ANDALUSIA STAGE 2 - PUERTO SANTA MARIA CADIZ

 

Stage 2: As the crow flies from El Rocio to Cadiz is barely 45 mins, but those wetlands get in the way (that aren’t wet remember 🙄)…so it’s all the way back to Sevilla, then south….a good two hours.

Decided to actually book across from Cadiz at a great spot in its own right called Puerto Santa Maria. My Airbnb host Esther was very particular about arrival times, so by using WhatsApp “location” she was well impressed, and was even standing waiting for me at the entrance to her block., and what a nice surprise! 😘

7th floor, great views of her town, sharing her flat is what AirBnB is about imho….I started using Airbnb a few years back, almost exclusively for racing - essentially if an individual wishes to share their space, by definition they typically tend to be quite open friendly types, there may of course be the odd weirdo….yet to encounter! 

But Esther was super, very accommodating, as well as the views, the flat was equidistant from the beach walk and the centre / old town, where she sent me, on that first late afternoon and evening.

She was actually an English teacher, which wasn’t going to help my Spanish, from Sevilla but lived in the USA. 

The town gets overlooked by the nearby presence of Cadiz, but is actually quite a happening place with a typically Spanish historic centre.

The following day Esther recommended my getting the catamaran taxi across to Cadiz (in my Lancashire - Spanish I insisted on a vuelva, volver, regresar ticket - a return, making sure I got it right! All v similar, I think!).

Esther sent me a WhatsApp with a full itinerary / tour for Cadiz, with links etc 

What a star! 

And it worked a treat…and what an amazing place it is, I would highly recommend a visit….so, to the madness of the central market, via the amazing Cathedral, chaotic but atmospheric at the market with tapas and beer a plenty; next stop Taberna Casa Manteca…apparently according to some English boys at the bar, was on a Rick Stein show…🤷‍♂️ Then the beach, Playa la Caleta, then Santa Catalina castle, and followed by a great walk through narrow streets to the museum (with headphones and of course just the best sounds, enhanced the experience….sure I was dancing at one point 🙄😂)…quite like some modern art, but I’m lost on fine art….so spent time on the top floor, hardly any on the middle, and a bit more, checking out “what did the Romans do for us”….queue the great man JC (you must know it?) 😊

Had another beer stop, when the message arrived from Esther, would you like to go out for dinner tonight? This Spanish AirBnB is just a different level!

I didn’t in the end have a return ticket, irrespective or because of my rubbish Spanish…and the boat was full, so a €35 bloody taxi back, temporarily annoyed with myself….talking to the driver, partido de futbol actually, his team were playing, Cadiz, and he had it on the radio. I lied and said I supported Manchester City, so I could mention Pep, his team were drawing 0-0! I felt better already!

Esther took me to her favourite fish tapas restaurant at 10pm! I quite like the chilled, going out late style….and then we went to her jazz club to meet some pals. None of which could speak any English….and of course as we all know, alcohol plus learning a language makes you fluent….or so I thought. Anyway I made them laugh, regularly, although they said they were laughing “with me”….I did say if I’d spent a month with Esther’s pal, my Spanish would really improve! It was an idea that stuck with me for a while after 😘

We got in at 4am….and the World was still buzzing, but in a non English sober way….before you start, it was all platonic, or is it plutonic….I mix those words up.

So, the two day rule was met…I had to leave and move on the following morning (well, the same one actually!) and guess what?

Esther set me an itinerary for my journey to the next stop, Tarifa. The kite surfing dude capital, Europe’s most southerly point and just a giant leap from Morocco….

So the journey continued, with another fond farewell (and a final hug) it was adios Esther and Puerto Santa Maria…..👍