Day 13 Thursday March 14th: For Whom The Bells Toll?

We set our alarm for 08:00 this morning as we are eager to be on the way driving to Gibraltar. It is sunny and warm early in the morning. We drag our three suitcases full of wine to the parking lot and tell the attendant "Alejandro's card" and he opens the gate. Our parking is free. We are using the Garmin GPS car unit and it melts down pretty early in our drive. Yikes!! Fortunately, it corrects itself eventually and we were in situations where we knew where we were going.

The road is very windy with very few passing opportunities. The Spanish drivers continue to amaze me with their daring. Also, they will get right on your rear bumper despite the fact you are already closely following the cars in front. One particular goof passed me with zero distance between me and the car in front so I had to jam on the brakes and give him the horn. Oh well... the rare time I see a Spaniard moving quickly and with purpose is in a car. I think I am just frustrated.    ;-)

Eventually we get to the coast and turn onto a freeway going westward. We come across two toll booths where we pay 1.85 and 2.05 Euros. It's an overcast day as we approach Gibraltar. The freeway maximum speed is normally 120 kms. There are cars that pass me and I am driving slightly over the speed limit. Pretty cool driving along the Mediterranean coast in our rental car. There are a number of tunnels to drive through.

Treats found in a local bakery.

Countryside driving south from Ronda towards the Mediterranean coast - very hilly. The white patches are small villages that a located in the hills. 

Arid countryside but a beautiful blue sky

We are approaching Gibraltar and still in Spain at this moment. Note the overcast and windy day. Plus, it's very chilly requiring jackets and pants. 

Clouds over the rock of Gibraltar

You approach Gibraltar along the coast and then veer right

Palm trees swaying in the wind

This angle really gives you a great perspective on why they call this the rock of Gibraltar

You need to cross the border of Spain into Gibraltar so you are stopped by both Spanish authorities to  check your passport and then the British authorities to check your passport. It does seem strange that this very small piece of strategic land is not Spain. Another observation is that you continue to drive on the correct side of the road rather than the British way. 

Closer view of the rock. 

Once you get through the border check we were completely stopped for what must have been at least 10 minutes. There is a big lineup of cars behind us. We had no idea why? Then we hear a loud roar and Lana says "what the heck was that???!?!  An airplane just went overhead???!!!? It turns out that you cross the Gibraltar airport landing strip to get INTO Gibraltar. We had to wait to a plane to take off and clear the runway!!  We also saw people walking into Gibraltar and they walk across the land strip as well.  

We took a picture of the planes so you would trust what we said. The landing strip is very long and very wide. 

British telephone booth. We are indeed in British territory where they use the Pound currency. Jolly old England! Very dense population on a small land mass. There is no street parking as it is already full with cars/scooters. Not sure of the population here?

When we drove out of Gibraltar and back through a checkpoint you head down a road and then make a u-turn. We decided to drive straight and go towards the Mediterranean and take some pics from the beach. Due to Lana's parking karma we found a spot way down the beach. There are many fisherman along the beach. Notice the dark cloud on the right of the rock. 

Randy's panorama of the Spanish beach and the Mediterranean Sea to the left and straight ahead the Atlantic Ocean and Gibraltar on the right. 

At the gas stations they have plastic hand 'gloves' so you don't get gasoline or other smelly substances on your hands. 

Great idea! I use the gas pump and throw the plastic away. Not environmentally friendly though. By the way, in Spain you pump your gas and then you go inside to pay -- the trust system in action. 

In the gas station store they sell olive oil! Large jugs of olive oil!!

Iberian ham flavoured potato chips!

There are a number of wine turbine 'farms' during our trip around Andalucia. 

Another view of the wind turbines. Some were moving and in some cases none of the wind turbines were turning. Lana takes these pictures while the car is moving--not bad!!

Getting to the city of Cádiz was fairly easy, but after crossing the beautiful span and then making a couple of turns it turned into major stress. The Garmin GPS got confused and then wanted us to head down some alleys that were super narrow. I am not that crazy and Lana was getting claustrophobic. That's how narrow some of the streets were. It appeared that we could not actually drive to the hotel. Fortunately, we found street parking near the beach area and the cost was .90 Euro! So cheap. Lana checked Google Maps and it is about a five minute walk from our parked car. We drag two of our heavy suitcases along the narrow streets and come across our hotel. Yeh! Plus, our room is ready despite the fact we arrived early. As well, the desk clerk is Italian and we talked a bit about soccer. We are in our room around 13:30. 

The entrance door on the right to our Hotel Convento Cádiz. Yes, it was built as a convent and used for quite some time as a such. Lana says she feels like we should talk in hushed tones while we're here!! We thought it would be a unique hotel experience. For certain it meets expectations. We love our suite and with marble floors. Plus, wooden window shutters!

Interior courtyard of our Hotel. Beautiful and ceramic tiles of course. 

Once Lana is ready we are off to lunch. We head to the closest plaza and there are a number of restaurants to choose from. We decide to try Pasaje Andaluz. We find a table where there is direct sun for me and some shade for Lana. The Server comes quickly and we order our drinks and then our food. There is an english description for each menu order. Actually, the menu is in Spanish, English, French and German. Like some other more casual restaurants the server brings a paper tablecloth and then pinches it to the table. Very practical. The food is decent and we get a chance to relax and eat before we get to walking. Palm trees all around us. 

