Too Ambitious

Itinerary Rio Guadiana: This river borders Spain & Portugal.  We hope to have time to spend a few days exploring rural towns that dot either side of this navigable waterway.  As long as we can get under that bridge near Ayamonte though….

The Plan Changes: 19th October 2012

A little too much shopping, dining out, Aldi champagne and touristico-ing has left us a little behind schedule, so the Motley Crew decided not to take on the Rio Guadiana this time and instead, made straight for Faro, our first stop in Portugal.  Besides, there is a plan afoot, if time allows, to take a couple of days in Lisbon, leaving the Cap’n behind to attend to boat duties.  Strangely, he seems to be rather happy about that…..

Pump Stations for irrigation along the river

Here are a few photos taken along the Rio Guadalquivir from inland Seville to coastal Bonanza, a distance of 55nm (6-7hrs).  With a strong river current we were able to ride the tide all the way doing, at times, 9 knots.  Whoo Hoooooo! 

Darth Vader of the River - fishing boats air nets

We were challenged to a race upriver - they nearly won!!

ICW memories.  Shipping traffic along 55nm of river

Stork nests decorate an otherwise horizontal landscape

El Torro, Ole....

Seville, Spain

Day 3: Rain in Spain 

Say your prayers, we're on the way to the bullring...

We had plans of pedalling around the city for a few hours to visit attractive parks and attractions too far out to walk.  Bike hire proved to be difficult (and expensive) so we walked to the Plaza de Torros (via a little craft centre and a souvenir shop or two), the oldest bull ring in Spain (1749).  We enjoyed our wanderings, momentarily getting lost in narrow streets along the way.   We could not believe how camouflaged this huge bull ring was, set discretely amongst inner city apartments and shops.  Grand statements are after all, made inside the ring not outside!  Yes, we took a tour – how could you not?  Despite being impressed by all the pomp, performance and ceremony, we were very glad to have not seen a bull fight, the season having just finished. 

The stadium perfectly frames the action within

Interestingly, we discovered our hero Hercules again (now didn’t he just get around!).  As we passed through the Alameda de Hercules, there high on an ancient Roman pillar was our man.  Hercules is considered the mythical founder of Seville.

On Roman pillars - Seville's mythical founder

After refreshing ourselves at a chocolateria (coffee, chocolate, cake; you know the drill), we had to dash across the street to buy red & black spotted umbrellas.  Yes, by now it was raining and heavily.  It didn’t take long before we all voted WJ3 was the place to be, but not before stopping at one or two more shops.  Of course we had to stop off at the nearest ALDI for a bottle or two of French champagne (yes, real champagne) – a perfect accompaniment to a home cooked roast chicken.  We really needed the oven on to keep us warm - of course!

No bikes, so let's take a buggy ride later?   Only later it rained...   

Seville - the last word in Bull Fighting.  Is this a Banksy before us?

Sangria Safari

Seville, Spain

Day 2: Sangria Safari

(We don't usually write up day-by-day activities but Seville was such fun and we took sooooo many photos it seems a shame not to share them.)

Coffee with Velazquez (1599-1660) Court Painter extraordinaire

Better acquainted now with local bus #140, the Motley Crew struggled to make the big red bus again (Itinerary 2) getting off in the city heart, El Centro, to have sidewalk coffee and stroll through Calle Sierpo, the best shopping street in Seville.  GS & BCK were tempted by shoes, bags, beads and dresses but a watchful Cap’n kept us focused on sightseeing.

Internal Courtyard of Alcazar Palace

After sitting in a leafy square (Plaza Nueva) for a picnic lunch, we continued our tour via several more souvenir shops to find the Alcazar Palace.  We spent hours here enthralled by its magnificence; rooms, gardens, baths, fountains and tile decoration, eventually having fun getting lost in the garden’s maze.  Ever the artiste, Ms BCK found Poets Garden and in a splendid piece of performance art, recited bits from “My Country”.  We were lucky not to be escorted off the premises!

Exquisite Fans (on display at the Alcazar Palace)

Next on our list was a flamenco concert.  Somehow our luck changed!  In our “free-form touristing” we happened upon a small theatre in Barrio Santa Cruz and booked for a 7.30 performance. We had no choice except to sit in a nearby plaza taking tapas, sangria and wine.  This is an excellent way to pass time waiting for shows and comes highly recommended…  The flamenco guitar, singing and dancing performances were superb.  GS & BCK were reduced to tears during Mr Two Tone’s passionate performance.  GS took notes and even bought a Spanish guitar CD for the Cap’n (ever hopeful).  Ole!

