Gata de Gorgos 18/11/2019

Monday, 18th November 2019

Bit of another quiet day.
Did a bit of needlework.

Tuesday, 19th November 2019

Today, we went for a drive to Valencia, which is a 1 hrs 15 min drive, or 105 kms. The weather is perfect yet again. We have had no cloudy days, how ever it is getting a bit cool in the evenings.
Arriving in Valencia,  we aim for the train station, as that is where the Hop on hop off bus ticket place is, plus we know there will be parking there. So we find the said place, and park the car. After a short walk we get to the terminal for the trains, and purchase the tickets and after 30 mins, we make our way to where the bus pick up point is. There are two routes around Valencia, and we choose the one that is around the old part of the city. Valencia has a population of around 2.531 million people. This is a very interesting place, as we find out, and of particular note is that in the 1960s  the River that used to run through the city, was diverted away from the city, due to the continuing flooding that happened.
Valencia, is one of the oldest cities in Spain being founded in 138 BC. It has had Roman, Muslim, Christian rule in it's time. There are many amazing buildings that are dotted around the city. Our tour on  the bus takes around an hour and a half, and we find some wonderful places that we might like to explore later.
After our first tour ends, we take in the surrounds of the point at which we have choosen to get off, as this one, is also the place that the secound route comes too aswell. So we have a bit of time to fill in, and have a snack and warm up. It is starting to cool, as it is 4pm. After we have eaten, we go to the bus stop, and wait, a couple of the first route buses come and go, and we ask when the next b route bus will be along, and are told in around 30 mins. So we walk about the near vacinity, and check out the shops, as one does. I decide that if we are going to go upstairs on this second trip, I may need to get something to keep my head warm, so i purchase a nice Maroon beanie.
Once the bus right arrives, we go upstairs to take in the next tour.
Our second route, takes us along the newer parts of Valencia, and past the beaches that they have here. Again, it is an hour and a half tour, that is filled with some spectactular buildings and sculpture and statues and bridges. One in particular that sticks out is, a very large blue sculpture, called '' Dama Iberica'' that is made of 22000 blue discs, and is 18 meters tall. It cost  2.4 million to construct. We also pass by some pretty impressive buildings which are not the normal designs of the city. They are very modern and even somewhat futuristic.

So glad I  did  purchase the beanie, as it became quite cool, and the beanie did the required job. When the tour is done, we hop off and decide to catch route A to get us back to the train terminal, and we wait for a good while, but decide to walk back to the station, how far can it be. 

We eventually get back to the station, and just a bit further, we get to our car. We have enjoyed the day, and Bob states that he would like to come back and explore Valencia more. We head back to Gata de Gorgos, driving in the dark. This is something that we haven't done a real lot of in the past. 

Wednesday, 20th November 2019

A rest day, although we did go to the shops to get some food essentials and making plans to go back to Valencia, as our time here in this area is running out. We leave Gata de Gorgos on the 30th. 

Thursday, 21st November 2019

What an amazing day we have had today. 

It started with a drive to Valencia, again a 1hr and 15 min trip, and we have left our place are 8.30 so we can beat the lines for the first place we are going to. The Bioparc, opens at 10 am, and we arrive and find there is no lines and not a lot of people here, althoug there are a few groups of school children.  This is a wildlife place, where the animals are not contained in cages, and it is set on  10 hectares or 25 acres. It is owned by the city council, and has around mainly 4000 african  animals. This zoo is different in that the visitors are immersed into the animals habitat, only using rivers, ponks streams and rocks. We saw so many wonderful animals, and took a gread deal of pictures. One of the many wow moments was when Bob came to me and said, there is a really large fish in the water here, and it was, a Hippopotamus submerged i the water, but not just one, but two.

This was a wonder and to be able to see this, you can only imagine this happening in the wild. 

After a couple of hours we have a coffee break, and sit back on the verandah of the Cafe, and watch the Giraffe chasing the birds and the Gazelles, and the Saddle Billed Stork running over the ground. A truely amazing thing to experience. This Parc is a must if anyone is every going to be in this area. 

We continue walking around the Zoo, and watch a animal show, which has a variety of animals and birds entering the areana and doing their thing. 

After we finish at the Zoo, our next thing to do is to find our accommodation for the night. We enlist the help of the GPS, which has been invaluable to us throughout all our to date. The road system here is a little hectic to say the least. Roundabouts are crazy, and even if you have an indicator on no one takes any notice. There are many lanes, with traffic lights and it is a matter of picking which lane, and hoping for the best. We do make it to a car parking station, without incident, which is close to where the address is of our hotel. The thing about Spain, many hotels do not have the Visual appeal that we are used to. Quite often it is just a door way with signs outside or just a sign on the door. So we get our luggage out of the car, and head off following the GPS for the rest of the directions. We wander down streets, and the streets are narrow to narrower. One gets the for forboding feeling that we have booked something dodgey. We keep walking and true to form, we manage to get a bit misplaced, but, eventually find our digs for the night. Thankfully, it is all very good. The hotel office is just that, an office, with a single door and signs out the front. but when we get to our room/apartment, it surpasses our expections.

We rest for a while, and then we resurface and head out to check out the local shops about us, and to find something to eat. Funny thing, the time we start looking for dinner is around 7.30.  We walk to a couple of resturants and are told that they are not opened, one said they were closed and  the other mentioned that they were not opened but would be open at 8. Again, we still are not used to the different times of resturant times compared to Australia. Most places in Australia, usually close their kitchens at 8 to 8.30, where are here some of the eateries only start cooking at these times. 

We do find somewhere to have a meal, and then we head back to our room and retire for the night.

Friday, 22nd November 2019

So the day begins with us checking out of the hotel, but leaving our luggage with the hotel for a couple of hours as we want to walk around and explore the area more. Bob wants to go to the Post Office here, which is a huge old building that was built in 1922, it has 5 special statues at the entrance. It has two domes on each end with a structure in the middle. A truely unique presence.

Next we  on the agenda is the Silk Exchange. But before we find the Silk Exchange, we happen to by chance, find the Central markets. We will go back to the markets, as the building it is housed in is across the road of where we are wanting to go. The Silk Exchange (Llotja de la Seda ) building was built between 1482 and 1548 and is in three parts. There is the Orange garden, which is a walled court yard. The main hall and the side wing make up the second part of this part. The main hall, is the most lavishly decorated room, with twisted columns, and the ceiling consists of arches. It is truely majestic. The room upstairts iseven more majestic, with a carved ceiling, that to see is to believe. There is a just as impressive floor to match the ceiling above. The rooms are still in the original state. The third part  is a underground area, which in the merchants would be imprisoned for debts. A most wonderous building. In 1996 the UNESCO considered it as a World Heritage Site, as a exceptional example of a building in the late Gothis style.   

After we finish looking about this wonderful building, we head over to the Central markers, and wow, WOW. Amazing, another huge building, with high domes  and ornate decorations. This building began to be built in 1914, and was completes in 1928. The Central Market of Valencia is one of the largest in Europe and covers more than 8000 square meters. There are hundreds of venders selling fruit and vegies, meats, fish, wines, and mostly food items. There is a bar in the midst of all this, and it is a very busy place. 

With both of us seeing the things we wanted to see, in the city centre, as now head back to the hotel to gather our luggage, and make our way to the car. We have elected to take the car to our next port of call, instead of taking the hop on hop off bus, and figured that there would be some sort of parking. Eventually we find the car park and the car, pay our dues, and leave headed to Oceanografic. This is a oceanarium, and the building that it is housed in is an amazing structure. It is the largest complex like it in Europe. There is a dolphinarium, a penguin display, as well as Sharks, Sea lions, Beluga, Walruses, and many more. It is divided into 10 areas. Mediterranean,  Artic, the Islands, Tropical, Temperate, and the Red seas. Then to end the visit, it starts to rain a little, and we head off to watch the Dolphin show, which was very good. 

