Jerez de la Frontera

An early start for us the day we went to Jerez. We arrived at the station, bought our tickets at the machine, we are getting experts at this now and had time for a coffee before the train arrived. It was only a short hop, 12 minutes but a chance to see some of the surrounding countryside. On arrival at Jerez we were impressed by the facade of the station.

Whenever we arrive in a new town or city we always head for the tourist information office to get a copy of the town map so that we can find our way around but for some reason this proved to be a bit more difficult. We located the tourist office only to find it had "moved" so we then had to start again.  Eventually we found the "moved" tourist office, got a town map and then had difficuty getting away from a very enthusiastic tourist information officer (or maybe she just wanted to practice her English!) At last we were on our way - We decided to start our tour of old Jerez with a visit to the Alcazar, a 12th century fortress. It was very interesting and in the palace's tower we took the opportunity to attend a presentation of the camera obscura which provided a live panorama of Jerez which was something neither of us had seen before and was quite fascinating.

We also undertook the historic walk of the town, this is a picture of the town's Cathedral which was completed in the 18th century.

Wandering around the back streets we could hear flamenco music being played and came across the Centro Andaluz de Flamenco (Andalucian Flamenco Centre). The town was extremely busy despite it being a public holiday. Most of the shops were closed but the bars and restaurants were full and I'm sure come nightfall the place would have been electric.

By late afternoon dark clouds loomed overhead so we decided to head back to the station and return to the van - a wise decision as it turned out, as not long after we got back the heavens opened to a crack of thunder and we had a "little rain".We chose well with our pitch, others were not so lucky and ended up in a mud bath.

We shall potter around here for another week and then we are moving on to a place called El Rocio which appears to look quite interesting. Not too sure when we will be on line again so it may be a couple of weeks before the next blog.

But until then lots of love

Kath and Harry xxx

El Puerto de Santa Maria

Hola!

We have settled in, sussed out the train timetable and are looking forward to some new adventures. Always keen to exercise our legs we ventured along the coast to Puerto Sherry where there is quite a substantial marina with a modern feel about the place in stark contrast to the old town of el Puerto de Santa Maria. These murals at the marina are particularly impressive as too are some of the vessels that are berthed there.

And of course, there are plenty of bars along the way just in case one has to rest awhile and where better than to watch the ferry leaving Cadiz en route to the Canary Islands.

One of the reasons that we have extended our stay in el Puerto is that this week is "Semana Santa" (Holy week) and every day from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday there are large richly bedecked images and life size tableaux from the Easter story which are carried through the streets on huge floats (pasos) to the Cathedral accompanied by large processions. These rites have been going on in their present form since the 17th century when many of the images were created. The processions are organised by different "hermandades" (brotherhoods), usually with 2 pasos (sculptural representations from Christ's passion). The pasos are carried by teams of about 40 bearers called "costaleros" who work in relays as each paso can weigh up to 2 tonne. The pasos move with a hypnotic swaying motion to the rhythm of their accompanying bands and the commands of their bell striking leader.

The following pictures show just how ornate these pasos are and you can just see the feet of the bearers and the headgear that is worn as support.

The pasos have followers (penitents), many of them wear tall Klu Klux Klan like capes which cover their heads (except for eye slits).

As you can imagine, the streets were thronged with people and although a solemn occasion with incense filling the air, there was also a carnival atmosphere lurking beneath the surface. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best and although we didn't stay until the end we felt that they would be celebrating long into the wee small hours. That was only the first night - this is going on every night all week.

We mentioned in our last blog about the beach close to the camp site and here it is.

Tomorrow we are going to Jerez de la Frontera on the train which is known for it's sherry bodegas, but Jerez is also Andaluca's horse capital and has a large "gitano" (Roma people) community that is one of the hot beds of flamenco.

More of that next week, until then adios!

Lots of love

Harry and Kath

Pastures new

Hello again

There were fond farewells from friends and staff at Calpe and then we were on our way. We had a good drive to Beas de Granada arriving at 1.30pm, then sat outside eating lunch in glorious sunshine with the temp of 24 C, overlooking the snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

The next morning we were on our way again to El Puerto de Santa Maria, which is situated across the bay from the historical city of Cadiz in the southern tip of Spain. Our camp site is situated on the outskirts of the old town and across the road from a lovely beach looking across the bay to Cadiz. There are plenty of walk ways and cycle tracks close to hand and a large supermarket so we don't go hungry. Our plan is to stay awhile and explore the area.

Cadiz is listed as being possibly the oldest city in Europe and it was here that Chistopher Colombus sailed from on his second and forth voyages to the Americas. Back to history lessons so off we went. We took the ferry (catamaran) across the bay to Cadiz where we spent a very pleasant day. There was so much to see in one day, so rather than rush we decided we would come back for a return visit. For our first visit our first stop was the tourist office to get a map of the city which showed the major points of interest. Our walking tour of the ciy included picturesque gardens, fortified castles, Cadiz Cathedral, lovely buildings with lots of ornate tiles as can be seen in the photo of me sitting on a bench (at the end).

It's still only March but just look at the plants that are available for sale on the market.

It's hard to think that just across from this expanse of water is Africa!

On our return to the ferry we took the opportunity to go on board the Galleon - La Pepa which was berthed not far from our departure point (picture at the end of blog shows Harry playing 'Master and Commander'

Further visits will include a trip to Jerez (part of the Sherry triangle), a return trip to Cadiz and where we are staying in El Puerto de Santa Maria.

So, until next time - Hasta luega

Kath and Harry xxx

Adios Calpe

This is our last weekend in Calpe. We will be busy packing up and getting the van ship shape to go touring again. We've changed our minds several times to date but have finally come up with a plan. We intend to travel cross country and stop overnight just outside Granada then onto Cadiz where we will stop for about a week to visit the sights so hopefully we shall have lots of new things to write about.

The salt lake close to camp is home to numerous flamingos. We managed to get some photos at last. I say at last because when they are close by we never had the camera with us, and when we do they are usually on the other side of the lake. But eventually Harry was rewarded for his patience.

We are sad to leave Calpe which has been our winter home these past 3 months but are eager to experience new adventures and explore pastures new. So until next week adios.

Love to all Harry and Kath xxx

PS And a Happy Birthday to Roy P who celebrats his 70th today and no doubt we will all celebrate it in style!!

Saturday routine in Calpe

What better way is there to spend a Saturday here in our winter home. Our day so far - morning cup of tea in bed (thanks Harry). Up, showered, hung washing out (did it last night to avoid the morning queues in the laundry). Off out to one of our favourite cafes for breakfast, coffee and croissant for me and coffee and tostada y tomato for Harry - read the morning paper, compliments of the cafe, then up to the fruit and veg market to stock up on our week's rations. Back to camp then a browse through the main market en route to Lidl for more provisions. Home for lunch and now we have just arrived at the beach to soak up the afternoon sun, then tonight we are meeting up with friends to go out for a Chinese. It's a hard life. I think Harry sees it as a reward for traipsing around the market with me and being my pack horse!!!

So what else have we done - of course the rugby is still in full swing and although Scotland have not been doing well Harry is still enjoying it, even gets dressed for the occasion as you can see and there is always lots of friendly banter with some of the other nations.

Harry and Ray went off hill walking again - this time to Serra de Bernia standing proud at 1126 metres. "A wonderful day out - the best yet" was his comment. I would have loved to have done it too but I am still nursing a foot injury and thought it might aggrevate the problem if I went on a long hike. There is always next year. The photos will give you some idea of what they experienced.

Now we are into March we have been desperate to see the almond blossom in full bloom. Several attempts to see it in the more popular areas have been disappointing mainly due to the recent cold weather which appears to have delayed the onset of Spring. Last week however, we went on one of our wanders and lo and behold we found what we have been looking for. Spectacular I think the word is. Harry took loads of photos ( I was the Art Director!) and here are some of our favourites.

Our time here in Calpe is fast running out. We leave on the 14th March and I shall endeavour to put one last blog on before we leave. Then on to pastures new - into touring mode again which we are both looking forward to very much. But more of that next week when hopefully we will have made a decision about where we are going.

So until then, lots of love

Kath and Harry xxx

Hot off the press

Hola!
The big news this week is that Harry has finally succumbed and had his hair cut!!!!!!!! It caused quite a stir on camp and Harry has been enjoying all the compliments especially from the female of the species. Here you can see for yourself.

And of course, the other big news as far as Harry is concerned was the start of the six nations ( Rugby to the un-initiated). Harry went off to find a bar that would be showng the matches and was delighted to find one whose owner was Welsh and just as passionate about the game as himself. The banter has been terrific and many a happy hour has been spent cheering, commiserating and analysing the games. There is still more to come so H will be a happy chappy for a few weeks yet.

We haven't escaped the Arctic weather that most of you have been experiencing but obviously it has not been as severe. We still have the clear blue skies but temperatures have plummeted especially at night and I have had to dig out my hot water bottle to keep my feet warm in bed. We have also had some very strong winds but are pleased to report that the awning is coping very well with the battering it has had. Out of the wind, finding a sunny spot is lovely. This small bay called El Portet was just one such spot and we spent a lovely afternoon relaxing in the sunshine, enjoying a beer at the waters edge.

Our friends, Roy and Pauline celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary last week with a bit of a do at the camp bar. A bit of research was needed to find "The Anniversary Waltz" - none of us could remember who sang it. With the help of modern technology, Pauline found what she was looking for and downloaded the song from i tunes. All very high tech us oldies you know! Oh, in case you are wondering - various artists have recorded the song - not to be confused with "The Last Waltz" by Engelbert Humperdink - but the song on the day was by Anita Harris. It was a great afternoon made all the more special for Roy and Pauline when 2 of their closest friends, Liz and Roy, arrived "unexpected" - well Pauline sort of knew but didn't let on to anyone.

We also hied a car last week and were out and about seeing the sights. We enjoyed lovely drives through the Jalon valley, spotted a bit of tree prunng - palm trees getting a hair cut, and of course we had to stop off and buy some oranges as you can see.

We also visited nearby Javea, explored the old historic part of town and meandered down to the beach front and harbour with their trendy shops including Tiffany jewellers with Tiffany prices! - I won't get my hopes up.

On that note I shall love you and leave you with this picture which  says it all.

Wish you were here.

Bye for now, love to all

Kath and Harry xxx


PS Harry is keen to inform you all that the weather is now back to normal and he is back on the beach sunbathing!