When Winter Turns to Summer

While heated debates about integration and refugee policy dominate everyday life in Germany, hundreds of thousands of Germans have been emigrating abroad for years. One of the most popular destinations is Spain—and for a very specific kind of person, the Canary village of Valle Gran Rey in the southwestern part of La Gomera. This Canary village has long ceased to be an insider tip: as early as the 1970s, the ‘68 generation came—an eclectic mix of dropouts, rebels, and hippies. To this day, they are followed by artists, nature lovers, and visionaries who are often searching for healing from an overstimulated and stressful life back home. What is the secret of this place? Why did you leave your homeland—or did your homeland leave you?