We leave this tourist area, and head to our car, and when we get there, I notice that our Passports are on the back seat. I asked Bob if he moved them there, and he said no, and then it hits me, at the same time that Bob says the suitcase is gone. Our car has been broken into with the quarter glass broken on the passenger side. So in summery, they took our clothing, which was just a couple of things, as it was just an over night stay. But in the suitcase, was Bobs camera, and on the suitcase was his Sleeping machine. My hand bag was taken, but fortunately it was empty, but I did have a leather purse in it, which was left behind, but the Australian dollars in it was gone. We were very lucky that they didn't take the passports, and they could have taken other cards, ie, shooters liscense, blue card and things like that. I guess our saving grace was that it was in English and the theives didn't understand the language. 

So we have the presence of mind to take pictures of the car, the broken window, and where it it was parked. Next we  need to report the theft to the police, and Bob stops at Oceanographic to ask one of the staff where the closest station is. He is given directions, and off we go. We follow the directions via the GPS and end up almost at the police station, but we park a little distance away, for fear of not being able to get a park closer to where we need to be. A 20 min walk and we find the Police station, and explain as best we could why we were there. The officer we saw understood just enough , and went away for a moment, then came back and ushered us into a small waiting room. We wait here for some time, with people coming and going, in and out doors. Eventually after an hour or so we are seen by a female officer who took down what was taken. and looked at our photos we had taken of the car. We worked out that approximately $3000 worth of stuff was stolen. The female officer spoke pretty good english, and was very pleasant when she was dealing with us. 

After all the details are taken, we are back walking to our car, and then it is well and truely time to go home. 

What a day.    

Saturday, 23rd November 2019

Today is a day of working out what exactly was taken yesterday from our car theft. There is forms to be filled out, phone calls to be made to the relevant insurance companies and Renault Eurodrive, for getting repairs done to the car. All being done by non French and Spanish speaking clients. Eventually, English is spoken after periods of waiting. So now we have to take the car into the closest Renault dealer, to get the process happening. 

Sunday, 24th November 2019

A day of catching our breath from the happenings of the previous days.

Gata de Gorgos 11.11.2019

Monday, 11th November 2019

Rememberance Day.
Did my walk today, 2.88 kms in 31.21 mins.
Today we explored more of Javea, and Bob wanted to go to Orange to get some more credit put on his phone. When we found the Orange shop, there was a lady standing outside with her dog, and we said hello to her, and she spoke back in English. It turns outm she was from Cuba, and had been here for 40 years.  She was waiting outside as she couldn't take her dog inside, so I offered to mind the dog while she was attended to inside. Bob went inside when there was a free person to attend him, and then the lady went inside to wait aswell. So the dog and I waited outside, and thankfully the dog was well behaved, and wasvery concerned about his mum  being inside. He was able to see her and on occassions as he moved the door would open, so he could really see her. Eventually, she came back out and said she couldn't wait any longer, and thanked me for minding her dog. I then went inside and Bob was just finalizing his stuff.
After we left the Orange shop we were walking towards somewhere to grab a bite, and we were talking about English sausages, and a woman overheard us, and said " Do you want english sausages?" So we were told about a couple of places we might be able to get some from. Bonus. This lady was from England, and had been in Spain for 20 years.
After we found somewhere to eat, we decided to check out some of the lookout spots that are about the area. There is a few about, and we found a couple, perched high up ontop of cliff sides, and overlooking the ocean. I still marvel at where people build their houses, and how they ever get built. The coast line here is quite spectacular, with its sheer cliff faces, straight down into the water.
We when we are done looking at lookout spots, we decide to try a place that was suggested to us about the sausages. First place we go to, is a a small british shop, which seems to be very pricey, so we go onto the next suggested place, Iceland. This place is a larger grocery store, with lots of English products, and we find the sausages, but they are not exactly what we are looking for. However we do get some, and conclude, that we will have to wait until we get back to Australia for some proper snags. We also buy some Vegemite from here, aswell some other items.
All in all a good day.

Tuesday, 12th November 2019

I didn't go walking today. Didn't feel like it.
When we were at the Orange shop yesterday, Bob bought a Sim card for the mobile wifi that he had got. When we got home yesterday, he was trying to get the mobile wifi to work, and he couldn't get it connected. So today he made a phone call to where it was purchased from, and as a result, the issue was resolved. A phone call was also made to check the progress of the external drive that is being fixed, and due to the lack of English on the other  end of the phone call, it was decided that we should go into the shop and check it out. So in the afternoon, we go into Ondara to the computer place, and check on the progress, and also Bob leaves his computer there also to get some work done on it.  Hmmm, this is a little concerning, as we have been using the laptop to watch movies connected to the TV, but now we have nothing but the regular tv, which is all in spanish. But Bob tells the guys, we need to have this stuff done by Friday. They say this can be done, so fingers crossed. Considering the external drive has been there for a week now.
After this we go to the big shopping center because Bob needs to go to the Orange shop again, as his phone doesn't seem to be working, even though he has credit on it. He finds the Orange shop, and gets it working, apparently the lady the other day, didn't start the month when she put the credit on it.
We walk around the shops, looking at things, and I decide that Bob doesn't have enough warm gear for the oncoming cold, so we look for some suitable clothing, and found a few things that were in his size, and a purchase was made. We venture up to the food court, and get some dinner and head back to the unit.

Wednesday, 13th November 2019

A quiet day, I went for a walk this morning.
We went up to a look out in the local area, and took in the surronding areas. I went to a Art and Patchwork shop and purchased a magnifier light for when I will use when I am doing my needle work.

Thursday, 14th November 2019

Another quiet day.
Went for a walk this afternoon, 3.06 kms in 33.27 mins
It is quite windy here through the days and nights.

Friday, 15th November 2019

Walked this morning, 2.45 kms in 30.1 mins

Saturday, 16th November 2019

Quiet day in.
Just doing some needle work and reading.

Sunday, 17th November 2019

Today we did venture out.
We went to Calpe in the afternoon, and it was quite windy and cool. Calpe is 22 kms or a 36 min drive from where we are staying. Calpe has some beaches, and also is near to a Roman site, that has rock cut sea pools. There is some remains that date back to the Bronze age. There is a Marina and a huge rock that is near to the Marina, which reminds me of the Gibaltar, but not quite as big. There are many birds that nest on the rock. We take some pictures of the area, and walk about, looking at the food selection that is available at the resturants. All with their Gas heaters going. It is quite cool, and very tempting to eat there, but we did see KFC on the way into where we were, and decided that that was what we were having. But there will be another time to come back and taste the foods here. There were lots of seafood selections, which Bob is partial too.
We head back to KFC and it is nice and toasty warm in there, make our food choice and enjoy the warmth. The chicken is nice, and after we have eaten we head back to Gata de Gorgos to our unit, deciding that we will difinately be coming back to explore further. 

Gata de Gorgos 4th November 2019

Monday, 4th November 2019

I started my day with a walk. 

Today is another quiet day, although we decide to go and get a few things and our destination is the shopping center at Ondara, about 15mins away. This is a huge shopping complex, and is circular. Three stories of shops, and eateries. Not at all what I expected.
I did make a phone call to a doctor surgery, to make an appointment to get a prescription. I must confess, that I thought it would be very difficult, due to the language barrier, but to my surprise, the receptionist answered my call in English. Ahhhh all is good, so an appointment is made for tomorrow.

Tuesday, 5th November 2019

Melbourne cup Day.
Walked again today, am starting to time myself with the distance I am doing.
We go to Javea to the Doctor, and have no difficulty finding it. After a short wait I am seen to by the Doctor, who speaks good english. He writes me a script for Seretide, and all is good.
Bob has made a chiropractor appointment for Wednesday, and an appointment with a dentist on friday. So all our medical things will be taken care of this week.
We went into Ondara to drop in the external drive to get fixed, as it doesn't seem to be connecting very well. While we are in Ondara, we grab a few items.
Wednesday, 6th November 2019

Walked again today, just short of three kms, in 33 mins.
A quiet day today. We went into Gata de Gorgos to the chiropractor, and walked the streets trying to find the chiro, and eventually found the clinic. The chiropractor and partner are from France, and was interesting talking to them. After we had finished at the Chiropractor, we walked about some more popping into different shops. There were numerous shops selling wicker products.  We then headed back to our accommodation for the rest of the day

Thursday, 7th November 2019

I started my day walking. Bob walked with me, and we walked 3.4kms, and took 42 mins.
Did some washing
Today we went into Javea to explore the old part of the town. When we arrive, there seems to have been a market happening and it was in the throws of being packed up. I had decided earlier in the day that I should look at getting my hair cut, and I mentioned this to Bob, and as we were just starting to look about the markets that remained. There was a hair dresser, and Bob suggested that I should go in and get my hair done, and of course, I procrastinate, giving the language barrier, but I do go in and the lady who spoke no English, and I spoke little Spanish. I manage to tell her I just want a trim and she understands and with some hand signals, the job gets done. End result is hair cut, and it looks good according to Bob.
We continue our walk about the old town, and find somewhere to have some lunch. Afterwards we go back to the unit.

