Final Friday of summer

Final Friday of summer in #valencia 😭 We've put a lot of hours in at #lahipica pool, just a few blocks from our flat. The kids, especially Paden and Leif, have had a blast and really improved their #swimming skills.
In that time Maja and I have noticed that there are some pretty big differences between swimming in #texas vs Valencia.
The weather alone makes taking a dip feel completely foreign to me. A central Texas summer means 100F for days on end. So a jump in the pool often feels like swimming in a dog's mouth. And when you get out, it's takes all of 4.3 seconds before you're sweating your life force out into a puddle at your feet. But, here in Valencia, the highs have been mid 80s with a cool breeze blowing in from the Mediterranean. Maja hardly even gets in, it's too cold for her. The cooler temps make for a very refreshing swim, but that walk back over to your towel afterward often leads to remarks about glass cutting.
Then, there's the showering. Folks here are straight up religious about showering before and after getting in the pool. I must say, the public pools seem to stay a good bit cleaner here.
But don't dare think about wearing a swim shirt or a suit that covers too much skin. I've heard of women being told their one-piece has too much material, they should be in bikini instead. Even the abuelas swim in a two-piece. And the dudes = Too. Many. Speedos.
Swimming in Europe, in general, is wuh-aaaaay different when it comes to ideas of modesty and the body. Most children, and many adults, change into their swimsuit in public - the adults may wrap a towel around the waist to do so. Toddlers are often seen scampering about in naught but their birthday suit.
Needless to say, going to the beach with 7 kids (6 boys! 4 of which are 13+) has led to many talks about averting one's eyes, being gentlemen, self control, and not being a skeezy perv.
Oh and tanning...you know, as a person who's skin is one shade above clear the idea of these already beautifully brown people putting on a tan is just hurtful. No, I kid (sort of). Honestly, maybe due to the cooler temps, many people here seem to be more interested soaking up the feel of the sun more than just vainly tanning.
But the truth is, for all of that, it has been a great experience. A great summer. It seems to me, Spaniards (Europeans) tend to have a healthier view of the body. An understanding that bodies come in all different forms and metabolisms. Maybe that comes, in part, from running around naked at the pool when they were a kid?