this as I fly to Bilbao and from then onwards to Asturias, in northern Spain. This post will be a little longer than the others as I reflect on and share past memories of my time at Camping La Paz, a wonderful campsite about 10km from the seaside town of Llanes in the province of Asturias, in northern Spain.
A satellite view of the campsite
I've also got a little surprise in store, trying to re-create some old photos (shot on film of course) with the same shot and pose today. We first started coming to this campsite in the late 80s. My mother was a swift convert to camping after reluctantly agreeing to "give it a go" when we were really young. As she says herself, we enjoyed it so much as young kids and she enjoyed the slower pace of life that camping provides, and so we made it our regular yearly summer holiday. On the whole we mostly went to the same campsite, although we did venture to Biarritz a few times but nothing was as good as Camping La Paz. My parents have been coming here for the last 25 years+, always the same spot and always the same trailer tent. My older brother Adam also visited regularly from Seattle and I have memories of driving up in our old Ford Escort - my parents in the front and my older sister Aisling, Eoin my twin, myself and Adam (the in his 20s) with his legs stretched out across us in the back. The "are we there yet" interrogation started about 10 minutes into a good 6 hour journey, and only stopped with Adam giving you a good clip over the ear.
I may be 36 now, but I am not at all embarassed to say I'm still scared of him giving me a clip over the ear! That's older brother respect for you... my twin and I once tried to gang up on him when we were older but had no fighting chance. Now that he is over 50, at least we get a good laugh by saying it is important to 'respect your elders'!. What's not funny is that he looks younger than us...I put it down to those strong Armenian genes. Take a look at my special post of my Dad's old slide photos and you will understand.
Back to the journey from Madrid, and what a journey it was. Once you head north out of Madrid it gets pretty barren pretty quickly; basically a desert with not much to look at. And all of this without air conditioning and the only saving grace were those ridiculous sun blockers you stick on the window, that invariably never worked. The nearly 3 hour trip to Burgos (straight north from Madrid and the first main stretch) was all highway, but then I remember going onto smaller roads, winding your way through deserted Spanish villages, it was the middle of summer after all. We would always stop at the same "strategic" roadside location to eat sandwiches for lunch. Why this was THE location...only my Dad can answer. There'd be the occasional pit stop usually after me complaining I couldn't feel my rear end (which was true) and Daddy giving in, but complaining it wasn't on his "itinerary". The road would go on seemingly endlessly, with the distant horizon tricking you as another horizon was just over the next hill. And with nothing to look at except the barren landscape, we would really suffer, as all children do on long journeys. But that's all part of growing up and I wouldn't change it for anything, although perhaps a slightly smaller older brother so he didn't have to stretch his legs over us!
You eventually reach a vast mountain range and realize you have survived and soon there will be something to look at! The long tunnels make out like video games with the bright fluorescent lights and fun of my Dad turning the lights to full blast inside, a new world compared to the brightness of the near desert you are leaving behind. Then you reach the 'big guy', not only because it is at least twice as long as the others but because you know on the other side is a new world...no longer the arid boring landscape but lush and green with mountains all around...you've official arrived in northern Spain. You're also only about an hour away from the Atlantic and you can practically smell it.
Whilst the bulk of tourists that go to Spain travel to the south and east coast, there is much to be said for the north, with its cooler climate, fantastic food, rolling mountains, and really "tough" people with lots of character. However much like the Irish, with character seemingly coming from the risk of rain and damp weather. There's a reason why everything is so green!
And then, suddenly and out of the blue, my Mother announces "there's the sea!". And for that instant, you forgot about the last 6 most boring hours of your life, and you were the happiest of have ever been, ever. That happiness was usually short lived though, with the usual panic ridden questions from my part: "is it going to rain?", "what if it rains tomorrow will it mean we can't go swimming?", followed by the dreaded "is it my turn to do the dishes tonight?". A "yes" response to any of these questions instantly turned you into the world's most annoying back seat passenger.
The campsite entrance was located off the main highway (probably an A or B road then rather than a highway) and involved going over some train tracks, which back then had no barrier (you can ask my brother Adam about the time when a car he was in was actually hit by a train after the driver hesitated as he went over the tracks...).