Friday, 8th November 2019

I started my day walking. 2.48 kms in 29.21 mins.
It is dentist day for Bob, and we head off to find the clinic in Gata de Gorgos. Finding a park is not as easy as previous efforts, but we do find one. We find the Dental clinic, and fill out the required paperwork, and after a short wait, Bob is ushered into the dentist to have his filling repaired, he broke it some time back, and only now have managed to find a dentist.
After we finish with the dentist, which seemed very well priced, we head to the local cave that is about. The cave is at a place called Benidoleig, and the cave is known as the Cave of Skulls. Tests have ben done on animal and human bones and have resulted in life existed in this cave 50 000 years ago. It is a large cave, and one could imagine cave people living in something like this. There is black on the roof of the cave at certain spots, which historians think it was caused by smoke from fires of the humans. Inside the cave, there are colours of green and dark grey, and some browns which would be from mineral leaching into the rocks. There is not many staligimites or staligities but there is certainly lots of water dripping and running down the walls of the cave. In one section of the cave, in earlier years, a part of it had a pond in it, and had to be swum across to get to the rest of the cave. It was a very interesting thing to do, and we were the only ones in the cave. It was very well lit and presented so that one could get an idea on how things were way back then.

Saturday, 9th November 2019

Walked 2.88 kms in 31.21 mins.
Not a lot else done today.

Sunday, 10th November 2019

Didn't go for my walk today, rest day for walking.
Rest day all round.

Arcos 28th October2019

Monday, 28th October 2019

A quiet day today. We did walk into town, as Bob wanted to go to Orange, the phone shop, and we grabed a few essentials on our way back, as we are coming to the end of our visit in Arcos de la Frontera. So we are trying to use up what food stuffs we have.

Tuesday, 29th October 2019

Just a little bit excited today,  as  we are going back to Gibraltar to explore it more. We have a bus tour booked so we can enjoy the day without the hassles of traffic. Our tour leaves at 12.30 and we arrive early, but that is a good thing, as we have sufficent time to find parking, and to locate where the tour leaves from. Plus, we have to go through the customs again, and being unsure as to how long the lines were, we decided to err on the side of caution, and be early. I always get a bit nervy when we have to show passports, even though I know everything is good, one never knows. We pass through and find the suggested parking place, and go up 7 levels until we find a park. The first few floors of the parking station are private. Then we locate where the bus leaves from, and there is  man there, who comes over to us, and tells us we have arrived at the right place and that we have a bit of time, and suggests we can go to the cafe downstairs or just a couple mins walk go to the main street. We elect to go to the main street, after we have had a comfort stop, which incidently happened to be at the right time, as, when I entered there was no one about, and when I opened the door to get out of the cubicle, there was a waiting line on both ends of the building.
We get to the main street, and it seems to stretch on for a long way. Bob has not had breakfast, so we find a cafe, and order some food to sustain us while we are on the tour, which is a couple of hours.
We head back to the departure place, and wait, and other folks start to arrive and mill around. We have drivers arriving and the guy we spoke to earier arrives, and heads over to where we are to do some paper work. So starts the loading process. He and another lady are consumed with people wanting to get on board, and they are told to wait, as  the buses shuffle positions. It seems there are about 5 buses that are leaving, and a couple of these buses, are doing the WW11 tunnels. Our man signals us over, as he has already seen our ticket earlier, and we get to board the bus first, and we are doing the war tunnels tour.
Once under way, our bus driver gives the audio guide of the area, and the history aswell. It turns out this driver has been driving the buses since 1975. He manouvers the bus around the tight corners and narrow streets, and I am glad we have choosen do to the bus tour. Our first stop is at the Light house and the old cannon on Europa point.   As we wind our way up this huge rock, our guide tells us of the history of the battles of the past, and all about the naval base. There was a 50 percent naval personel, and 50 percent civilan presence until the late '70s. We stop at St Michaels cave, which was absolutely amazing. It is believed that this cave is bottomless, and inside the cave is used for performances of ballet, music and other things. It is a massive cavern and has been presented with a light spectical. This stop was also where the Barbary macaques monkeys are. This is the only wild monkey population on the European continent. They were just so awesome to view, and get up close too. Although you could not touch them, they did let you get close enough to get some great photos. There were a variety of sizes, including a couple of baby ones.
We get back on board the bus, and continue the tour, and our next point of interest is the WW11 tunnels. This is another amazing stop. The effort required to drill out and dig out the rock so that the millitary forces could defend the rock, is mind blowing. In its prime, it housed 16000 men, and had 5 hospitals operating.  It has 55 kms of tunnels throughout  and was able to be used for up to 16 months. It is explained that it was designed to have a slight gradient so that water would drain out by gravity. Water had to be shipped in, as there is no water source on Gibralter, and even now, all houses have a duel system. The toilets are used with salt water,   and then have normal water for everything else. And even for the fresh water for the millitary personell in the tunnels, it was designed to use gravity to feed the water to where it was required.
We have another stop, at a lookout, and then we are winding our way down the hill, all the time having points of interest pointed out to us. As most of the people  on the bus are from the cruise ship that is in dock at the moment, our driver decides to drop them back to the wharf, but not before he drops of those who are not on the ship, at a point near to the city centre. We get off, and ask how far to the bus terminal and the driver says we can stay on, because we are going back to where he is going. It turns out that the ship is the Sky Princess, and is a brand new ship. The passengers have to show their boarding pass medalion, and of course we don't have one, so our driver explains that we are not getting off, and all is ok. After the passengers disembark at the required area, we have the bus to ourselves, and return to the bus terminal.
We take a walk back to the main street, and explore it a bit further. It is a gathering of tourist shops, food, clothes, of which I guess they are all rather pricey, as it is a tourist mecca. We find a currency exchange place, as Bob has some Dirham that needs to be changed back to Euro. So after this is done, we find a place to have a drink, as it feels like it is beer o'clock. We have our beverages, and then we head back to get the car and head back to Arcos. It has been a great day. 

Wednesday, 30th October 2019

A fairly quiet day today, just a little walk into town to post of a couple of things. Started  to pack things up as  this is our last day here in Arcos de la Fronteria. It has been a wonderful time here, and our accommodation has been good. Walking up and down the streets with their hills has been good for our fitness levels, although not all together good for Bob and his knee at times. We go out for tea, at the place we went to no long after we got here.

Thursday, 31st October 2019

We leave Arcos around 9.30 after our hosts relative makes sure the key and everything is ok. I recieve a hug from  this lady, even though we didn't speak much during our time there, I always said Hola when I saw her.
We have planned a stop at a place called Jazcar, which is a hour and thirty min drive, or 105 kms. Jazcar is a village in Spain that is totally blue, as in the colour. It was painted blue, as a promotional village for the Spanish release of  movie The Smurfs. After the movie was made, the film company offered to repaint the homes back to original colours, but it was refused, and the residents voted to keep their homes blue.
It was a wonderful experience, and there even is a huge Poppa Smurf statue in the town, with lots of arty reference to the smurfs. This place is tucked away in the mountians, and it is a very windy road to travel to, but so worth it.
After we leave Juzcar, we are headed for Granada, as we are overnighting there on our way to Gata de Gorgos. Juzcar to Granada is a 3 hrs drive or 262 kms. We share the driving on this league of  the trip, and I take the wheel from Juzcar, travelling down the windy roads.
We arrive in Granada at our hotel, eventually after the mandatory wrong and missed turns. Fortunately our hotel has parking for the carm so after we have found our way to the parking lot, we then settle into our room and taken in the view.  We venture out into the evening and take a stroll down the streets, this is the first time we have been out at night when it is dark. Given that up until now, darkness decends around 8 8.30pm, so this is a pleasant time. There are lots of people about, as it is halloween night, but it is still very enjoyable. We check out a couple of statues, and a water feature and go down some other streets, looking for something to have for dinner. We eventually get almost back to the hotel, before we find somewhere that is not to busy and we dine on good food. Day is done so we head back to the hotel for the rest of the evening.

