Month: May 2017

We had debated the night before about whether to go for a swim before we left.  That problem was solved for us.

Said goodbye to the Storks.  No real change – they just seemed to sit there – assume awaiting the other parent with food.  There was another nest a couple of hundred yards away which was less easier to photo but looked as though they were a few weeks further on as we presumed they were fledging.

And on to Tarifa.  Only claim to fame is it is the most southern part of Europe.  On a clear day you may be able to see Africa, although it would help to know which way to look!

And off home.

Toll road was eccentric – 3 tolls of €1.95, 3.10 and 4.55 – strange amounts.

And then the good but risky idea to get a late flight home.  Gave us an extra day, but a 2 hour delay at that time hurts a bit.  Walked in the house at 2.15 a.m.

A delightful hilltop town, so thought we would stay local and do a bit of exploring.

Siesta in the afternoon, then off to Barbate for a stroll and early evening drink.

Very meaty restaurant in the evening.  Thrilled to find they served rinones (suggest veggies don’t look that one up!).

First, the answer to yesterday’s question.

We were at Cape Trafalgar, which has a very famous Square in London named after the naval battle here.

Checked in again with the neighbours.  You can just see two chicks – both doing well.

Then Cadiz.  It’s only an hour away from Vejer, so not a particularly long trek.  Views from the bell tower.

And from the ground.

And, of course, there have to be views from:

Lunch;

Afternoon coffee – even on a clear day you still can’t see America; and

Dinner.

Nice shot reading the menu.

First a quiz question.  No prizes and no cheating.  

Here is a fairly non-descript landmark.  It has another place named after it which is a zillion times more famous.  Where are we?

Answer tomorrow if anyone’s bothered.

If it helps, this is looking the other way.

Cloudy but warm and humid.  The daft amongst us didn’t wear a hat and got sunburned.  Eileen swimming again today …

Mooched around the coast – nice place to stop for a drink.  Loads of people surfing.

Then out in the evening to our local town, Vejer.  Typical of the area but quite a lot bigger.

View from dinner.

Then they turned the lights on in the Plaza.

And it’s really naff to show pictures of your dinner, so here goes for an upmarket Tapas.  Shrimps with sugar in a lime…

Prawns with gazpacho ice-cream….

were just two of the courses.  Yummy!

Plan to head off to Cadiz tomorrow.

Crisis in the 21st Century is being without wifi for 24 hours.  Aaaarghhhh …  Anyway, we’re back.

Firstly a quick look back at Grazalema from the hotel.

Then a long twisty drive through the National Park.  Gasping for coffee and came across a cafe that served fantastic coffee in the middle of nowhere.  Fantastic scenery, although couldn’t get a pic to do it justice.  And, according to the guide book, if you want to walk you need a permit two weeks in advance.

It’s getting really hot again, so straight to Vejer where we’re chilling until Monday.  View from the pool.

And this is the house.

Quick trek into Barbate for a stroll.  Should have realised dinner might be a challenge when we found they don’t speak English in the Tourist Info.  Doesn’t appear to be spoken anywhere, so we had a mildly eccentric dinner as we hadn’t a clue what we were ordering!  Here’s the view from dinner.

Of course, being in Spain we could learn Spanish, or at least take a phrase book.

Found some friends in our garden.

It’s us again!

Sad to leave Seville, but heading south.  After about 70 miles, take a left turn, stopping for a break in Arcos.  Coffee break first …

Actually just a break as a coach load had arrived just before us.  Not sure how – streets pretty narrow.

Anyway, a nice little stop off ( and we got our coffee), then starting up the mountains.

To Grazalema for lunch in the main square.

Then through the mountains proper – well up to about 1300m, accompanied by a welcome breeze.

Then to the hotel for the night.  Eileen in the pool (really!) ..

Views from the terrace ..

Off again tomorrow.

Morning all.

A heavy day’s sightseeing, but first of all, Tapas.  Not for breakfast, obviously, but last night and again tonight.  We reckon the ideal number for 2 is 5 dishes.  Last night we had 7, tonight we ordered 6, so moving in the right direction.

And out of all of them, my absolute favourite was aubergine.  Difficult to believe, although when I add that it was covered in breadcrumbs, deep fried and then drenched in honey you might get the picture.  Who needs Mars Bars ….

Anyway, to work.  The walking tour was cancelled, so we did our own thing.  And essentially, mid-morning, Seville seemed to be entirely full.  The lines to get in the cathedral were long, and we didn’t fancy queuing in the sun.

Sun over the cathedral tower.

However, someone told us that about a 10 minute walk away was another church which no-one goes to, and you can buy a combined ticket allowing you to jump the queues.  So we did.

Here’s the cathedral ..

Nice pic of me taking a pic of the roof.

Then back to the queue for the Alcazar (oldest occupied royal palace – look it up).  Too long, so lunch and come back at 2.00 when no-one in their right mind would be sightseeing.  Some still were ..

It’s getting to 35 degrees now, so back to the a/c flat and a cooling soak on the roof 😎

Then back out into the heat for drinks, tapas and so on.

That’s it for Seville.  A quick stop but a fabulous city.  Off to the mountains tomorrow.

Córdoba first, Seville later.

An hour’s drive, accompanied by worries of where to park, but Córdoba was quiet, so right in the middle of the old town meant ultra convenient.

Eileen has had Córdoba on her “must see” list for decades, and here we are.  Lots to read in a guide book if you’re interested, and some photos that don’t really do it justice.

Bit of a mooch around the old town.  It’s hotting up to about 31 degrees (I think that’s about 88 in old money) so we enjoyed the shady bits.

Lunch …

And a parting shot …

Then off to Seville which was a boring 100 mile drive.  Great flat – not especially photogenic but very close to the centre and air-conditioned.  Might even use the rooftop pool tomorrow.

Heaven is having a cold beer in the main square.

The heavy duty stuff is for tomorrow.  3 hour walking tour and its scheduled to be even hotter.

And finally, an arty photo.

A day mooching around Iznajar and the reservoir.  Don’t be fooled by the grey skies – it was over 30 degrees so we were rather relieved.

Driving around Iznajar is awesome – this is one of the wider streets.  It’s Sunday today so not much traffic – looking forward to that!

And just for fun:

We liked these boats with the slides – didn’t try them.

Dessert.

Selfie with a difference …

And can anyone spot Eileen among the flowerpots???

So we’re off again, travelling around Andalucia for a week.  A few IT issues, although getting terrific support from IT Support (thanks, Dom).

Flight delayed, car hire collection abysmal (what is it about the inefficiency?  You include all your details in the reservation, then they do through it all again with masses of paper and signing etc.  It takes about 30 mins per person, so awful.  I can only assume it’s deliberate to tire you out so you pay for insurance by mistake.)

Anyway, rant over.  Small town house in Iznajar (pronounced Ithnajar) about an hour north of Malaga.  Views from the balcony followed by views from dinner.  So far so absolutely splendid!

In the reservoir, you can’t really see them in the photos, but some black smudges which are a shoal of catfish and carp.  Allegedly one over 3m in length caught recently.