After seeing Cádiz by ferry, we decide not to go there with La Ola for the time being. The marina in Cádiz is very far out in the middle of a container parking lot and didn’t look very inviting when we passed by on the ferry. It would be better to take another ferry trip from Rota. But we’ve seen enough of Cádiz for now. Instead, we want to explore the surrounding area in a rental car over the next few days. We actually wanted to take La Ola to Puerto Sherry, the marina of Puerto de Santa Maria. Just a short trip around the corner that would take us to the center of the sherry industry. But at four times the price for the berth compared to Rota, we decided to rent a car from Rota. We quickly book a round of golf and the next few days are already planned.
After walking so much the day before, we enjoy the peace and quiet on board again. Lucky and I relax a little in the semi-shade in the front cockpit thanks to the awning. Axel is busy with the 3D printer again. We grill hamburgers in the evening, but not much else happens.
The next day is also a leisurely one. We go shopping, enjoy iced coffee in the front cockpit, grill fresh fish and prepare the sightseeing program for the next few days. Summer has now arrived in Andalusia and we are enjoying the warm temperatures. There’s always a fresh breeze in the afternoon, so it’s not (yet) too hot. Ideal conditions for a few tours around the countryside.
Excursion to Tarifa, Vejer de la Fronterra and CaboTrafalgar
After a quick price check, we rented our car in Cádiz instead of Rota. The pick-up station is right next to the ferry terminal and the price is much cheaper, so the ferry trip is worth it. Once we have picked up our car, we get straight into the sightseeing program. We drive south out of Cádiz. Shortly after the city limits, we drive over a narrow headland with dunes, the beach and the sea on the right. On the left, a turquoise lagoon. This is followed later by salt pans and numerous flamingos. It’s already off to a good start. We take the highway towards Malaga and I’m amazed by the pretty central reservation planting. Kilometers of oleander after oleander, pink, pink-red and white flowers. The landscape changes rapidly, becoming more hilly and rural. Impressive bulls – not just the Osborne advertising bull – stand in the pastures. And the meadows and roadsides are also in full bloom. Yellow, purple, pink and blue. Andalusia has an amazing range of colors to offer! The hills turn into mountains and then we turn the corner and look out over the Atlantic Ocean and the Strait of Gibraltar. The water looks pretty choppy. It’s not for nothing that the strait is notorious among sailors for its difficult wind and current conditions. We reach Tarifa and unfortunately search in vain for a parking space. So we only get out once to take a quick look at the Isla de Tarifa, the African continent in the haze behind it and the Castillo de Santa Catalina. Then we head back towards the northwest via Zahara de los Atunes and Barbate. The sea has a Caribbean, turquoise-green shimmer and the endless beaches are once again empty. After Barbate, we head for Vejer de la Frontera. Our travel guide claims that our jaws will drop and that there are not enough adjectives to describe the beauty of this Andalusian white village. He’s right, the guide! After managing the search for a parking space better this time, our route takes us up and down a labyrinth of small alleyways through the old town. One alley is nicer than the next. We walk past the old castle and the Iglesia Divino Salvador to the Plaza de España and the Fuente de los Pescaítos. You couldn’t have dreamed of a more beautiful place to take a break. We stop off at the Jardin del Califa and fortify ourselves with delicious meze tapas. Then we head uphill again and back downhill to the car. A small country road takes us out of the town and down the hill back towards the sea. A few sleepy villages, pine forests and our first caution road signs with chameleons are on the way. Finally, we reach the small village of Los Caños de Meca and the Cape and lighthouse of Trafalgar. The cape is famous for the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805, in which the British fleet under Admiral Nelson destroyed the combined Spanish-French fleet and Nelson was killed. Incidentally, Trafalgar Square in London was named after this event. Unfortunately, the path to the lighthouse has been almost completely buried by sand dunes and we prefer not to walk through the hot sand in the afternoon heat. A view from afar will have to suffice. We stop for an iced tea at Las Dunas Bar and sit at one of the quirky tree tables. Then we finally head back to Rota. We pass Conil de la Frontera, drive through the Parque Natural de Bàhia de Cádiz, see hundreds of flamingos in the salt pans on the side of the highway and finally reach the marina in Rota again. Enough impressions for one day and once again we got to know some of the most beautiful corners of the world!