Friday, 1st November 2019

We start the day with the Hotel breakfast, and then ask if it is ok to leave the car in the park until we come back from exploring the city. Bob has found the equivalent to a hop on hop off bus here, except it is like a train on wheels. We ask directions for the closest stop at the recpetion, and make our way to the said destination. We are somewhat early, so decide to walk about where we are. We are at a Bull ring, and we walk around it, taking in all that there is about. Unfortunately, at this time, 9am there is not much open.  So we wait in the park for some time, hoping that the little train will come soon. Eventually it does arrive, and we board after we have purchased our tickets. We get to one stop and are told we have to disembark as this train is out of action, and another one will be along soon. We take in the surrounds and there are a few market type stalls there, selling artwork and photography, and the usual tourist shops selling their wares, and of course the coffee/bar places. We meander around, and get back to the waiting stop, and the number of  passengers swell. We will be lucky to get onto the next train that comes, but we do. It is now a case of don't get of, otherwise you might not get back on.
We travel around the city and take in the history and listen to the audio telling us all about Granada. Our stop comes by that we originally got on at, and we hop off and head back to the car. The tour took about one and a half hours.
Our next destination is Gata de Gorgos. A distance of  440 kms or 4 hrs and 20 mins. Again, the driving is shared, and we are given the gps co ordinates for our next accommodation. How wrong could it go. You would think not likely with gps, but as in our true style, it takes us to somewhere that is not even remotely near where we should be. We go down some very interesting roads, and then they get more interesting, as they are now just tracks, so the decision is made to turn round, and the proves to be interesting in itself. So now we try a different tact, and use the directions given via the tripit app, and that is no better. So eventually contact is made with the host and he offers to come and meet us somewhere, which we accept, as it is now dark. After a short time our host knocks on the car window and takes us to where we need to be. And thank goodness he did, as I am sure we may not have found it on our own, as it is down some one way roads, that twist and turn, and have blind corners on them. Our host shows us through the place, and tells us a few things, and he is on his way. Our accommodation appears to be nice, and will have to see what it looks like in the morning.

Saturday, 2nd November 2019.

Our lodgings are good, as we are out of town a little way, and it is nice and quiet. There are lots of orange trees growing around us, and there are some pidgoens in their boxes here. Our view is amazing, as we look out at a huge mountain of rock. We go into the township of Gata de Gorgos to get some food items, and it seems a nice area. Gata de Gorgos is known for its wicker making, and we see some shops with baskets and assorted items on display. We take a walk around the town, and do our shopping efore we head back to our place.

Sunday, 3rd November 2019

Quiet day and washing done. We go for a walk about our area here, as the roads are all paved, and relatively flat. 

Arcos 21st October 2019

Monday, 21st October 2019

Today we went to Jerez to do a bit of shopping,

We decided to go to a different shopping centre than where we have been before. This centre has a massive car parking area, and when we were there, there was not a real lot of cars about. We start at the Karting place, which not only has an outdoor track, but an indoor one aswell. Then we stroll past the other shops in this block, consisting of home decorating, kitchens, a jump park,and Alcampo. Then we go over to the other cluster of retail shops, and it seems like it is a Discount retail outlet, with many branded shops. Addadis, Nike, C&A Decathlon, and all manner of stores, from footwear to clothing, and the usual food court.
This complex also has an Ikea included in it. So we decide to had  lunch break there. Then we continue walking the complex, with more of the same. After we have completed the circut, we head back over to where we are going to do our shopping, and all is completed.
We did walk a lot of steps today 

Tuesday,22nd October 2019

Quiet day today. 

Wednesday, 23rd October 2019

Today, Bob has decided we will trip around the country side looking at Castles in the area.
First place we go to is a place called Algar, it is bout a 20 min drive away. We see the ruins on the way into the village, and it is typical of the area, with small streets. So we find somewhere to park the car, and explore the surrounding area. We have parked near to the town square, and there is the Council office, a church, with a huge stork nest ontop of it, and a bar. All the essentials one needs for such a place.
We continue to walk about and go up a steep street, and look out at the surrounding country side. Then we retrace our steps, and go the other way and find the town mall. It is amazing, that no matter the size of the town/village or city, they all have a mall. This one predominately housed Bars, and as we were looking for a light lunch, it appeared that none of these places did food through the day. One could imagine just how busy this little place gets in the evenings though, as is the custom here. Everybody seems to go to the bars in the evening.
One our walk, we did find and admire a set of steps leading to somewhere, but they were very pretty, with a handrail up the middle and pots of flowers on both sides of the steps. The joining buildings were painted in the usual white and mustard colours. Algar is a white town, with its white washed walls and tan or red roofs.
So we go about as far as we can and head back to the car, to find somewhere else, that we can have some lunch at.
The next stop is called Olvera.
Olvera has a popultion of 8 549 and there are some that believe it existed at the end of the 3rd centuray BC
It has  a very impressive view, from the distance, as you can see the castle from some distance away, then it hides behind the hills, until you are much closer. We wind up the road to this town, and after following the road we are on, turn around as, it is taking us out of the township. So we follow the direction of where the castle is, and wind up the standard small road, only to find, there is no parking, and going back down, takes us the long way from where we have come from, but we might have missed a turn or two. Anyhow we find somewhere to park the car, and venture into what appears to be the heart of the place. Again we have the mandatory small streets, and inclines, as this place is built on a mountain, but it is all good for our fittness. We get to where we were before in the car, and go to the bar, that appears to be not so busy from the outside, but once inside, there is only one spare table. Mind you, it is only a small bar, but it will do. We order our food and beers and enjoy the moment.
We exit the bar, and head to the Church that is up the hill further, and there are a number of steps to climb to get to it. Once there, the view is great, and for a small fee, you can go inside admire the interior of this building.
We leave the church, and buy our admission ticket to go up to the castle, and the weather is starting to turn a little bit wet, but we still venture on. Again, as you can imagine, there are more steps, and steep ones, but it is all worth it. The views are awesome, and we can see the rain showers rolling in, and it is getting a little windy. I take a few photos, all the while holding on to my phone for dear life, because if it goes over the side, there is no getting it back. The wind unsettles me a bit, as I also have a scarf, trying to fly away too. We then go the extra bit, and clinb the small, spiral stairwell, to get right to the top. The steps are not even wide enough to put a full foot on them, and I wonder how the knights and fighting men got themselves up these steps when under attack. Bob assures me, the men were not as tall or as big as our modern day version. Again a couple of snaps are taken, and he head back down as a heavier rain shower appears to be heading out way. We did however bring with us an umbrella, and I have my shower proof coat on. We shelter in one of the lower levels for a while, and then make our way back down to where we came from. The beauty about this place is it was not very busy, well not on this day anyhow.
So we make our desent from the top of the castle, back down to the church, and the ticket office, and included in the ticket was entrance into the Museum. We took a quick look about, as all the detail was in Spanish, so we   then back to the car. On the way back to the car, a guy in a light truck, was trying to get up a street, and he must not have had a lot of tread on his tyres, as he got to a certain point and with the wet cobble stone road, he had not enough grip and could go no further. He tried and tried and tried, but to no avail. Me, my main concern was to get past as quick as I could, as if he slipped one way or the other, I did't want to be there. The traffic was lining up behind him, and eventually he must have gotten over enough to one side to let the cars behind him get past.  

All in all a great day, and now we head back to Arcos, as day is done.

