'08 Spain Trip Memories Part 2

8/8/08

Today I had my first taste of the costa de la luz, the beach! Me and Rocio went with her friends Paquita and Rosa during siesta. I can't imagine a much better beach experience. Beautiful sand, warm water, a lovely view of Chipiona from the beach and of course women sunbathing topless! The beach Rocio took me to was called Camaron (shrimp) and we went there because there were less Sevillanos and more open beach. The beaches in Chipiona lots of corrales, which are ancient stone fish traps that the Romans built that still work today. When the time comes in, the fish swim over the rocks and when the tide goes out they are trapped. Brilliant.


Me on the wall of the corrales


After a while we walked along the beach back towards the crowded part and had a tinto de verano and some jamon flavored Lays. The walk was a bit far, and by the time we got back, Paquita and Rosa were ready to leave. When we got back to Rocio's house I called Ivan, another American guy my age that I met on the plane from Madrid to Jerez who was staying in Rota, to get together. He wanted to stay in Rota and go to some American bars near the naval base with his friends, so we never did meet up. Tomorrow we are going to the beach again!


Chipiona from the beach


8/10/08

Tonight I went with Rocio and her parents to San Lucar de Barrameda to have a drink at an old palace turned hotel on a hill. The palace has a wonderful courtyard where food and drinks are served. I tried Pedro Ximenez sherry, which was a sublimely sweet after dinner drink. Tomorrow we are going to meet Paquita and her boyfriend Jaime while they are in town for a few days.

Its remarkable how different Spain is from America. The social atmosphere doesn't hinge upon money here. Everyone goes to the same places and there is little distinction between good neighborhoods and average ones. I have yet to see what I would call a "bad" neighborhood yet. Money and status have little weight here. There is more of a sense of community and everyone knows everyone.

For my first Saturday here, we went out to a bar called Taboo owned by one of Rocio's friends Curro. There are so many young people out here that there is almost nowhere to park in the city. A motor scooter is easily the best option for going into town. We stayed out all night and ended the night outside a club called Arenas by the faro (lighthouse). After Arenas kicked us out at 6 a.m. Rocio and her friends hung around and danced and sang flamenco until well after the sun came up. On the way home, we drove past Rocio's father heading to work, oops!


Flamenco and friends by the faro