Excursion to Arcos de la Frontera
The next day, we head east by car into the hinterland. According to my Lonely Planet travel guide, Arcos de la Frontera combines everything you would associate with a Spanish pueblo blanco. A spectacular cliff-top location, a magnificent manor house, an eventful history as a border town and a sleepy old town with narrow, winding streets. We want to see that! We drive past Jerez de la Frontera. We want to go sherry tasting there in the next few days, so we simply drive past it today. After just under an hour, we reach Arcos and immediately find a nice underground parking space. We continue on foot into the old town. Nice and uphill, what else? A sweat-inducing affair at 27°C. Especially as the sun is vertical in the sky and there is hardly any shade to be found between the narrow streets. Every now and then, however, you pass a shady corner, stop and enjoy the cooler breeze. A chance to take a few photos straight away. There are plenty of photo opportunities and we also enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the town today. After crossing the old town once, we settle down for a lunch snack and fortify ourselves with a few tapas. Then it’s back to the car and back towards the coast. We decide to make one more stop in Puerto de Santa Maria, but only stay for a short time as it is lunch time again and there is not much to see apart from numerous restaurants. Instead, we head to the Carrefour supermarket in the El Paseo shopping center. Finally a „real“ Carrefour with a full range of products! We browse through the rows and pick up a few things here and there. However, we postpone the bulk purchase for a few more days. Finally, we return to Rota, where we are greeted by Lucky. We spend the rest of the day recovering from the mountain climbing and preparing for golf the next day.
Golf at Sherry Golf Club
If there is a golf course nearby called Sherry Golf, then of course we have to play it. And after our friend Stephan Haberland told us about Golfamore, we can even play the course for half the green fee. As summer weather is on the cards, we have booked our tee time for 9am. However, getting up early on a Sunday is not really Axel’s thing. But the hangover alarm works well again and we are up early. It does indeed promise to be a hot Sunday. We are in the car before 8 a.m. and drive for half an hour until we reach the golf course. The thermometer still reads 17°C. But the sun is already out and it’s getting noticeably warmer. The golf course is easily accessible and we treat ourselves to a cart for the round. We start on tee 1 at 9 o’clock on the dot. We play with Paloma and José-Antonio, two super nice and fortunately English-speaking Spaniards. We’re trying to improve our Spanish, but unfortunately we’re not quite conversationally fluent. Funnily enough, José-Antonio was born in Germany, in Barsinghausen to be precise. The Sherry golf course is beautifully laid out and varied to play. The second 9 holes have plenty of water, so this time we miss a few balls on a vacation in Spanish waters. Meanwhile, the temperature is rising happily and we are sweating profusely after 18 holes despite the cart. Fortunately, the beautiful clubhouse – a former wine-growing estate – has a nice cool and isotonic cold drink! It’s now 32°C on the way back to Rota, where we can enjoy a cool sea breeze in the aft cockpit. Were we really complaining about the temperatures being too cool a few days ago? As is customary after golf, we have a delicious currywurst from the on-board grill. Unfortunately, this is the last Krakauer we have from the German butcher in Portugal. While we watch a great documentary about the Coral Sea on TV in the evening, Lucky manages to walk from the cockpit to the foredeck on his own for the first time. He looks curiously through the saloon window for a while, probably wondering where the colorful fish are coming from. Then he moves on to the front cockpit and finally comes back in through the saloon hatch. Another good step towards becoming a brave sea cat!
