Getting a tan…

Feeling hot hot hot…
Sometimes I look at other people in summer and wonder how they manage to get such nice tans. Then I remember… it’s because I’m ridiculously ‘sensible’ and wear sunscreen every single day of every single year. I don’t know when it started, but for as long as I remember, I put on sun-factor 30 and stay mostly in the shade. I guess the pain of getting burnt to a red crisp just hurt too much one day and I stopped toasting myself and starting hiding my skin.
I heard that skin cancer is one of the most painful ways to die. I also see friends who love to suntan getting more wrinkled and wonderful if I will turn out the same way. Plus being half-German, I’m practical: if I’m burnt I won’t enjoy moving any part of my body and I won’t be able to lie down properly to sleep. Haha.
I remember about 6-7 years ago I took part in a friendly football tournament on Awaji Island in Japan. It was scorching outside, so I put sunblock on myself religiously. Except for my legs – as they have never burnt before. A few hours later the once bright-white skin between the bottom of my shorts and the top of my high-socks started to hurt. A lot. They got more and more red as the minutes went by. And they were burning. It felt like my legs were on fire. Then they started blistering. I couldn’t wear trousers for weeks and cycling was agony. Six months later I could still clearly see the lines on my legs… I really did myself some damage and it wasn’t pretty.

However, we have spent the past ten days not working and on various holidays. Best timing ever – Europe has been on the most amazing heat-wave ever and I can’t think of anywhere I wanted to be less than at work. Four days in Barcelona started off my tanning very well – mornings and evenings on the beach will tan you but not burn you if you have suncreen on and then hanging out with my German family and going on a mini-break in the Spreewald just enhances the colour. If I’m honest, I can’t stop looking and admiring the colour of my shoulders. Wow!!

Now it looks like the hot weather is returning to its normal level. Did you manage to enjoy the crazy hot summer week we’ve had? Any other epic tans out there?