The route this week.
As we now head south again after our circle with the journey coming to a close we are now mainly on re-visits. Therefore the question is “Is the 2nd cup of tea or gin & tonic ever as good as the first”
Mon 07/11/16: After a very cold night with the water bottle back in operation we got the bikes down and made the 14k ride into Cabra. The bike ride is lovely as it’s on one of Spain’s best Via Verde’s (cycle paths made along old railway lines) and passes through again more and more olive orchards. It is also were my Spanish house is, or at least it will be when the current owners decide to sell. Cabra is a lovely lovely town near Jaen and at the back of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and so of course it does get cooler weather. We had been into town yesterday as well and knew the town was as lovely as ever but had found that one of our ‘old school’ bars had now become white, leather and trendy which was a bit of a disappointment. Plus there was again probably what could be described as an old school gentleman’s outfitters which David had taken a shine to on our last visit. Thankfully it hadn’t gone trendy but David couldn’t find anything in there to spend his money on despite hankering to get there for months. All well, money saved and also weight saved for NiKi. Lunchtime and for whatever reason, even though this is free tapa area it doesn’t seem to be menu del dia area. So we Trip Advised and hit the no 1 restaurant in town-Meson la Casilla de Cabra. No 1 it might have been, but not number one on prices thankfully. We decided on a bit of a mix of food -one being my fav of boquerones, then their house speciality of patatas pobre, a stunning dish of potatoes obviously, egg, onions and masses of garlic. It was an absolutely goody and would have warded off any vampires for sure. The wine here is very local and is like a sherry wine mix but very drinkable. The cycle home was cool as the sun dropped over the olives and we snuggled down and made NiKi warm and cosy for another cold evening.
Tues 08/11/16: Off to the warmer climes of Seville, arriving ahead of my friends visiting for the weekend as we have some admin chores to do and the city seemed to be best for them. For this visit we had decided to stay in the port of Seville so as to be close to the city and also for where our service on the van will be done. Mistake, the site was industrial and bleak beyond belief but as we wanted to re-visit Jerez and this was closer for the station we decided on 2 nights anyway. A quick twirl into town and a few tapas for lunch before we headed back to the concrete car jungle for the night. The night was noisy and fitful sleep wise with the port loading, unloading during the night and also the transporter lorries doing the same feet from our door, but yet the ‘site’ was busy with vans
Wed 09/11/16: Off on another re-visit and my heaven- Jerez. The day was dull, cloudy and remained that way and like Connex South Eastern the train was late- not as late as my normal daily commute but late nevertheless. The last time we were here Jerez was at the start of the journey and we were on an organised tour of Tio Pepe, this time not as another tour really wasn’t required but what we did need was another visit to the shop- or so we thought. This eluded us as we weren’t doing a tour and the Spanish don’t seem to realise about spending money but we returned as we were told an hour later and managed to get into the superstore. But again David’s wallet was firmly shut to all he had so previously desired and so we left relatively empty handed. The town itself seemed to have a different feel as well, but that could have been the greyness or the fact that we hadn’t drunk most of Top Pepe’s cellar. Lunch was a must and so we headed to a LP recommendation Bar Juanito, famed for its alcachofas and after a tapa portion of them we could understand why. Sweet,warm and served in a light sherry winey sauce. David then had some torro and potatoes while I had the dish of the day- gilt head bream with again tons of garlic. A lovely lunch for sure and completed with a free glass of Pedro Ximenez. In this region the now trendy PX costs no more than €1 to €2, think on when you’re paying over £5 per glass in trendy London bars it really is a common old drink here.
Thurs 10/11/16: Time to leave and head to our original home in Seville- the Aire at Puerto Gelves. Again would this be a disappointing 2nd visit, but when we pulled up the site was lovely if not lovelier with less motorhomes and a river side spot available. To be fair to the site it is a boat dock and also houses a yachting school but it immediately seemed much calmer and quieter. A quick settling in moment and we hopped on the bus which stops right outside the door and headed back into main Seville. We made a quick familiarisation tour of airport bus stop and hotel ready for the weekend whilst enjoying some tapas in the riverside food market. For me the deal seemed to be a small dish of paella plus a glass of vino whilst dipping into David’s spicy empanada’s and potato salad all eaten with the sun shining down on us. We again revisited a few places and walked a few familiar roads but Seville held its own for sure looking as stunning as ever. Back at base we settled down for a quiet night after a quick drink and nibble in the local bar some 50 feet away. The location here more than makes up for the short and easy bus ride (or cycle) into the city over a very noisy industrial bleak spot and all for the same money.
Seville and the weekend in pics!.
So with our ‘beasties’ (deliberate typo!)now back home in England we continue on our journey south mixing old visits with new as we enter the last 7 weeks of our adventure.
Ju says
I know how you feel, with your trip coming to an end,we get a bit of the downs every time. Try to remember how you would have felt if someone had offered you a seven week holiday a couple of years ago, it would have been seen as outrageous in my old office!
Hopefully we’ll bump into you on our way South as we need some top tips and Spanish lessons. Ju x
David says
Well the plans for the return to the UK are in train. We will not be visiting Morocco after all. But do have an odd route home will need you help on that. When are heading down again?
Ju says
We’re setting off on Sunday and hope to be in Southern France in a few days, then relax for a while. 🙂
Drop us an email when you have some plans and we’ll let you know when we make it into Spain.
Ju x
Gary Grant says
Wow! Can’t believe how quickly we seem to be arriving at year end. That beer in the Ship and Castle on Day 1 doesn’t really seem that long ago! I take it you are not extending the trip then? Does that mean that the IOW may be on in 2017?
Enjoy the rest of your great adventure guys. Zoe and I are thinking of you!