Online pic of restaurant facade. 

Lana's order of a mixed salad. We have found that wherever we order a mixed salad in Andalucia it comes with tuna. 

Lana's order of delicious paella. This is our first plate of what is an iconic Spanish dish. This version has shrimp, clams and squid in it. The rice was very flavourful and plump from being cooked in a seafood broth. 

Randy's order of Calamores Fritos (cuttlefish coated with breadcrumbs). Light coated and the cuttlefish was very tender. We feel like we are getting spoiled with all this fresh seafood. 

Cádiz City Hall

I had done my research a few months ago so had a list of destinations for our short time in Cádiz. We need to prioritize though and based on the hotel clerk's recommendation walking on the seaside around the old town is a good idea. We make use of the iPhone Google Maps to navigate the narrow and confusing streets. Similar network or maze of streets like the other cities and towns in Andalucia. Courtesy of the Moor influence. We do a lot of walking and enjoy a lot of sun and warmth. Lana has her trusty umbrella for any time we are in the direct sun. 

Just a short history of Cádiz as it is one of the very oldest continuously inhabited cities in all of Western Europe. It was founded more than three thousand years ago by Phoenician sailors. It is known as a key port city and kilometres of public beaches, waves crashing on seawalls and very diverse architecture. We can attest to this. 

Map of the old section of Cádiz. We are in the old part and more to the east. As you can see it is a jumble of streets, but so many opportunities to be along the ocean. We decided not to visit Cádiz Cathedral given we have seen many cathedrals on this trip. 

Roman theatre of partially excavated ruins of a massive amphitheatre that held up to 20K spectators in Roman times. Problem is you cannot enter as it is all fenced off.

Another Cádiz landmark we wanted to visit is Torre Tavira. It is part of a palace and situated 45 metres above sea level and the highest point of the of town. In 1778 it was the official watchtower of Cádiz. In the 18th Century Cádiz was one of the most powerful and richest cities in all of Europe due to the trade with the Americas and its location on the Atlantic coast but close to the Mediterranean. It is a good hike up the new glass steps to the very top, but worth it for the views! Wow! Also, we get a chance to orient ourselves as this is our first time in the city. Our total entry fee is 11 Euros as I got a one Euro discount being an old fart. 

Panoramic view from the top of Torre Tavira

Panoramic view from the top of Torre Tavira 

Panoramic view from the top of Torre Tavira 

Randy took this picture as I love the historical Cathedral set in the front with the new city in the background and the beautiful beach.

I ran into this very cute Chinese woman posing at the top of Torre Tavira. 

Poster illustration of Torre Tavira located in the floor beneath the observation deck. 

Some little goodies in a bakery located down an obscure side street. 

Panoramic view from Castillo San Sebastián towards old part of Cádiz. This Castillo is located on a long isthmus that we walked out onto and discovered it was locked. Oh well. This part of old Cádiz is the famous La Caleta beach.

OK, everyone else is posing. Located at Castillo Santa Catalina. 

Artwork in Castillo Santa Catalina. The featured artist exhibition is José Alberto López and called 1001 Noches. As you can see very colourful imagery. 

We do most of the circumference of the old part of Cádiz before we decide to head back to the hotel and get ready to figure out our dinner destination and a short rest. Still very sunny and warm as we return to our room around 18:30. Lana has done well with the walking and is a good navigator despite us losing the city map we received from the hotel. 

Our decision for dinner tonight is Freiduria Marisquería Las Flores 1. I figure with a name that long it has to be good. Also, the reviews are outstanding and even Rick Stein recommended the place and he is famous in Europe. It is known for its fried fish. Online indicated it opened at 19:30 and we asked our hotel clerk to phone and it was confirmed so off we went. Used our iPhone app to find the place. Still not too bad in terms of temperature, but gradually it got chillier. 

As we were leaving our hotel the following was heard from the bells of the church beside our hotel. We are hoping these don't go on at regular intervals throughout the night as it will be impossible to sleep!!!

We sat outside at a table with our backs to the front wall of the restaurant and were seated together. Great people watching ops. The server was decent except for messing up one of our orders. The place was very busy with mostly locals. For a period of time Lana disappears across the way to enter a bakery (El Café Tin) and returns with some goodies for tomorrow's breakfast. Eventually a guy with a guitar and electric amp showed up and had a female accomplice. After his short two songs they made the rounds asking for money from the restaurant patrons.

The bill comes to 19.65 Euro inclusive of a glass of white wine and Lana's usual Tinto de Verano. A pretty good meal and with the three plates we have had enough to eat. Slow walk back to the room and the narrow streets are packed with people around 20:45. We discover the church beside our Hotel is having a service and Lana enters through the side door to watch.

Order of Bacalao (fried cod) and Pulpo Aliñado (octopus salad).

Order of Gambas Fritas (fried prawns) and Randy's usual white wine.

This is our last full day of actual sightseeing for this trip. Our next days are more like 'travel' days as we are heading back to Sevilla and then on to Frankfurt and then finish back home in Vancouver. We can't believe time has flown by so quickly. Our suitcases are super heavy and we still have four more bottles waiting for us in Wiesbaden. 

DAILY STATS:  20,000 steps  14+ kms  23 floors