April 30th
Happy Eve of May Day!
We drove a few hours forward from Zaragoza to arrive here in Almunia de San Juan Camping. Beautiful changing landscapes with many castles and vineyards. We even crossed an irrigation canal. We approached Andorra, although we didn’t drive all the way there.
We opened a bottle of wine. The first one turned out to be non-alcoholic. So, it was a juice version of wine. We put it in the fridge to cool down and wait for a better moment. Now we needed the real deal – proper wine! Indeed, on the eve of May Day, it’s appropriate to raise a toast to the workers’ and students’ celebration. Luckily, we still had one appropriately high-quality wine in stock, which we opened. Glasses of it after setting up camp – and I got hit by the sleep bug – straight on. So, I took a little nap to be in good spirits as we headed to the village’s May Day celebration.
The journey there was conveniently downhill, so we swiftly made our way to the town center. We searched for a restaurant there to enjoy the essential feast of May Day eve. After Google Maps led us astray, a couple of local gentlemen directed us to a tavern.
Upon stepping inside, we immediately realized that we wouldn’t get a gourmet-level meal – if we got a meal at all! The tavern was managed by the host alone, and cooking might not have been his forte. Our festive meal dwindled down to small bags of chips and nachos. Beer to accompany them made the situation slightly more festive. Apparently, there were proper restaurants in the neighboring village, but it wasn’t convenient for us to go there this time.
We headed back to Tellu and Eva, as a skilled cook, made up some pasta with tomato sauce and grated Parmesan. The already opened wine was fine. It felt like student days again. Pasta and wine! That’s how you kick off the May Day celebration!
We also made a call to Punamäki for their May Day celebration. Our wonderful party hosts Hannu and Merja were there. We exchanged greetings and saw our dear friends. We’ll be there next May Day! I already know it – if we’re alive! The call to Punamäki ended due to my phone running out of battery. While charging it, I noticed that the electricity at the campsite wasn’t working. We started investigating the issue, fearing that there might be something wrong with the car’s electrical system. We got assurance when the campsite host (German) came to collect the camping fee and also asked about our well-being. She enlightened us about the 6-ampere fuse in the electrical box. By that time, we had already blown four quick fuses. The matter was resolved, and now we can enjoy electric light and charging our phones.
This is not how May Day Eve has been celebrated before. It probably won’t be celebrated like this again. Previously – I mean in the last millennium – May Day festivities lasted until dawn. Today, the flight might end before eleven in the evening. Even the wine is finished! Times change!
Accept May Day peacefully. I’ll wear red tomorrow.
Happy May Day to all who follow us!