Santa Maria comes alive in the evenings with hundreds of families strolling the sidewalks; enjoying the outdoor cafes and watching their children enjoy the kiddie rides nearby. Fish, shellfish, paella are most popular here as well as the great wines made locally by many of the bodegas. We have been enjoying the cool, light white wines rather than the heavier red wines; we’ll enjoy those this winter for sure. Dinner is traditionally eaten very late in Spain; people start arriving for dinner after 8:30-9:00 pm.
The bullfight in Santa Maria was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. Although one of the other couples had attended one in South America, the rest of us were seeing one for the first time. In Spain, it is apparently much more formal/quiet than those in South America. The costumes the matadors and others wear are very expensive given all of the ornamentation on them. We were at first a bit “surprised” at the sport but were able to appreciate the skill and importance of bullfighting to the Spanish culture. I hope you have enjoyed the photos already available on this website.
From Santa Maria, we headed for what was supposed to be an overnight stay in Barbate, Spain, as we made our way to Gibraltar. However, a levanter (high easterly winds) prevented boaters from moving about. We waited in Barbate 4 days for a favorable weather window. It was a mass exodus from the Barbate marina since you need to go when the weather window opens and before another levanter blows again.
We made it through the Straits of Gibraltar with no problems. Unfortunately, the winds (up to 25 knots) were directly from the east and which was on our nose preventing us from doing any sailing. After settling into our slip at Marina Bay, we celebrated with our friends who were waiting for our arrival. The next day, we toured the famous “rock” with another couple we met from the Netherlands. We were amazed at the many tunnels and caves hidden within. Certainly, a trip up to the rock would not be complete without enjoying the many adults and baby apes that rule the rock. Check out the photos of these interesting apes; especially the one that took a liking to Terry.
We left the boat in Gibraltar for 5 days while a group of us took the ferry to Morocco. There is now a ferry from Gibraltar to Tangier. After arriving there, we hired a guide to take us through the medina, markets, shops, etc. Olives are beautifully presented, check out the photo. We especially enjoyed the souks which produce woven cloth, leather, pottery, etc. After a delicious local Moroccan lunch, we took a taxi to the train station and headed for Fez, Morocco about 5 hours south.
In Fez the next morning, we hired another guide who took us on the local bus to the medina and markets. Check out the photos of the leather souk where people use their feet to dye leather skins in dye baths. At a shop that sold traditional clothing, Terry and I were dressed in the traditional Moroccan attire. Needless to say, we had to buy one. Since it was a holy day, we had the fortunate opportunity to see into 10 of the 17 gates that were open to the mosque in the medina. Although non-muslins are not permitted to enter, we were able to appreciate the beauty of the mosque and the customs of the people entering. There were so many beautiful tile, carved plaster and mosaic works and historical buildings; Terry and I personally took over 200 digital photos some of which are provided here on the web. The two other couples traveling with us returned to Tangier and then back to Gibraltar while Terry and I traveled further south (about 6 more hours) to Marrakech.
We stayed in Marrakech for two days, another incredible city with a huge plaza called “The Plaza of the Dead “ where you can find snake charmers (see photo), tattoo artists, musicians, acrobat performers, food, you name it; it was unbelievable. We were glad we took the long train ride to Marrakech especially enjoying the drastic change in landscape from the more fertile northern regions near Tangier. Once we left Fez, the land changed from what was somewhat more lush fruit groves, vineyards, and farms to desolate stone filled rolling fields where small mud-type dwellings and patches of cactus would be seen from time to time (see photo of mosque in a mud-type community). We were amazed to see sheep herdsmen walking along with the herd, people riding donkeys, teenagers walking but yet nothing else in sight. While in Marrakech, we visited a beautiful garden now owned by Yves St Laurent. It was a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the plaza. Here there are specimens from around the world that included various cacti, palm, flowers, etc; very peaceful.
After returning from Morocco, we waited again for a good weather window to make our way into the Mediterranean Sea. As soon as we left Gibraltar, the fog settled in making our radar the most valuable piece of equipment for the trip. We settled into an anchorage off of the town of Estepona since all the marinas were booked. After the morning fog lifted, we headed for Marbella where we were able to get a slip for a few days. Marbella is a lovely beach resort town with beautiful shops and very expensive, fancy clothes.
Our next stop will be Malaga where we will once again spend a few days to possibly do a few landside bus/train trips to see the inland area. We are considering a side trip to the island of Ibiza in the Balearics Islands that are also a Spanish possession. From Ibiza we can either sail Zelda to neighboring islands of Mallorca and Menorca or take a ferry to each; we shall see.
Costa del Sol is beautiful and hosts beach resort after resort. The Sierra Blanca is a rugged mountain range spanning the Costa del Sol region.
We arrived in the Azores, Portugal on June 11 and have only made our way down the coast of Portugal, through Gibraltar and into the western part of the Med. We are taking our time and realize that we will need several years to see the parts of Europe that we planned to see at the onset. So, after this winter in Barcelona we will then sail to either the south coast of France or onto Italy. Much lies beyond with Greece and all of its islands and then Turkey.
Terry has updated the travel log so take a look; also check out our position report also available via a link from our website.