Thursday, 24th October 2019

Washing day, and not much more is done. I do some more of my needle work 

Friday, 25th October 2019

Have had an amazing day. The day started with a tour of the Toi Pepe winery in Jerez.
We were to get there around 20 mins early, as we had to pick up tickets, and the tour started at 12. We left Arcos around 10ish, and arrived in Jerez 30 mins later. Knowing we were a little early, we drove about, headed in the general direction of where the tour was to take place. Finding the required place, we managed to get a park, nice and close to where we were going to, so that was a bonus. But, the real added bonus was that we found another part of Jerez, that we didn't know about. This appeared to be the older part of the city. There was a very large church, near to us, and some other historical things appeared to be close aswell. We also noticed, that the hop on hop off bus stop was at this very same spot. So we wondered around the immediaate area, and checked out the stonework on the church, and took the pics, that said we were here. Then we headed towards the ticket office to get our tickets, which opened at 11.30. So now we wait for 12 so the tour can start, and our guide presents herself , and we follow her to take in the tour of the winery. We learnt much during this tour, like, Sherry's don't need to be underground in cellars. They are stored in Bodegas, and also, Sherry should be served chilled. Our guide was very passionate about this and  that we totally understood what she was telling us. We were taken by a little train around the winery, and into the diffent stages of the aging process, and it was also explained about the yeast the grows on the wine, and how it eats the sugar out of the wine. We were shown the oldest grape vine they have, which is over 100 years old, and then we strolled down Ciegos Street within the winery, and is one of the prettiest tunnels which is covered with vines in spring, and gets posted over a million times on instagram every year alone. It was indeed very beautiful. We get to the tasting part of the tour, and we are given four wines to taste, of which three I liked, but of the three, two were more favorable, as they were sweeter. So with the tour all but finished, the only thing left to do was to go to te gift shop and check it out. While there, we were given the option to taste their Brandy that they make, and also the Whiskey. I did  like the Brandy, and after all the wine and spirit samples I was feeling the slight effect of it. We made a purchase, and decided to leave it there, so we could go on the hop on hop off bus, and then collect it after we had completed the bus tour of the city of which they told us it would be at the front office.
So off we go to find the ticket office for the bus, purchase the required tickets  and get something to eat, and fill in time until the bus arrives. It arrives, and once again, the bus is not to full, and the day is great for being upstairs, so that is where we go. It was great to see the old part of Jerez, and the new aswell. Once we got back to our drop off point, we get to the car and I head inside Tio Pepe to retrieve our purchase from earlier.  So Igo to where I thought the front office wasm and no  wine purchase there, but the man behind the counter takes me to  gift shop and I make enquires about our purchase, and another man tells me it is at the security office at the front. Hmmm, ok So he directs me to the security office, but assures me he will ring the security and tell him I am coming to pick up the said item. When I get there, I ask about the items I have to pick up in the name of Hockey, and he tells me there is nothing there, and I need to go to the front, but just as I walk outside thte gate, the phone rings and I hear the name Hockey mentioned, and hover and then return to the security man. He shows me all the items that are awaiting to be collected, and I see ours, and pick it up and make my way to the car.
We are headed back to Arcos, after a very enjoyable day.

Saturday, 26th October 2019

We didn't do a real lot today, although we did go for a walk back to the old part of town, as I wanted to get a gift for my  daughter. We meander and mill around, and I make a purchase. We walk on and witness some very finely dressed people standing outside the church, and figure that there must have been a wedding taking place. We walk on some more, as Bob is intrigued as to where the street goes. We walk and walk and walk some more, with the road starting to go downhill, we stop and to make some calculations of what we should do. A decision is made to turn around and go back the way we came. Once we get back to the busy hub of the old town, we select a resturant to grab some lunch. The area is very busy, and it seems to be a day for bikers to be out and about, as there are a couple of groups of them gathered around tables, enjoying the day.
Eventually we get back to our unit, and call it a day.

Sunday, 27th October 2019

A decision is made today, that we go for a drive to check out the triangle of the Sherry growing districts. The triangle is an area within Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria, of which these cities form the vertices. First we travel to Sanlucar de Barrameda, a distance of 65 kms. Then we go onto El Puerto de Santa Maria, a distance of 23 kms. So this is the main area of the sherry growing grapes. Anything produced outside this area, isn't able to be called a sherry. As you can imagine, there are lots of grave vines, and also olive trees. El Puerto de Santa Maria is on the coast line, and we happen to get to the marina, which is blocked off for some reason. We drive through the tiny streets, and come across what appears to be the centre of the town, as there is lots of eating places. Once we escape the narrow streets, we take ourselves back to Arcos, and again the day is done.

Arcos de la Frontera 14th October 2019

Monday, 14th October 2019

Quiet day in,
I get a message to say my glasses are ready to be picked up, so this works well, as we will be in Jerez tomorrow.

Tuesday, 15th October 2019

Today is quite an exciting day for me. We are going to see the Andalusion Horse show in Jerez. This is something that I never would have dreamed of going too. Because for those who know me well, know I have a severe allergy to horses, in particular grey horses. As a child, I spent  good few nights in hospital due to asthma attacks, and some of them were from getting to close to horses. And my sister will tell you, that we had to leave a circus early because I started to get wheezy.  Even now, if I am around someone who has been on a horse, and they come close to me, eventually, I start sneezing and wheezing. So to attend this event, I have made sure I have got and taken some allergy tablets, taken my preventer asthma medication, and have my ventolin puffer with me.  The show is 90 mins long, and I do not want to miss a minute of it.
We travel to Jerez, again a 30 min drive, and the show starts at 12, but we have to be there about 15mins early, and because of our ticket bookings we have to be there before then to pick up the tickets. We arrive in Jerez around 9am, and find the area where the horse show takes place. We eventually park, probably not where we are allowed too, but it is only going to be for a short time and find where the ticket office is. We have to wait untill 9.30, as that is when the ticket office opens. There are three horse and carriages at the enterance, waiting for customers, their drivers are busy polishing the brass on the carriages, and brushing the horses down.
We get our tickets, and then head of to the shopping center to get my glasses.
By the time this is done, we decide to go back to the Horse show and fill in time there, as there is a coffee shop and gift shop that we can spend time in and also walk around the gardens surrounding the arena. After I explore the gift shop, and have a cuppa, I walk around the garden, and watch some of the horses getting warmed up for the show.  At the required time, we find our seats and wait for the show to start. The arena fills up, but is not full, and the show begins. It is translated in 4 different languages, well the start of it is, and we are told that photos are prohibited. But that doesn't stop some, with Bob daring to be caught, and the lady beside me also catchinng the odd pic, and she did get some good shots. This presentation was absolutely wonderful, and I got a little overwhelmed, that I was here, out of all the people I know, some of them horsey people, and it is little old me here, the girl from Roma, with a huge allergy to horses. Watching the horses doing their dancing and prancing and balancing was wonderful, and their riders were also good. The riders were mainly men, but there were a coulple of women performing aswell. Needless to say I made it through the show with only having to use my puffer once, but I could feel the allergies simmering beneath the surface so to speak. Bob really enjoyed the show also. A truely magical experience.
So now we are on route for our next leg of the journey for the next few days. We head off to Tarifa, which is a trip of 120kms, or an hour and a half.
We arrive, and there are lots of wind surfers on the beach. Tarifa is a coastal town, from which there is a ferry that leaves to go over to Tanger, Morocco. We follow directions via the gps to where our accommodation is, and cannot find it at all. She tells us to go down roads that are only one way, and then we hit a unsealed road, as we miss a turn, and the road gets narrower and narrower. Eventually we turn around, and head back the way we came, and find a park that is close to where the said abode is and walk about eventually finding it. We make a call to the host and she tells us someone will be there in 15 mins, and so we wait, and wait. The place we are at has only a front door and not much more can been seen, so we are getting this unnerving feeling of what have we booked here. Anyhow after some time, another couple arrive and make a call, and they are told the same time. Eventually a woman arrives and lets us in, and once we get inside it is a huge relief, as the interior is totally different to the outside appearance. We are checked in, and shown to our room, which totally blows us away, so much better than we were expecting. There is a resturant which apparently gets very busy. So after we settle in, we decide to go into Algecias because I need to get some credit for my phone. This is only a 20 min trip but on the way, we stop off at a lookout, and take in the views. It is truely astounding, and Bob has an overwheming moment, when he realizes that Africa is just there. We can see a large rocky mountain, and all the buildings on the other side of the Atlantic ocean, and the straights of Gibralter, one of the busiest water ways of the world. He is really quite rocked by this. We get back into the car after the photo shots, and just around the corner is The Rock of Gibralter. Again, Bob is overwhelmed. His head is in the clouds and spinning.
We get into Algecias, and locate somewhere to park the car, that is close to where the Orange shop is supposed to be. However, once again, the information we have is not up to date, as there is no Orange shop there, so we do another search, and find another one a little distance away, but close enough to walk. On our way we find a site of archeology of which there are ancient ruins being uncovered.
We get to the vicinity to where the Orange shop is, and we have two optioins, 1, we see if we can get credit from the phone shop near to us, or 2, go and find the Orange shop. We opt for option 1, and get some credit. We explore the immediate area, and come across the Orange shop, and we ask if they sell a sim card for mobile wifi, of which we are told in Spanish, no, this shop doesn't. Thats ok, we are not in need of it right now.
We head back to the car and back to Tarifa, and to our acccommodation, which incidently has parking available, which is a huge bonus. We enter the resturant, and are told all the tables are booked and there are 2 ahead of us waiting. We decide to wait, and have a drink at the bar, which is also very busy, with only two spare seats available. We are shown to a table in round 20 mins and enjoy a lovely meal, and then retire to our room.