This was followed by a meandering road that looked as if it was the entrance to Narnia itself. On the other side of a wooded area lay the actual entrance to the campsite. Camping La Paz is spread out over the side of a hill that overlooks the ocean, with a beach that is cut in two at high tide, but makes for one continuous beach at low tide. The campsite also goes back and behind the hill with a large area for the bigger Caravans. After its reception hut you are greeted by what has to be one of the steepest hills anywhere, and one you definitely do not want to stall on. How my Dad or anyone else manages to get a car with a trailer attached to it around and up the slope is still beyond me. Although it makes sense that my Dad has always had a fixation with four wheel drive.
The entrance with the famous hill just past it. Source: Camping La Paz website.
Once you get to the top of the hill you see the large expanse of the Camping grounds all around you. The hill is terraced so pretty much every single spot has an ocean view, it is very clever. The road winds down and around the hill past a restaurant / bar that has a phenomenal lookout point, and down to our usual spot. We have always stayed in the same spot. It's the perfect spot despite a massive electricity pole blocking our view. My Dad, ever the positive thinker, said (and still does): "great, we will meet all our neighbours this way!", as people wandered onto our site at all hours to plug in. Back then it was really only to plug in a fridge or a light, now it looks like a phone communications centre.
The famous pole: subject of many family jokes.
And from then on for the next 2 weeks it was the usual camping routing, spending time on the beach surfing, looking for fish in the rock pools left over at low tide, or just exploring the vastness of the campsite. Back in the day you would pay 100 pesetas (today's equivalent of 60 cents) for about 2 mins of hot water in the shower. Thankfully they got rid of that system at one point in order for the campsite to be in the high status for campsites (or something to that effect).
Speaking of showers, my favorite one overlooks the back end of the campsite, where they are perched on the side of a cliff and you look out with the start of the 'Picos de Europa' visible in the distance (a mountain range in this part of Spain).
Yep, I took my Leica into the shower - that's how committed I am to this blog! :-)
The north of Spain is wonderfully green, and that's for a reason: it can and does rain frequently. If you are lucky you'll get a few days of pure sunshine, but these are usually followed by torrential downpours for a few days. However boring I found these rainy days growing up and stuck in a tent, we always had a 'plan B', whether that be going to 'Llanes' a small town about 10km away, or further afield for a wander around the base of the Picos de Europa.
There is something very special about being able to go back to a place year after year and it remains on the whole the same, remembering the knooks and crannies you'd venture down as a little kid, or the long walks that now as an adult seem really quite close. There is also something very basic and simple about camping, forcing you to slow down and just enjoy your surroundings. And if you can't deal with that you can always jump in your car and go find civilization somewhere close by.
However, this is no ordinary campsite. The grounds go around and over a big hill that's enveloped underneath by a big beach, which turns into two smaller coves when the tide comes in. It is always funny to see newcomers reaction when they arrive at high tide in the evening and their surprise the next day when the tide is fully out leaving a massive beach and very large rock area uncovered. The usual tidal dance (as I call it) happening every six to eight hours is a great spectacle to watch. As the tide goes out it leaves small pools of water where small (and sometimes big) fish and even octopus get stuck and have to wait it out, trying not to get caught by all the little kids (and adults!) running around with fishing nets. There is no better present to give a child than a basic fishing pole with a net on it.
Low tide leaving plenty of exploring space for anyone with a fishing pole or net. Source: Camping La Paz website.
Back to the camping grounds. Even though with electricity all round, heated showers and a fully serviced bar and restaurant (with Wi-Fi), you know you're camping when it rains, especially if your tent building skills are not what they should be! That aside, I challenge anyone who says they don't like camping to come here and still have that opinion when they leave. Mind you there's something very nostalgic about my visits here, so I am obviously very biased. Luckily for all of you I now have photographic evidence to show you how cool this place is!
Aerial view of the campsite with the beach at low tide. Source: Camping La Paz website.
This week's film
So if I still have your attention, more on this week's theme. My initial idea was to re-create some old views of the campsite (shot on film of course), and I sent off my poor Dad to go searching through all our old albums for some decent shots. My film of choice for this exercise was Kodak Gold 200 - a consumer grade 35mm film. I figured this film would be similar to whatever my Dad used for the initial shots. In addition to this film, I also brought a ton of other film (including Kodak Portra 400 and Fuji Pro 400H), as I couldn't resist the lure of medium format photography on the beach.
