A week in Santiago
We spent a few days in Santiago because the kids were playing the Eixo Atlántico 2026 tournament. They were there representing our city in handball, which is still a bit strange to write, but also very nice.
Eixo Atlántico is one of those events where teams from different cities in Spain and Portugal meet and compete in several sports. A lot of kids, a lot of matches, many sports halls, and many parents moving around with bags, water bottles, sun cream, and the usual nervous face.
Work allowed me to take half days off during the four days of the tournament, so I could work in the mornings and go to the matches later. Thanks for that. It made the week possible without having to fully disconnect, and it worked better than I expected.
The heat was terrible. Really terrible. I do not remember many days like that in Galicia. Santiago felt like a pan. Walking around between matches was not a romantic city walk, it was more like looking for the next shadow and trying not to melt.
But even with the heat, it was a great week. The kids had their matches, their team moments, their nerves, their laughs, and their tired faces at the end of the day. Watching them play in that context was special. Not just another training day, not just another weekend match. Something a little bigger.
It was also good for us. I could work, but in a different place. I could watch handball. I could spend time with M. between matches, coffees, walks, and small breaks. Nothing huge, but sometimes those small changes are exactly what you need.
Breaking the routine from time to time feels healthy. Same laptop, same work, same family, but in another place and with another rhythm. A few days like this do not fix everything, of course, but they help. And this week helped.