Excursion to Chipiona and Sanlúcar de Barrameda
The pink morning sky combined with a hungry little hangover gets me up before 7 a.m. today too. While the fishermen gradually head out to work at sea, I enjoy the otherwise calm morning atmosphere with my first cup of coffee in the cockpit. It is still pleasantly cool at 19°C, but today and the next few days are set to be hot again. The forecast is for up to 34°C. So far, we have coped very well with the temperatures. It cools down well at night, which is why we don’t even have to use the air conditioning. But according to the locals, it can get up to 40°C here in summer. Let’s take a look. Another excursion is planned for today. Having already explored the south and east, we want to head north today. Our first stop is Chipiona at the mouth of the Guadalquivir. Actually, we „only“ wanted to see if we would fit into the marina here with La Ola, but discovered another nice little town. The marina would fit, so maybe we’ll stop by here again by catamaran. We continue on to Sanlucar de Barrameda. From here you can book tours to the Doñana National Park. Unfortunately, everything is already fully booked. So we just take a look at the town. Sanlucar is the capital of manzanilla, a white grape that is mainly used to make dry sherry. On the way from Chipiona to Sanlucar, we pass several wineries and in Sanlucar the bodegas are quite numerous. So it is all the less surprising that we leave the parking lot in the underground garage and end up directly in the preparations for the Feria de Manzanilla – the local wine festival, which unfortunately only starts on Thursday. We wander through the old town and once again discover many beautiful corners. You can tell that Sanlucar has become quite prosperous thanks to the wine and sherry business. There are great town villas, but also lots of historic buildings to see. After our Lonely Planet travel guide describes the city as a mecca for fish dishes, we settle down for a lunchtime snack at Casa Balbino in the Plaza del Cabildo. It’s not just that guests are sprayed with a refreshing mist of water from the parasols to cool off. No, the food is also delicious. We feast on pickled pulpo, Jamón Iberico, seafood croquettes, olives and – the house specialty – tortillas de camarones. With a glass of Manzanilla sherry, wine and beer, we pay less than 25 euros. And we’re full to the brim. That concludes today’s sightseeing program and we devote ourselves to the filthy lucre! There is a shopping mall in Jerez, which we visit next. First of all, we storm the Decathlon to buy bottle cages and bottles for our bikes. Surprisingly, a few other things also find their way into our shopping basket. We continue to the Sketchers Outlet, where we also come out with more pairs of shoes than we had actually planned. As one of my crocks went overboard during one of my last maneuvers on board and unfortunately the situation didn’t allow a crock overboard maneuver to fish it back on, we go straight to the next store, where I can actually buy some new shoes. After Axel was really impressed by the spray cooling system in Sanlucar, we are able to buy a suitable model for use on board at the DIY store and finally head back to Rota, happy and inspired. The fogging system is of course quickly installed so that we can enjoy the late afternoon and evening refreshed in the cockpit. Lucky is rather skeptical about the new feature and prefers to lie down in the saloon rather than risk getting wet.
Excursion to Jerez de la Frontera
Having only seen the golf course and the shopping mall in Jerez so far, we are now finally heading into the city. We set off straight after breakfast and use the morning to visit the Alcázar de Jerez, an old fortress. As is so often the case, the fortress was repeatedly extended and added to by different rulers, so there are buildings and ruins from the 12th to 18th centuries to see. We drive into an underground parking garage right at the foot of the fortress and can see the mighty main tower of the fortress as soon as we step out. We walk through a beautiful park with cast-iron pavilions and purple-flowering jacaranda trees to the entrance of the fortress. We walk uphill through the Villavincencio Palace to the historic pharmacy. Unfortunately, the camera obscura, which can also be found here, is not accessible. We continue via the courtyard of arms to the Andalusian gardens. We enjoy the shady garden and bravely climb the towers. We cool off in the Moorish hammam and the old cistern. Finally, we visit the mosque from the 12th century and the oil mill from the 18th century. After so much history, we first have to take a short break on a park bench and top up on fluids. It’s already pretty hot and the light wind feels like a warm hairdryer. As it is already 11:30 a.m., there is unfortunately not enough time for a stroll through the old town of Jerez. So we only take a look at the mighty cathedral of Jerez de la Frontera. Only from the outside, because as is so often the case, there is an entrance fee to visit the cathedral. Completely incomprehensible to me! Shouldn’t places of worship be open to everyone at that time? Including tourists? Never mind, we have a more important item on our agenda