Wednesday, 16th October 2019

Today is filled with excitement, nervousness, and anxiety. We are boarding the ferrry to Morocco, so the usual nerves abound, as we have to go through customs, and security scanners. Our ferry leaves at 11am, so we walk down to the ferry terminal, and fortunately for us, we secured an extra day parking at the place where we were staying, so that gives us peice of mind that the car will be safe, and we don't have to hunt for parking close to the ferry. The walk is only a 5 mins walk, and we have time, so we meander around the little streets checking what is about. We get to the terminal with time to spare, go to the ticket box, check in, and head to the next point. Security. We place our bags, which is just a back pack that Bob has, and a hand bag for me, and our hats on the scanner conveyer, and pass through the people scanner, and collect our belongings on the other side. Next we line up at the customs to get our passports checked, and although  I know everything is ok, there is still that nervousness of what if......... We pass through, get our passport stamped and are given a white peice of paper that is to be filled out before we get off the ferry on the other side. So we board the ferry, and go upstairs, following the rest of the folks, and when we get onto the deck, there is a huge line up, and we are not sure why. We wait for  a little while, but decide to get a seat, and then investigate what the line up is for. After some time, I find out, it is customs for getting into Tanger. Bob and I wait for a while to watch when the line gets smaller, and it does't appear to be growing any less, anytime soon. Eventually, after it gets to a reasonable size, I go and wait for my turn, after I have filled in my white peice of paper. When I get to the window, the man takes the paper and passport and stamps it, and I am all done.  By this time, Morocco is getting closer, so Bob now goes up, and waits in line, and gets his passport stamped. So we are set to go to Morocco.
We disembark from the ferry and line up again for the Customs man who is checking the passports as we exit. He is a very serious man, and looks over the passports and lets us pass. We did however, see some people pulled over to the side, and it appeared that they were not allowed to enter, and were put back on the Ferry.
We continue to follow the crowd, and eventually get through the terminal, but not without being hassled by guys trying to get us to join their tour or questioning us about where we came from and how long we were here for. Apparently, it isn't always a good thing to reply to these people when they ask you questions, as they just won't let up. We are told to keep an eye on our pockets, and personal effects, and that is just what we are going to do. Now, I thought that was bad enough, but when we get right outside the terminal, we are bombarded with men offering their taxi service, or their bus. We keep walking and trying to ignore these people, but they just don't give up. It is a way of life for them, and the only way of making a living they can have. Fortunately for us, we had a plan, which was to get the hop on hop off bus to look about the city, and find a stop that is closest to where our motel is. The ticket sales office was just outside the terminal gates, and  the lady behind the counter spoke some english,  so we secured a couple of tickets, and waited for the bus to arrive. I must admit, that I was glad to get out of the terminal, as the hasslers would walk beside you, even after you said no. And at one point one guy said to Bob not to raise his hand at him, and this was after Bob turned him down, and was just waving him off. It is unnerving to be somewhere, where you are not sure of the customs, and regulations, even more so for the women. While waiting for the bus it is of interest to watch the taxi drivers and their cars, which are mostely blue in colour and of various condtions. Some are very dented and dirty, and some not quite as bad. They are all small cars, mostly Dacias of various ages.
Our tour bus arrives and we go upstairs to view Tanger from atop.
It is a little bewildering to be in  a country where women are tradionally covered from head to foot with clothing apart from the face, everything else was covered, even gloves on hands. One part of the bus tour took us past the beaches of Tanger, but there we noone on them, and i guess, when you think about it, the women are not allowed to dress in beach wear like other beaches. But this is Africa, and it is what it is. It was a most unusual sight though to see the families that were there, the woman was dressed as usual from head to foot covered, not a sight that we have seen very much. One the beaches there are camel rides, and some horse rides, but as we are on a hop on hop off bus, and the stop is not near to where the rides are, we continue onwards.
With the first route completed, we wait for the next bus to leave, which is parked waiting for the right time to leave. This trip takes us into the old part of the city. And what an amazing tour. Not for the sights, but the streets that the bus passes. We go down small streets, that are only just wide enough for the bus to pass through, and that was with guidence from passerbyers. We travel right though market streets, where there are all manner of things to be bought. Fish in the fish markets,  complete with flies, that are right next door to the spice traders. An interesting aromic experience. Then there are fresh fruit and vegies, materials and rugs, shoes and all the usual suspects. At this stage, I am not sure I would go down this market, as there is  a noticable absence of women.   
Bob has worked out roughly where out stop is that is closest to our motel,  so we go around the loop once, and then go around again until stop six, and then we hop off. Now unfortunately, we have no phone service, and no way of finding exactly where the place is.  We start to look for an Orange shop, and we find one. Bob obtains  Morocco sim for his phone and also asks if the lady knew where the motel is that we are searching for. This woman spoke good english, and was able to give us enough directions for us to work out where we had to go. We leave and thank her, and find somewhere to  have a coffee, and a chance to regather, and forge a plan. At this point I am extremely aware of the place of women in this culture, and again notice there are no women in the cafe that we have selected, and also in the previous one we looked in. However the waitstaff bid us welcome, and my concerns are lessened. We leave the cafe, and head along the street. After some time, we find the street we need to go down, and at the end of it, is the motel we have booked in for the night. It is a welcome site, and looks very flash. We check in, and get shown to our room by a staff member, who explains where the breakfast room is and pointing out the Piano bar. Once in our room, we check it out, and have a great view of a beautiful pool, of which the seagulls are enjoying. We rest for a while, and then head down to the resturant for a evening meal. Our waiter was very attentive, and the food was good. There appeared to be a good variety of nationalities dining, and next to us was a couple of Australians.
Sleep will be welcome tonight.

Thursday, 17th October, 2019

We start the day with the hotel breakfast, and then go for a wander down the markets that we can see from the dining room. We appear to be a little early for some of the stall holders, although there are lots of fruit and vegie stands operating. We explore the market place, and venture down little streets. We return to our room, aas check out is not until 12, we rest for a while, then pack up our gear, such as it is, and check out of the Hotel, the Grand hotel Villa De France.
So now we go back to where we were yesterday and wander about the busy streets, and watching the people, and traffic of the day. Our plan is to fill in time, until the hop on hop off bus comes around in which we will get on board, and then get of at the terminal drop off. So we look at shops and there are lots of Jewellery shops and clothing shops, not to mention the cafe and tapas bars. Eventualy we end up at the cafe where we were yesterday and have some lunch and a coffee, which was very good. After we have finished eating, we make our way to where we believe the bus should be arriving at some point in time. We wait, and wait. We watch city buses come and go, and observe how the taxis are haled, to which some stop and some don't even if they have passengers already, they will accept another person. Our ferry doesn't leave until 4 and we really need to get the bus by at least 2-215, in order to get us through the required check points to get onto the Ferry. After waiting for about 45 mins, we decide to bite the bit, and walk to the terminal, which is approximately a 20 min walk. On our journey back to the Ferry terminal we manage to find ourselves in the market that the bus went through yesterday, and we walk through tem, taking in the wares and smells that abound. One place I stopped at that caught my eye was a shop selling all sorts of brightly coloured biscuits. On closer inspection, the biscuits looked nice until I saw all the flies crawling all over them, so needless to say, not that I was tempted, there was no sale made. On our way down the market, we have to get out of the way of the hop on hop off bus as it make it's way up the street. We pass many different venders, and notice there are a lot of silver teapots or coffee pots. We stop at a shop, and look at the variety that there are, and make a selection and a purchase. It was good to go through the market, and experience something different. We stopped at another shop that was selling rugs, and lots of fabics, and I could have made a couple of purchases there also, but one has to think of how to get items home, and I was mainly just looking.  Onwards we continue, and as we move on, I notice there is a vast array of earthen ware and ceramic on a lower level. We find the entrance, and I go in to look about, and was in awe of all the things there. Once again, the same problem, how to get home with it, lol. While down there another lady started talking to me, as she had just arrived herself, but her luggage hadn't made it yet, so she was questioning me about the markets. I must have been taking a little while longer as Bob appeared as he was waiting on the outside.
So this time when we get moving again, there is no more stops until we get to the terminal.
We go through customs with our bags, as is the usual routine, and then through the customs, and get the stamp in our passport and wait for the ferry to allow us to board. We timed it very well, as just after we got through, the crowd gathered to get through the official points. We board the Ferry and this time there is no line up for customs on this trip. Bonus.
We get to the other side and again disembark, and go through the official stuff, showing passports, and then we make our way up to where we are staying the night. This is at the same place we were in on Tuesday night. We get checked in, and settle for the evening. Our Morocco adventure is done and dusted. I am very glad we went over there, even though I was a bit anxious about it all, but it was well worth the experience.

