I love summer. I like the heat and the sun. I ride my bike to the beach almost every day. I am lucky because Valencia has a great bike path to the beaches. I go from Ruzafa to the beaches of El Saler south of the city. It is a beautiful bike path that goes past sand dunes and forests of pine trees, agave, and palms. Because it is so hot there are not many people on bicycles in the afternoon. I don’t mind the heat but I have to wear strong sunscreen (spf 50). I have a secret beach that very few people know about. It takes one hour to get there on my bike but it is worth it. There are almost never any other people at this beach and the water is very clean. There is also a shower at my secret beach. I park my bike in the sand and I swim in the sea. I have always lived near the sea or the ocean. I love to swim and dive.
Late in the afternoon I ride back home. It isn’t so hot at this time of day and there are long shadows along the beach. It is nice to be out of the sun and into the shade. The bike path is very flat and there is only one hill to climb: a bridge that goes over the railroad tracks. On the way home I ride past the Arts and Sciences City and through the Turia Park. There are always lots of people in the park riding bikes, roller skating, and walking their dogs. I think Turia Park is the best thing about Valencia.
Before I go home I stop at a café near my apartment and I have a cold beer. Beer tastes better in the summer than any other time of the year, especially after a long bike ride. When I get back to my apartment I put my bicycle away and then I take a cold shower.
During the summer we eat different kinds of food. I make cold dishes like gazpacho and papas aliñás. I think that Spain has the best food for the hot days of summer.
Vocabulary
Summer … verano, spring … primavera, winter …invierno, autumn … otoño
Life … la vida
Heat … calor
Ride … montar
Almost … casi
Lucky … suerte, ser afortunado, tener suerte
Bike path … carril bici
Dunes … dunas
Pine trees … pinos
I don’t mind … no me molesta
Sunscreen … protección solar
It is worth it … vale la pena
Almost … casi
Shower … ducha
Swim … nadar
Dive … bucear
Sea … mar, ocean … océano
Shadow … sombra
Shade … sombra
Flat … plano
Hill … colina
Climb … subir, escalar, trepar
Railroad … ferrocarril
Tracks … vías
Taste … saber