Rota, the Lighthouse in Chipiona, and going to a bullfight!

The other day Rocio and I went to Rota, a town just down the road from Chipiona. It is a lot like Chipiona in some ways, and different in others. First of all there is an American Naval Base on the edge of town so there are a lot of Americans wandering the streets. The city also has a big lighthouse and nice beaches, but they seem a little too sterilized. The city government does a good job of making sure the streets are clean and everything is shiny, but I sort of missed the character and charm that Chipiona has.


Rota

We walked along the beach for a while and then went into town to poke around and finally stopped for tapas at a place called 100 Montaditos (100 sandwiches). The name says it all, the offer 100 different little sandwiches and a checkbox style menu that you take up to the front and they process your order. It was nice but a little corporate, something that doesn´t seem to go well with authentic Spanish food.

Ive been here for a month and I really enjoy some aspects of the culture that just can´t be found in America. Mom and Pop stores of all kinds are everywhere. Just about every business is family owned. It´s nice to know who you are giving your money to, and to know that you are supporting the local economy instead of some huge bank account somewhere.

TV in Spain is great. There are 10 channels that everyone gets through the antenna (nobody has cable) and they are really all you need. One show in particular that I like is called Españoles por el mundo and is about Spanish people living in other countries. Their lives, their jobs, what they do for fun, etc.

Yesterday I went up to the top of the lighthouse in Chipiona with Rocio and took a ton of photos. From up there you can see the whole town and as far away as Rota. It seemed a lot higher from up there than from the ground and it was reallllly windy, so windy that the railing didnt seem high enough! Ill post pictures here soon.

Tomorrow evening Rocio and I have tickets to a bullfight in San Lucar de Barrameda and then we are going to a barbeque afterwards. I am excited about going to see the famous Spanish spectacle for the first time. It will be an interesting experience no matter what I think about the ethics of it all. Pictures to come pronto!