anyway – a visit to a sherry bodega! So we turn the corner twice from the cathedral and find ourselves at the gates of Gonzales-Byass. This name probably means nothing to most people at first, but the name Tio Pepe is world-famous as a sherry brand. We have booked a round tour with tasting and tapas in advance and after a short waiting break, we are allowed to board a small tourist train with a small group of around 16 people. The train first takes us past the Gonzales family’s summer house and the associated botanical garden. The first stop is a small museum about the production of the family’s own brandy Lepante. We continue past the barrel workshop and huge warehouses called bodegas. At the end, we leave the little red tourist train and take a look at the barrels with the different national flags of the countries to which Gonzalez-Byass export in a bodega called „La Concha“, built in front of Gustav Eiffel. Germany is also there, of course. Nicely located between Jamaica and Australia. We continue on foot through the different warehouses. We learn a lot about the production process and the different types of sherry. In addition to the impressive number of wooden barrels, from which the smell of sherry emanates, we are particularly impressed by the buildings and the grounds of the bodegas. So beautiful! Paths shaded by grapevines, interesting details on the buildings, beautiful flowers on every corner and the delicious smell of sherry over everything. We are also allowed to inspect a huge barrel, called Christis, with its apostles, smaller barrels named after those same apostles and arranged in the order of Da Vinci’s Last Supper. Learned that the bodegas can also be hired for celebrations. So if anyone is thinking about a suitable wedding location. Here’s one. And we get to visit the Hall of Fame, where every barrel is signed by a celebrity. At the end, the sherry tasting awaits us. We are served four sherries and a few tiny tapas. Well, we might have imagined the tapas to be a little bigger and more imaginative, but we are not disappointed with the sherry. We start with a Tio Pepe en Rama, a dry sherry from the Palomino grape that is fully matured on yeast. Very tasty and a small discovery, because as far as we know, we haven’t seen it in stores in Germany yet. Next up is an Alfonso Oloroso Secco, also made from the Palomino grape. We have known sherry like this or something similar for years. Next up is my personal discovery of the year. The Croft Twist is a ready-mixed spritz made from Croft Fino sherry, elderflower, lemon and mint. Delicious and a great summer drink for the next sundowner! Last but not least, we have a Solera Cream Sherry made from Palomina and Pedro Ximénez grapes. A heavy, sweet sherry that goes perfectly with dessert or the cheese from our tapas platter. Last (optional) stop of the tour – the store. Of course, we take a few bottles home with us and look forward to some new sherry delights. Loaded with lots of new impressions and information, we return to our car at 2 pm and dedicate ourselves to the shopping experience again today. I urgently (!!!) need a dress for my niece Katinka’s wedding at the beginning of July. According to our current place of residence, I would like to wear something with an Andalusian touch. And lo and behold, I find what I’m looking for at Desigual. Axel also finds a few chic shirts and t-shirts and we’re off to Alcampo, the Spanish subsidiary of the French supermarket chain Auchaun, directly opposite. A huge supermarket awaits us and we wander through the rows of shelves for hours. There’s even German meat salad from Popp! It fulfills our longings. With a full car, we finally head back to Rota. The thermometer now reads 33°C and we are correspondingly sweaty after bringing all the shopping on board. Unfortunately, we have a little mishap when loading the boat and 5 bottles of wine and a bottle of Croft Twist fall from the deck onto the jetty. Crap! Well, too much alcohol is supposed to be unhealthy anyway… We spend the rest of the evening in the cockpit in muggy temperatures. Axel swims a lap around the hulls to cool off and I cool my feet a little in the harbor water before writing up the day’s experiences for this blog post.Having only seen the golf course and the shopping mall in Jerez so far, we are now finally heading into the city. We set off straight after breakfast and use the morning to visit the Alcázar de Jerez, an old fortress. As is so often the case, the fortress was repeatedly extended and added to by different rulers, so there are buildings and ruins from the 12th to 18th centuries to see. We drive into an underground parking garage right at the foot of the fortress and can see the mighty main tower of the fortress as soon as we step out. We walk through a beautiful park with cast-iron pavilions and purple-flowering jacaranda trees to the entrance of the fortress. We walk uphill through the Villavincencio Palace to the historic pharmacy. Unfortunately, the camera obscura, which can also be found here, is not accessible. We continue via the courtyard of arms to the Andalusian gardens. We enjoy the shady garden and bravely climb the towers. We cool off in the Moorish hammam and the old cistern. Finally, we