Colindres – our village

At the northern coast of Spain, in the autonomous region Cantabria, next to the tourist destination Laredo there is situated our temporary home – Colindres. With more or less 7000 inhabitants actually not that small it is nevertheless called ‚un pueblo’, although for me it means much more than just a village. In comparison equal populated places next to my hometown in Germany really seam to be dead villages. I was truly surprised discovering all the opportunities and facilities this location has to offer. Three schools, three gyms, a dedicated and well organized Youth Service including kindergarten as well as Youth center, offering the kids and teenagers uncountable possibilities, furthermore sports center, local football club, rowing club, dancing school, harbor, countless supermarkets, plenty of cafés, bars and restaurants as well as almost always quite a number of people in the streets. It is the unique contrast between it’s small size and consequently village-character – that you know all the streets like the back of your hands, that you reach almost everything in not more than just a few minutes walking.. – but at the same time it’s energetic character, really intensive social life and diversity of opportunities which fascinates me. Additionally it also offers beautiful landscapes, a lot of parks and nature as well as a really short distance to the sea.

Probably I am one of the first Germans living in Colindres and I have to say that all the people are facing me really friendly and open-minded since day one. Exemplary situations like the salesgirl of the phone store asking me on December 27, what I was already doing here and whether I didn’t want to pass Christmas with my family or chatting with the taxi driver about Matthias Sammer, German football and the Berlin Wall just make me smile every time and let me feel comfortable in that unique village, which will probably stay for ever my second home..