Spanish sandwiches, English tea

Up early, and we decided to head straight for our last major stop, Seville. After a sat nav misdirected detour around Vejer, and a short motorway drive enlivened by I Spy, we arrived at an Aire at the port, walking distance to the centre. Definitely somewhere I'm pleased to be staying in a motorhome with a functioning bathroom (theirs was very grotty), but very convenient.

We walked along the river into the city, beginning to get a flavour of Seville: broad boulevards; plentiful pretty green spaces filled with trees; lots of cyclists and students; and beautiful, gracious buildings everywhere you look. Jemima was asleep, so we stopped for a quick sandwich before heading into the Cathedral - the kind of Spanish sandwich shop they don't seem to have anywhere else: amazing racks of hams, wonderful bread, everything fresh and done with care by serious looking men in white coats. Delicious. Then a touch of the godly, embodied by the enormous, richly adorned Cathedral (apparently the biggest altarpiece in the world). And a surprise inside: a graceful courtyard filled with orange trees (presumably Seville). 

We woke Jemima up while sitting in a cafe in the warm sun (it's a bit chilly in the shade now, but the sun is still lovely). She had her sandwich, then it was her treat: a horse-drawn carriage ride (although I actually see her as an excuse to do something I really love...). Brilliant fun - the fact it went over a lot of the same ground we'd walked, we took as a compliment to Kevin's navigation skills earlier. 

Then her second treat: a promise of churros (doughnuts). These proved harder to find, unlike in Granada where they were everywhere. After some walking, we resorted to Seville's posh hotel, which we'd seen on our carriage ride, and their afternoon tea. The tea was a bit rubbish - definitely not in the league of an English tea (doorstep sandwiches!). But it was really lovely to be in a nice hotel, and for a minute we toyed with the idea of checking in for a night or two. But eventually we decided against, and returned by "taxi car" (as Jemima calls it) to Beatrix - through a few hundred teenagers all hanging out by the port gates, a slice of Seville youth life. And actually, when back in the van, I was happy we had decided against - much as the luxury (and space) were appealing at the time, you can't beat the comfort and convenience of our moveable home. 

A view of Vejer:

Seville:

The wonderful sandwich shop

The Cathedral

Jemima having lunch post-nap:

The carriage ride:

One for you Mum! The name of the restaurant at the posh hotel:

Jemima playing with her Bing people while waiting for our (slightly rubbish) afternoon tea:

Vejer de la Frontera to Seville:

Southernmost Spain and beyond

We're finally on the road again. We could have stayed longer in Estepona: we had a great location on our car park, with a lovely view, walking distance to everything, plus brilliant weather - a very easy place to while away our remaining days until the journey home. But we're all running out of steam a bit - we know we're coming to the end of the trip - and it is still a whole week until our ferry: for me, the best way to shake off the malaise is to DO something. 

So this morning we headed off to Tarifa, the very bottom of Spain. The road passed through rolling hills that were surprisingly lush and green, given how far south we were - Kevin said it looked like Wales - with, in the distance, the looming precipitous bulk of Gibraltar - it really is quite a Rock. You could also clearly see Africa, not far away at all, across the short stretch of sea with huge cargo ships cutting through it.

Tarifa itself was a mixture of grotty (most of the modern buildings); quaint (a pretty, unrefurbished Old Town with some great old walls and a 13th C archway); and a surfers' paradise - it's known for its wind and waves, so there were surf shops and surf bars a-plenty. We had a sunny walk along the promenade, grotty on one side, and a beautiful long stretch of wild white sand and Atlantic waves on the other. Then a short stop at a little beach on the Med side - the water was noticeably warmer (and it's apparently saltier too - that's my fact of the day); before lunch in the Old Town in the lee of a massive old church. Another menu del dia, good food, slow service. Kevin wanted to push on rather than stay the night (he isn't a fan of the surfer hippy vibe, unlike me - in an alternative life I would have been one of the scruffy types in a campervan waiting for my wave, man..). But I was up for exploring somewhere else, so off we went.

Not far from Tarifa, the spirit of adventure nearly got us into trouble. A turning off the main road towards the beautiful coastline started as a tarmacked road, but got narrower, and then deteriorated into an unpaved track, with low trees, and quite deep sand, too narrow for us to turn around. Some surprised residents directed us a bit further on, and where the road actually stopped there was thankfully a turning area. Then slowly back from whence we came.

Now getting late, we followed signs to a possible night stop. And it turned out to be a very pretty hilltop town. We found a street parking spot outside a florist, opposite a supermarket - but, as always, with the blinds up, you could be anywhere and it doesn't matter. And then my final, cheering treat of the day: Kevin and Jemima had lots of fun playing with mini balloons and a spinning light-flashing music-playing Minion I'd bought in Tarifa, leaving me to read my book and drink tea - lovely. And we can explore the town tomorrow. It's good to be on the move again. 

Farewell our Esteponan marina car park:

 

The road south and the Rock of Gibraltar:

Tarifa:

Our detour:

Playing in Beatrix:

Estepona to Vejer de la Frontera:

Marina market day

The day started early, and with a bump - literally. At 5.30 Kevin and I were woken by an enormous crash - Jemima had fallen off the (very high) bed in the back. She has been keen on trying a roly poly, or head over heels, as seen in a Bing episode. She had been told firmly not to try them on her own, but, it seems, at the crack of dawn this morning, that was just what she did - right off the bed. She was shocked, but thankfully (miraculously) not hurt. She spent the rest of the night in between Kevin and I - we all just about managed to fit.

We had planned to move on today, but, it turns out, Sunday is market day at Estepona marina. Too much fun to miss - a gloriously sunny day, interesting stalls, and the world out for a perusal and an amble - our car park was rammed, Beatrix was completely surrounded. We fed the fish in the marina, wandered the market, and stopped in our favourite cafe with a view for some cake. It was hot in the sun, shielded from the fresh breeze, and the cafe slowly filled up until it was packed - we had stumbled upon a popular Sunday spot. After a lovely few hours, we adjourned to the Thai down the road for a good late lunch (Jemima refused to nap, wanting to join in - she wheedled a Hello Kitty ice cream out of us, for €4.50, so it was worth it...); a quick supermarket trip; then back to Beatrix - and some floor cushioning in case of more nighttime gymnastics... Another lovely day. Maybe we'll move on tomorrow.

Feeding the fish:

Cafe fun:

Dancing to an accordion player:

On the boardwalk (the failed nap):

Still in Estepona: