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LOG ENTRY DATE: July 14, 2003 Picked up John O'Meara in Seville, on Monday, September 15. Decided to put off seeing Seville until the end of his visit, and we headed down to pick up the boat and Tom in Ayamonte. Spent Monday night in the pleasant, shady square in Ayamonte, eating dinner and drinking wine. Ayamonte is a wonderful change from the tourist crowd of Villa Real across the river. And, the Danforth ground tackle is keeping us secure in the river—despite 4 knot currents—so we are able to relax. We departed Ayamonte on Tuesday afternoon, after taking on board new fuel and food, and headed east along the coast to El Rompido. This was a beautiful spot, hidden behind a long (5 miles wide) sandbar. Crossing the sandbar to get in made me a little antsy, but we made it with no problem. . . the passage into the harbor was interesting, with part of it passing only yards from beaches. Inside, we anchored in a well sheltered spot, and went ashore to explore. The town itself, while pretty, was very quiet— reminding us that we are entering the off-season here in Andalusia. However, we sampled good tapas and good vino tinto de casa (house red wine), and managed to get back to the boat in reasonable shape. One thing that takes some adjusting to is what I call the Spanish Clock. It isn't like the American Clock, where 0600 is reserved for getting up, 1200 reserved for lunch, 1900 for dinner, and 2200 for going to bed. Somehow, the Spanish have managed to stagger that schedule. . . since it's virtually impossible find a place that's open for dinner prior to 2100, one tends to eat and drink until midnight or one, and then sleep in to 0900 or so. Then, since breakfast takes place at 1100, the day takes on a whole new meaning. Fortunately John, Tom and I have made the transition, and have come to regard the schedule as more civilized. . . John is particularly adept—a natural, even—at the sleeping-in part. Leaving El Rompido early (i.e. 0800) allowed us to sail the 45 miles Chipiona, which is at the mouth of the Guadalquivar River (which runs up to Seville) by 1600. It's a pleasant marina, with an even more pleasant town, which we thoroughly explored. The people were all friendly, especially the group of women we met at the Tourist Bureau. Chipiona has miles of beautiful beaches, (more here) and streets that are designated for pedestrian traffic only. Add that to lots of shade trees and some handsome architecture, and it's a great place to stay for a few days. We also sampled the local tapas and beer—and ongoing duty that we don't take lightly—went swimming, and watched the sun go down over the western horizon. On Friday, John and I took off for Seville via bus, so we could explore the city a little, and to give John a good jumping-off point for his return, on Sunday morning, to Madrid. Although Tom and I will be moving the boat up to Seville to await the arrival of Seb Milardo, I thought it prudent to do some recon work, particularly in terms of the bars, food, and flamenco. We holed up in the Hotel Casa Imperial, which is in the heart of the old city. Very traditional Spanish architecture with Moorish influences. . . it's actually the old residence of a servant, whose master lived in the palace across the street. However, given it's size, I think most of us would say that the hotel itself is palatial. Regardless, it's extremely handsome, very plush, and staffed by true professionals, as befits a five-star hotel. On our first night we hit the town (many bars and restaurants actually don't even open until 2300), and took in—you guessed it!—tapas and wine, as well as the various sights of architecture and culture. Saturday evening ended with us going to see a traditional Flamenco dancing show. . . loud, somewhat mournful, but very interesting to watch the talented dancers, guitar players, and vocalists/"clappers". John and I parted company on Sunday morning after another ridiculous Casa Imperial breakfast, with me taking the bus back to Chipiona, and John off to Madrid for the day. Very sad to see him go. . . it was wonderful to have him on board, he is always great fun, and it was good to be able to share the foreign cruising with him—especially when you consider that he's a part owner of Chase! More importantly, it was great to have a good friend from home join us, as not seeing one's friends really is one of the downsides of this experience. . . we certainly meet people on the way who become acquaintances or even friends, but we know our time is limited with them. Looking forward to my return to Seville next week, with Tom and Chase, and to picking Seb up there. |
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