Kathy in Spain: February 2013

After sleeping for a couple of hours, I looked around El Puerto de Santa Maria where my hotel was, then at the advice of the book "40 Day Trips from Rota", I drove about 15 minutes to Chipiona, parked, walked down to the beach, stood in front of the yellow beach restaurant and took this panoramic shot. So the next seven photos are what was happening around me, from my right (which I blew up and wrecked. I know. I know.) all the way around to the restaurant, which I entered, because even though I vowed never to eat or drink again ... I was starving. That's the story of me on a diet BTW.

As you can see it was horrible inside. I had to look right out this plastic window.

And since I was at the beach, I had to drink a beer, and wish that you were with me.

That's the page I copied from the book.

BAKED fish at least is under the red sauce. Those are grilled green chiles on the right and enough shell fish to kill Charlie and Linda Waters (so I ate them for you). But I didn't eat the fries, which appear often here it seems.

Then I walked to the other side of the light house, and took the river walk. Those pictures appear below, along with a random pedestrian street, and a bird sitting on top of a pole that also got too pixelated as I blew it up. Chipiona is a small town. I'm getting tired of traveling alone and counting the weeks until BBB, Fran and Cal will be joining me.

  It was an unexpected 24 hour adventure, that involved no sleep. 
  Got up at 3:30 to drive to Rota and meet the tour bus. I have been using, and 
relying on a GPS system borrowed from my friends in Youth Services, but with the 
influx of visiting Airmen, I gave it back and found a used one, totally randomly 
THAT IS OUT OF DATE! So it's raining like a mother, and pitch black, and this 
system has me detouring through towns and driving parallel to the freeway with a 
fence between us, but the travel Gods were with me, and instead of being 15 
minutes early, I was 15 minutes late and literally ran for the bus, knuckles 
still white!
  So we drive 2 hours to Algeciras, the port, have coffee and a toasted roll, 
and take a 1 hour ferry ride to Ceuta, pronounced tha (Spanish lisp, long A) oo 
(like in boot) ta (like in ha ha) tha oo' ta, where I meet another woman who is

also traveling alone, on a diet but likes to eat every 10 minutes, and funny.

We drink cafe con leche twice. 
  We tour, the statues and buildings, and I have half (really) glass of wine at 
lunch along with paella and delightful fried fish, and when it is time to leave 
the ferry is delayed two hours, so we drink another cafe con leche. She 
has a beer, I have vodka and fresh squeezed orange juice which is everywhere, 
and we get back to the base at 12:30. It takes me an hour to find the room I 
booked in Rota, thanks to my helpful GPS system, and then the fried fish, coffee 
and alcohol start to spew acid in my throat and esophagus, and I am in soooo 
much pain I have to sit up, and cry. I sleep from 5 to 8, when I wake up with a 
driving need to use the bathroom that I fear will last all day. It only lasts an 
hour!! I vow never to eat again, but have since broken that vow. And here are the

Pictures I took in Ceuta. I really liked it there BTW.

As you can see, the ferry was a big puppy, capable of hauling cars, trailers and me.

Pulling out of port.

The view out of the ferry window. I just love looking at water!

Good bye Spain in Europe. As you can see, it was cloudy, but what you can't see it that it was also VERY windy.

On the Ceuta side looking back.

So, here they are, Spanish African palm trees.

This is The Palace of the Assembly. We have something in common .....

a Rotunda.

Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption

Our guide Miguel

Me in front of The Cathedral

My friend flipped the camera around and took a picture of herself taking a picture of me.

One of several tile murals on a wall that I liked.

This is the symbol that is in the middle of the Spanish flag. It represents five powerful regions Castile, Leon, Aragon, Navarre and Bourbon in the middle, agreeing to come together with common important values, (PLUS and ULTRA, values important to all of us obviously) under one crown. Those are the Pilars of Hercules on each side

Giant flag thing inside imploring me to convert. I would but then BBB would run around singing

"My wife left me for Jesus." (Hayes Carl)

Poster outside the church that I thought was cool.

"You are important to me."

"Your life is more important than this, think about it and call us."

These are pictures of the Royal Moat and Mallorquines Fortress left over from Portuguese days.

Really cool, it could totally close the city off.

OK, give this a name.

Above and below, views from the fortress.

Did I say I love looking at water?

I could see The Rock of Gibraltar from the fortress.

The Cathedral from the fortress top.

The myth is that the continents were once joined until Hercules pushed them apart.

Pastries I didn't eat, I wanted the one on the far left. It was some sort of cheesy thing.

We decided we could come back if we were still hungry after lunch, which wasn't until 2:30.

It was about 11:30, and what I did eat was a tortilla tapa. This one in fact.

The first of a three course lunch. That man in the back, who shall remain nameless, pointed out that the wine was 11% alcohol. That's why I only had half a glass, which if you know me is not my usual style, but I was a long way from home, and I didn't want to get lost.