The town beach, Cadiz

Over a final fruit-filled breakfast at El Fogón del Duende at Arcos, we discussed our plans to visit Cadiz. Parking is a nightmare, so we decided to drive the car to the Puerto de Santa María, on the other side of the bay, and take a catamaran there and back. Time was running out for visiting a bodega (sherry making cellar and plant) so we decided to skip that stage. I'd already done a tour in Jerez de la Frontera in1984, and CleanSteve could always visit Oban distillery instead...

We made it to the port, parked, and found a vessel waiting. The voyage was pleasant, with the view of the new bridge to Cadiz awesome. It's a long spit of land, and the new bridge is the only way in/out by road.

I found the city still very pleasant and airy. The quality of the light is extraordinary. Many areas have been pedestrianised since my last visit, making for a more pleasant experience. We had a drink in a locals' bar where there were trays of fresh shellfish on the counter, but ended up eating near the now-closed market hall: mixed salad, and a dish of prawns in garlic and sherry sauce. Mmmm.

More wandering around the city's narrow back alleys led us to the sea on the other side of the peninsula. There I found the town's main beach, on either side of a slipway. Being Sunday, it looked busy and tempting. I don't remember finding this beach in '84, but I think perhaps I took a bus to another one. I found myself wishing I'd kept a blip-style journal back then. As a solo traveller, 20 years old and female, I did have some adventures. Most of them were good. I might not have been totally honest if I'd had an audience, though. I did write a series of short poems about that visit, years later, and they survive, along with my vintage postcard collection.

We caught the post-siesta boat service back, and I was all for finding another beach, but CS wanted to set of for Seville, by country roads. The road between the cities is mainly a toll motorway, or a busier lorry-filled alternative. However, we found a compromise, or rather the TomTom did, and were able to stop in a village (El Cuervo) for a final coffee/ice cream before joining the fast road. The toll turned out to be less than 4€!

Driving around Seville was a bit busier than we were used to, but we did find the hotel, somewhat more fancy than our usual lodgings. I suppose the small per-night fee went on the bathroom and breakfast, because the room itself was on the small side. It had a bed, a fridge, and the most enormous wall mounted TV. I settled down to watch a documentary on the Real Madrid channel about Glasgow. Yes, that's Glasgow, Scotland. If I should become a stranger, I'll just pop on the TV in whatever country I happen to be living in....