As it turned out I didn't manage to take many of the re-create shots, as my brother and sister both had their kids with them and trying to get 5 mins of their time was near-on impossible. Plus, even my family run out of patience at times with me running around with cameras around my neck demanding 5 min poses!
Late 80s / early 90s - my older sister Kelli is missing, then we'd be 5.
Fast forward to 2017 and the exact same spot. Although as my Dad said quite accurately "scrawny boy's legs in both photos"...!
A very old shot of part of the campsite - the only common thing from then to now is our tent (trailer tent left of red Ford Sierra car).
Similar viewpoint today - same tent, different car.
Never get tired of that view. Other rolls of film I took with me include Kodak Ektar 100, Portra 400, and Fuji Pro 400H - all for my Hasselblad of course.
I really like the composition in this shot. This is the front end of the bar / restaurant (above and to my left, not in the frame).
Similar view, different viewing platform, and at very low tide.
Turn to the right and this is your view...
I am not sure this embedded video works, but it shows a full panoramic view of the beach - starting from my Hasselblad viewfinder.
My Dad - happy even when he is pegging down the tent.
Great shot of Adam - not sure what I said to make him laugh, but I am sure it was some rude Spanish joke.
View of high tide from the tent.
Lovely shot from the top of the hill looking down on the beach.
The beach
So of course I had to take some action shots on the beach and I couldn't resist the lure of medium format photography in the bright summer sunshine.
Very serious conversation going on here.
Really nice shot of Aisling and Matt.
Really excellent shot - one of my favourites.
My Mother the surfer.
Followed by my Dad the surfer.
The large expanse of the beach at low tide.
Viewed from the top.
A walk to the local village
A short stroll from the campsite you will find the really tiny village of Pendueles (population: 225). It is a nice stroll through corn fields and past some nice summer homes. Shot below on Kodak Gold 200.
Another favourite shot, despite the cloudy skies.
A traditional Asturian 'Horreo' - a typical granary raised from the ground to avoid rodents. The ones in Asturias are square and those found in neighbouring Galicia are rectangle.
Just a very quaint small house - shot on Kodak Gold 200.
This area of Spain (in particular neighbouring town of Llanes) once had lots of very opulent and large homes, many of which now sadly are in ruins but are protected due to their age. Seems like a good opportunity to re-develop and bring in some much needed investment.
A typical village house with a cute dog.
Adam with my Leica - shot on Kodak Portra 400 coverted to black & white.
Entrance to a restaurant serving traditional local cider - check out that curious tree / plant on the right...
This was quite something, let me tell you.
Coffee time.
Always good to have fun with sunglasses reflection. Very cropped from Kodak Gold 200 - obviously grainy, but really not bad at all.
So one morning, of course I went out in search for the sunrise, much favoured over sunset. My brother Adam and nephew Devon came along, although I find it is more dramatic with a few clouds around. All shot on Kodak Ektar 100 on my Hasselblad.
The colours are really spectacular.
Sunset near the campsite.
Another angle - hard to expose for with the bright sunset sky, by that I mean I didn't spend long enough on this shot.
Could be right out of a scary movie - an abandoned mansion in Llanes town.
A really great shot of Adam & Devon - Fuji Pro 400H converted to black & white.
You really can't get much more Spanish than the scene in this shot - a great ribs and meat place we go to.
In case you needed evidence of some delicious ribs.
Who isn't happy with a chocolate ice-cream?!
A very summery looking Mother!
Overall impressions
For a consumer grade film, the Kodak Gold 200 performed really well. I am surprised as to how well actually, also given its extremely good value price point (I think it is about 3 euro each), I am definitely going to stock more of this. It outperformed the whacky colours of Kodak Colour Plus 200.
I like how grainy some of the photos are and it's got that nostalgic film look to it, great given how nostalgic this entire post is! As for the other films, they all speak for themselves, although I still haven't decided which I like more out of the Fuji Pro 400H vs. Kodak Portra 400. So, probably not more to say given how much I have said already!
Thanks for sticking around, it was nice to take a stroll (or swim!) down memory lane.
More films in development and will be posted very soon as we march onwards to Week 52 - not long left now!
So, get back out there and take some more shots, as you see they may become 'timeless'!
Cheers,
Neil