Friday, 18th October 2019

We start our day with the hotel breakfast spread, and then check out of our accommodation. This has been a lovely  place, and Tarifa is a beautiful place. 
Once we get our car out of the parking spot,  and we return the gate key, we now make our way to Gibralter, a journey of 44 kms or 50mins. Again we stop at the look out, but we are unable to see much, as there is a lot of cloud about, but still the view is remarkable. Onwards we go to Gibralter, which is an English territory, but is still connected to Spain. Our gps guides us to where we want to go, and we get in a line that has a sign above it stating vehicles with customs clearance and those that don't. So we hop in the line that don't have customs clearance, and are unsure as to what to expect. So I get the passports out at the ready, and as we progress in the line, it appears that passports of being checked but customs. Most vehicles are waved straight through, but as we are in a vehicle with French registration, we are asked for our passports, and then waved through. We are at Gibralter. Again, never would I have imagined that I would be here. We drive about, looking at the traffic, and noticing the registrtion on the vehicle. Most had the letters GBZ, and there was a lot of traffic. We follow where most of the traffic is headed to, then we turn off, and follow signs to the cable car, and keep on going. We manage to drive all the way around the rock. We even went through it via a tunnel.
After this we leave Gibralter, and head to Conil de la Frontera, as Bob has a chiro appointment tonight at 9pm in a neighbouring place called Chiclana de la Frontera. This is a 1 hr 40 mins trip, a distance of 126 kms. We arrive at our hotel and check in. This motel is on the outskirts of the town, so after a little while we take a drive to survey the surrounding town. We manage to find a park and take a walk around the town. Again I need to find an Orange shop as my phone credit has run out again. We find the required shop, and the lady is able to help us, and we explain that I not long ago put credit on it, so she looks into it, and explains that anything less than 20 euros will just get consumed. So I top up and Bob does also. Then we go and find some fruit to have for dinner back at the room, and we head back.
Bob goes to his appointment, and I stay behind and read.
The Chiropractor is not exactly what Bob needed, as he only used the hammer thing, and using stretching stratagies. So we are still in need of a chiropractor.

Saturday, 19th October 2019.

We check out of our room after we have breakfast, and try to find the post office, as Bob has discovered that he still has the keys from the room we stayed in on Thursday night. We find the said post office, and after some use of mobile phones and translation, the keys are sent back to their owners. It is wonderful that technology can help with the language barriers that once used to be.
We head back to Arcos, and spend the rest of the day just relaxing from the previous adventures we have had.

Sunday, 20th October 2019.

A day of washing and not and not much more.                                                                                                     

Arcos de la Fronteria 7th October

Monday,7th October 2019

We decide to walk the old part of the town today. Once again the weather is perfect, even though the temp says  30 and 31 degrees, it is still very pleasant to walk about the township. We wander about, headed in the vague direction of the Ancient part of town, and we find an optometrist, as Bob has been wanting to get some prescription sunglasses made up for when he is driving. Previous to this Bob has made a couple of phone calls to other optometists, but they don't seem to speak the same language we do. We go inside, and are attended to by a man who has limited English, but with patience and determination, we manage to understand each other, and get the message across of what is desired. The man looks at Bob reading glasses, and determines what the prescription is that he needs for his long distance sight. At this point we then hit a bit of a barrier, and the man says that his collegue speaks better English will help us further when he is finished with the people he is serving.  While we wait, this man takes bob over to decide which sort of frames he would like and a decision is made. Then the other genteman comes over and finalizes everything and tells us the glasses  will be here at the end of the week, or on monday of next week as Bob is getting his sunglasses polorized, it will take a little longer. This works for us, so a deposit is made, and we leave the shop. Bob tells me that the glasses are fairly cheap compared to Australian prices. So this is a bonus. We continue on our way up the narrow streets, and pass lots of eating places. The streets keep getting narrower, and I think that it is only for people to walk on now, but no, I was wrong. There is the occassional car that journeys past us, even though there is just enough room for the car only, as any pedistrains have to eaither find a door way to get into or squash themselves against the wall as the car goes by. And looking at the buildings round, they are residendents, so I guess they drive here all the time.
We have some lunch and continue on our merry way, and  get to the sandstone castle, which is owned privately, so access to it is not possible. At one end of the outlook there is a man with Birds of Prey, that one could get a picture with if they so chose, alas we did not, although I did wander over to have a look at the birds. There were a couple of species of owls and hawks and a Rapture.
 The old town, was declared a National historic-artistic monument in 1962 due to its impressive location and architecture. The  church and the buildings around this area are built on a sheer cliff face, which has an amazing view of the land all around. At every corner turn there is a cafe or resturant, and eventually there is a car park for the vehicles that travel up. We did read in the house literture that it is best to walk up. And that seems to have been good advice, as the car park was full. We wander into the half dozen gift and ceramic shops that are situated up here, and admire some of the things that are for sale. One shop had their own artwork and ceramics, with the daughter and son making most of the things there. It was wonderful looking at these items, and one could spend a great deal of money here, as it would be all athentic, and not made anywhere else.
We get to the point where we have to turn around because if we go ahead further, it is a lot of steps and probably a long way back to where we have to be. We notice that some of the cafes have closed, and the further we get back into the town center, a lot of shops have closed and will reopen again at 5. It is very different business hours here in Spain. 
 

Tuesday, 8th October 2019

This morning was relaxing, and very quite. Just before lunch time, Bob decided we would go for a drive to the shops. I just presumed he meant to the ones here in Arcos, as we needed a few food items. So I didn't bother to change or do much of anything else. Only when we we are in the car and headed out of town, did I question him as to where we were going. He said to the shops in Jerez. Hmmm ok. It got us both out of the house and the place was bigger than Arcos, so why not.
We get to Jerez, and I decide on a shopping centre to go to, but as we were on route to this one, we passed another one that seemed to be quite large. So we decided that this one would be good enough. It even had its own car park, which was a bonus. Once inside this place, it is just one huge store, but with individual brand names being sold. Much like a David Jones I guess. We wandered around just looking, and I found a postal place, so I was going to post  a couple of post cards I had been carrying around for some time in my bag. There was a bit of a line up, so I decided to come back later. Bob and I then went and had some lunch, and continued to look about, but after I had been to the postal place. You see, I had post cards from Portugal, that I had stamped, but didn't get around to posting before I left Portugal. This meant, that was I going to have to put new stamps on them and post them, but the young man behind the counter said it was ok and he put them in the mail. All this with no English being spoken, plus I bought 5 international stamps too.
So we wander about some more, and I note that there is an Optical place, and I have been looking for a glasses holder that I had seen sometime before that was magnetic, but didn't get it at the time, so hence, I was trying to find the same sort of thing, but no luck so far. We go into the shop, and Bob suggests I get my eyes tested, as at the moment I use just magnifing glasses for my readinng and needle work. He tells me how much better it will be with proper glasses. Previously, I had been to the optometerist back home and they said my +1 glasses were ok. So I make an appointment for 30 mins later. Agian, all done with limited languges. We fill in time looking around this shopping place, then go back to get my eyes checked.  End result, is I still need glasses for reading which I already knew, but with a bit of a nudge, I order some glasses. Bobs glasses that he is getting worked out cheap, so he said, and mine, I am not sure about, as I have never priced it all out. So now I have to wait for a few days for them to get in.