Flamenco - whirlwind of dance, song & guitar music

BCK suggested a digestive before going home to WJ3, so we finished the night with a dry sherry before strolling along the Rio Guadalquivir with its well-lit Torre del Oro (a 13^th c Islamic watchtower – the Tower of Gold).  We had such a good day we decided to stay for another.  Day, not dry sherry!!  

Taking in sights (Cathedral's Giralda - bell tower - dates from 1184)

Seville - the last word in Dance

A Tapas Temperament

Puerto Gelves, Spain

Itinerary Seville, Spain: 15-18 October 2012.  Doing flamenco and munching tapas in famous tascas (whilst drinking fresh orange juice of course!). To get close to Seville, we cruise up the Guadalquivir River and anchor near Gelves.

Day 1: How Not to Tour Seville

First, Bruce had a wonky engine.  Would we make it across a ferocious current to the marina pontoon?  Wonky engine + brutal tide = crossed fingers, toes, legs, arms…..

Just a little further Bruce, keep going...

Then our bus, #140 to Seville, looped.  We didn’t know we’d arrived in the city centre until we were well on our way back to Puerto Gelves.  Doh!  Value for ticket bus ride though!  Still, we caught a taxi back into town and our driver deposited us outside a breath-taking Seville Cathedral. Queues into the Cathedral and Palace were huge, so we stopped at Starbucks (for the worst coffee we’d had in Gibraltar, Spain or Morocco) before finding a big red bus.

Words just cannot describe Seville's Cathedral...it's amazing!

We’ve taken quite a liking to big red buses.  They offer comprehensive tours and we noted highlights to visit later.  Theme park, Isla Magica, was as firmly closed as were the swimming pools in Ceuta (thankfully) and Silicon Valley Spanish style was a little technical for us.  So, hop on, hop off the bus to do lunch!  Ham & cheese, bull’s tail and Spanish omelette tapas were served on a tourist area sidewalk by a disinterested waiter.  He’d cooked his goose though - we left no tip!   

The only way to keep kids busy - get them busking!

We had to get back to Gelves to see the engine mechanic.  His lunch hour was from 2 till 4, as all good mechanics must.  We hoped Bruce’s engine was not too sick.  However we still had time to see the Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece, whose architects must have thrown away all the rule books except reach for the stars…  Those stained glass windows are magnificent, religious statuary gilded and heavily ornate, Columbus’s Tomb a testimony to his achievements and from the 90m high Giralda (1184; once a mosque minaret), a perfect vista over this wonderful city.

Columbus's Tomb
(he's buried elswhere - Dominican Republic perhaps?)

Then it was back to our helpful Tourismo lady to find the bus stop we had missed in the morning.  No drama getting back home, except our outboard was not ready until after 6pm. What to do?  Well, a beer and wine or two (with platters of olives) at the local Marina bar helped pass the time of course!

Gliding up the Guadalquivir.  Looks nice enough for a swim?
Perhaps not if the Cap'n has his jumper on!

Finally, the Motley Crew had a chance to practice their man overboard drill when our Cap'n took an unexpected dip in the fast flowing Guadalquivir.  GS was blamed for pitching him out of the dinghy, but she managed to save the day by securing Bruce (with a very pale looking BCK) to WJ3 and putting down the swim ladder for his lordship. We all needed a stiff drink - but only after we'd finished sniggering... 

From: Cadiz, Spain  Lat/Long: 36:32.544N  06:17.042W   Date/Time: 14/10/12: 1045

To: Puerto Gelves, Spain  Lat/Long: 37:20.505N  06:01.364W   Date/Time: 14/10/12: 2145
Time Taken: 79.5nm (11hrs)  Distance (this year): 414.5nm (66hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 10651.5nm   Weather: Sunny day; enough wind to turn off engine & sail.  

Fastest Speed: Short run from Cadiz to mouth of Rio Guadalquivir; managed an incoming tide with 2 kts extra for very fast ride upriver to Gelves (outside Seville)

Seville - the last word in Cathedrals, inside & out