visit the mosque from the 12th century and the oil mill from the 18th century. After so much history, we first have to take a short break on a park bench and top up on fluids. It’s already pretty hot and the light wind feels like a warm hairdryer. As it is already 11:30 a.m., there is unfortunately not enough time for a stroll through the old town of Jerez. So we only take a look at the mighty cathedral of Jerez de la Frontera. Only from the outside, because as is so often the case, there is an entrance fee to visit the cathedral. Completely incomprehensible to me! Shouldn’t places of worship be open to everyone at that time? Including tourists? Never mind, we have a more important item on our agenda anyway – a visit to a sherry bodega! So we turn the corner twice from the cathedral and find ourselves at the gates of Gonzales-Byass. This name probably means nothing to most people at first, but the name Tio Pepe is world-famous as a sherry brand. We have booked a round tour with tasting and tapas in advance and after a short waiting break, we are allowed to board a small tourist train with a small group of around 16 people. The train first takes us past the Gonzales family’s summer house and the associated botanical garden. The first stop is a small museum about the production of the family’s own brandy Lepante. We continue past the barrel workshop and huge warehouses called bodegas. At the end, we leave the little red tourist train and take a look at the barrels with the different national flags of the countries to which Gonzalez-Byass export in a bodega called „La Concha“, built in front of Gustav Eiffel. Germany is also there, of course. Nicely located between Jamaica and Australia. We continue on foot through the different warehouses. We learn a lot about the production process and the different types of sherry. In addition to the impressive number of wooden barrels, from which the smell of sherry emanates, we are particularly impressed by the buildings and the grounds of the bodegas. So beautiful! Paths shaded by grapevines, interesting details on the buildings, beautiful flowers on every corner and the delicious smell of sherry over everything. We are also allowed to inspect a huge barrel, called Christis, with its apostles, smaller barrels named after those same apostles and arranged in the order of Da Vinci’s Last Supper. Learned that the bodegas can also be hired for celebrations. So if anyone is thinking about a suitable wedding location. Here’s one. And we get to visit the Hall of Fame, where every barrel is signed by a celebrity. At the end, the sherry tasting awaits us. We are served four sherries and a few tiny tapas. Well, we might have imagined the tapas to be a little bigger and more imaginative, but we are not disappointed with the sherry. We start with a Tio Pepe en Rama, a dry sherry from the Palomino grape that is fully matured on yeast. Very tasty and a small discovery, because as far as we know, we haven’t seen it in stores in Germany yet. Next up is an Alfonso Oloroso Secco, also made from the Palomino grape. We have known sherry like this or something similar for years. Next up is my personal discovery of the year. The Croft Twist is a ready-mixed spritz made from Croft Fino sherry, elderflower, lemon and mint. Delicious and a great summer drink for the next sundowner! Last but not least, we have a Solera Cream Sherry made from Palomina and Pedro Ximénez grapes. A heavy, sweet sherry that goes perfectly with dessert or the cheese from our tapas platter. Last (optional) stop of the tour – the store. Of course, we take a few bottles home with us and look forward to some new sherry delights. Loaded with lots of new impressions and information, we return to our car at 2 pm and dedicate ourselves to the shopping experience again today. I urgently (!!!) need a dress for my niece Katinka’s wedding at the beginning of July. According to our current place of residence, I would like to wear something with an Andalusian touch. And lo and behold, I find what I’m looking for at Desigual. Axel also finds a few chic shirts and t-shirts and we’re off to Alcampo, the Spanish subsidiary of the French supermarket chain Auchaun, directly opposite. A huge supermarket awaits us and we wander through the rows of shelves for hours. There’s even German meat salad from Popp! It fulfills our longings. With a full car, we finally head back to Rota. The thermometer now reads 33°C and we are correspondingly sweaty after bringing all the shopping on board. Unfortunately, we have a little mishap when loading the boat and 5 bottles of wine and a bottle of Croft Twist fall from the deck onto the jetty. Crap! Well, too much alcohol is supposed to be unhealthy anyway… We spend the rest of the evening in the cockpit in muggy temperatures. Axel swims a lap around the hulls to cool off and I cool my feet a little in the harbor water before writing up the day’s experiences for this blog post.
After an eventful few days, we unfortunately have to return our rental car. It was definitely worth exploring the hinterland a little from Rota. A vacation in Andalusia is definitely worthwhile and we are looking forward to spending a few more days and weeks in this beautiful region.