Wednesday,  9th October 2019

This morning was a quite morning, with not a lot done. I did a little needle work, and some relaxing. Just before lunch time we get ourselves together, as we are going to go to the lake that is here, and have a picnic lunch there. So we get our food stuffs together in an esky, add a couple of drinks and we are set.
We can see the lake, but getting there is not as easy as one would think, it's a bit like just follow your nose and you will get there, and we did.
The lake has a beach of sand, with a couple of table and chairs set up with beach type umberella covers over them, but instead of fabric, it is a straw covering, and there are lots of them with out tables. All set up for people to laze under while relaxing and enjoying the day. There were a few people around, but mostly taking their dogs for a walk. We had our lunch there, and watched the fish in the water close to the edge.
We pack up our things and then go for a drive, not sure where too, but end up in a little place not far away, but it is nestled at the beginning of the mountains that we can see in the distance from Arcos. Then back home.

Thursday, 10th October 2019

Today is planned out. We want to go to the French Consulate re our French Visa, and Bob has a Chiropractor appointment at 12.
We are going to Seville, as Bob has made an appointment with a chiropractor to get his regular adjustments done. So we travel for an hour to Seville, and I happen to check up on the French Consulate, ie where it is and office hours, and how far away it is from where we have to go for Bobs appointment. The Consulate is only open from 9am to  1pm  daily. So we need to make a decision as to which is more important, and the choice is made to go to the consulate first. We arrive at the said destination, only to find it is a no entry street, only for residents. So we think we will go around the block and see if we can find a park somewhere. Well, around the block is not possible, and we take the said directions given to us by Karen,( gps) and arrive at the same place, only to find the parking is limited hours. So we chance it, and park the car and walk into where the Consulate is. There are many people about, as there are Gardens around that are historic, and we arrive at our said point of interest, only to find it doesn't appear to be there. Bob has a look at my phone, as this is what we have been using to get us to where we are at this time. After he walks about a bit, and then enters a shop, as to enquire where the consulate is, only to be told that it used to be here, but are no longer there. Welllll. Someone needs to update informatioin online. So by this stage, Bob has already messaged his said chiropractor to say he will be late. So now we head back to the car to find the Chiropractor. Driving is Seville is one of the most difficult cities we have driven through so far. There are directioins that say to bear right or left, and then some you have to turn right or left, and quite often it is the same thing, although on the road it is very different as there are two or three options. You have to have one eye on  the road, and one on the gps. Anyhow, after a couple of missed turns and uncertainty, we get to the vacinity of where this guy is supposed to be. We are advised by our gps that " You have reached your destination" and we look intensly for the signage for the Chiro and also looking for a park. As I have mentioned before, parking is very difficult for those who don't know the area, and we drive onwards looking and serching for anything that is remotely possible to park in. But alas, we couldn't find such a thing, so we decide to not bother and head into the centre of Seville. We find a parking station, and a park is found easily, as a car leaves just as we arrive. Bingo.
We go upstairs and look about to see where we are, and Bob takes bearings of where we are, so we can come back easily. We walk along the street, watching the traffic and the horses and carriages past us by. I comment we should go in a carriage to look about, to at least make our day a little worth while. We get to the bull ring, which I mentioned in a post a week ago, as it being the second oldest Bull Ring. Our direction changes, as it is lunch time and we head away from the bustling street of traffic and head down a street in search of a quiet place to have lunch. One is found, and we make our selection and watch the world pass. After we have eaten, we head back to the main road.
When we get to the place were a few horses and carriages are parked we decide to select one and go for a tour around the sights. It is a lovely way to see things, with the rythum of the hores hooves on the road, at a nice gentle pace. This is the first time Bob has been in a horse and carriage, so he tells me. We pass by some of the sights, and go into the palace gardens, stopping a couple of times so our horse can have a drink at the designated points. Our driver tells us what things are, but his English is not so good, so we show our interest anyhow. The tour goes for about 45 mins, and it meanders through some small streets where no cars go. It was very nice.
We get back to our point and thank our driver and horse, and go on our merry away again back to our car. So, the day was not exactly as we had planned, but, it wasn't to bad.

Friday, 11th October 2019

Not exactly a very busy day today, but we did venture out in the afternoon for a walk. Bobs sunglasses arrived today, so we picked them up on our walk. He is pleased with them. All good.

Saturday, 12th October 2019

Today, we went to Cadiz, a city that is  70 kms away from Arcos.
When we arrive in the city, we look for some parking for the car, and the place seems to be somewhat busy, so we pull into the first public car park we find, and circle about the lot, to no avail, so we go through the boomgate, and collect our ticket. This parking appears to be for the Trian station, but we will take what we can, so we find  spot and  exit the car. We head into the train station to have a look inside, and we find trains, and also a city sightseeing information booth, so we make a bee line to there after a pit stop. We get the required information, and tickets and head outside to explore this city that is over 3000 years old. We were given directions to where one of the walking tours leaves from, as this is included in our ticket purchases, and we decide this would be an interesting thing to do, as it is only an hour tour. While we wait for the departure time, there is a puppet show running and it is quite interesting. There are 7 puppets working electrically, and the main male puppet, is being operated by the owner. Anyhow the time arrives for us to leave on our tour, and the guide talks in two languages, Spanish and English. We wander down little streets, and as always marvel at the narrow streets, and how the cars get down them. We see a couple of old churches, which you wouldn't know they were there.We go into a Cistern, that was used by Monks and Nuns in the past, and we are told, that the city of Cadiz, has still got so much history to be uncovered, but it is difficult to find, as it is all determined by who owns what. Be it private, Government, or some other enterprise, so there are many archaeological finds waiting to be discovered here.
 After our tour finished, we walked to where we thought the hop on hop off bus stop was, that was closest to us. After some time waiting and checking out the surrounding area for other places the stop might be, the bus eventually arrived. As it was a perfect day weather wise, we elected to go  and sit upstairs, and watche and listene to the city of Cadiz and its history. This place has a few nice beaches, and again is a city that has got some of the original stone wall. After our tour finishes, we needed to get some lunch, so we head to where the people are, and find a nice quiet cafe, called the Monkey Cafe. We ordered a toasted sandwich and I told Bob, I would just have a white coffee. When our food came, it was good. This man that was making the coffees took a lot of pride in his work as we watched him making other coffee orders, it was great to observe. As I was eating my food, my coffee arrived, and it was not just a white coffee, but it had four layers. It looked amazing. But not olny that, it tasted wonderful. It had condensed milk on the bottom, followed by Baileys, then coffee, then whipped cream. I am definately going to try and recreate this when I get home.   

 

After we have finished consuming our lunch, we wander around for awhile, as we are filling in a bit of time, because, we are going to do the other walking tour , of the Old part of the town.This tour is an hour and a half. We gather ourselves at the designated departure point, and we have the same tour guide as we had in the morning. We again wander through tiny streets, and see important historical buildinng, that are tucked away out of the main area, and one would never know the importance of them, if you were strolling about doing  your own thing. An interesting fact, was that when the wars were finished, Cadiz had many cannons left over, so the cannons were used to protect the building edges, by placing them on the corners of buildings as they were built. 

Our tour finishes, and instead of retracing our steps, we all catch the hop on hopp off bus back to tour point one.

We now head back to our car, and try to validate our ticket, and we can't seem to find where to do this, so we head for the boom gate, and nothing happens when we present the ticket, only telling us of the amount that is owed, and there is no card or money accepting thing at this point. So we pull a park and Bob goes to investigate, and eventually asks and gets the ticket validated and fees paid, we head out, present the ticket, and we are out of there. 

It has been an interesting day, and we have achieved many steps today. 

Sunday, 13th October 2019

Not a lot happened today, just a quiet sunday.