Southern Spain

Rota

We left Vilamoura in Portugal on Saturday 6th October and had a great overnight sail to Rota in the north of Cadiz Bay, Spain. We arrived in time for a local fiesta. The new marina is very nice, and we were glad of strong pontoons when we had to wait out a gale which covered the boat in red sand. A statue of the 'Virgin of the Sea' watches over the harbour.

Seville

The following day, we left the boat in Rota and headed for Seville for three days sightseeing. We did an open top bus tour of the City, which included the old expo site. The cathedral is the 3rd largest in Europe after St Peter's in Rome and St Paul's in London. We climbed the 35 floors to the top of the Giralda tower and got great views of the city.

We visited the Real Alcazar, an amazing combination of Moorish and other european architectural designs. We saw the rooms in which Christopher Columbus planned his great voyage of discovery during which he discovered America. America was apparently named after a Spanish duke who had supported Columbus's voyages. We spent an hour exploring the extensive gardens.

We went to the Bullring, where 14,000 people watch 6 bulls meet their end each bullfight. There is a hospital on site for the mateodores, but no such luck for the bulls. All the great pavillions built for the 1929 world exhibition are still in place, now used as government offices and embassies. We took a ride in a horse-drawn carriage through the park and the old town. We visited an exhibition of the discovery of Tutenkhamen's tomb, but it was rather dissapointing and all the explanations were in Spanish. The Torre del Or, once protecting the city's port, is now a maritime museum. In the evening, we went to see a flamenco show.