Mar 25: Andalusia: 7 - 16 Jerez, Cadiz, Gibraltar

Friday 7 March 

Jerez de la Frontera

Left Seville after a lovely stay though with more rain than anticipated. 

Had time for a short walk and breakfast - went to a little back street bar for the usual toast with olive oil and tomato. It seemed to be full of all the local characters - quite funny listening to one woman ask another how she should cook this - this being a packet soup mix. Add the water she said scathingly.. 🙄

More fun and games when I went to the loo - so tiny I had to turn sideways to pull my knickers up - and if I'd left the door unbolted I could have reached out for my drink on the bar.. 🤣

Night view of the cathedral from our window. 

Met by Mari at the accommodation - lovely, spacious flat. All seemed well but we then discovered that the kitchen had just 4 mugs, 4 glasses and a couple of plastic spoons - nothing else AT ALL in any of the cupboards. There wasn't even a tea towel!

We saw Mari on our way out (I suspect she lives in another flat in the complex - probably overlooking us somehow as the window blinds don't seem to work either 🙄🤣) and she said well surely you won't need them for a two day stay. 

Not even a kettle or a pan to boil water (there is a hob) so cups of tea need to be made using cups of water and the microwave!

No problem for us as we always travel with a small picnic set (for impromptu stops and picnics - obvs have to be prepared 😁) but just very ODD!!

A walk round Jerez in the sunshine - a small church we spotted en route to the cathedral. 

Cathedral. 

The Alcazar was closed. 

Beautiful smell from the orange trees. First time we've smelt it as the trees were all harvested in Cordoba and Seville. 

Iglesia de San Miguel.

Walk to Plaza Mamelon.

En route to the Plaza.

Cloisters of what was Santo Domingo convent. 

A recital with Spanish singers was on in one of the rooms.

Evening meal - patatas con alioli, gambas pil pil, arroz pato, solomillo with mustard sauce - plus wine and beer. 

All delicious. Total cost - just £20! Plus a complimentary shot of sherry to finish. 

Then a short walk back in the rain which had started whilst we were eating. 

Saturday 8 March 

Jerez de la Frontera 

The rain continued today. Found a leak from the lounge window - when I paddled into it.. 🙄 It had rained hard and in this direction overnight. 

We've had heavy rain for several days on and off and lots of it - there have been red alerts, floods and evacuations in Andalusia over the last few days.

The cathedral looked a bit gloomy in the rain.

.. and a lot of the oranges had blown off the trees. The lady at the desk said that they will be harvested next week - and that they are very late this year as they've usually in flower by now. 

A wet wander around the Alcazár - but it did mean that we had the place to ourselves until a coach load of tourists arrived 😁

 

A visit to buy biscuits at the Santa Clara monastery. 

They are a closed order of nuns so you talk into the opening which is partitioned off into four quarters, you say what you want and place your money on the shelf.

Then the nun on the other side (who you can't see) pushes the wooden turntable round and takes your money and she puts your order on the shelf and swings it round to you so that you can take it.

A few seconds later the shelf swings round again with your change. Then you can say your thank yous and goodbye. 

Good choice with the Semana Santa roscos and some lemon biscuits. 

We sat outside next to a patio heater for lunch  decided to finish off our meal with a sherry flight taster - 5 different sherries from very dry to very sweet. 

Mike asked if they had any Manzanilla and the waitress came out with two glasses saying 'with compliments' - how nice was that?

Much easier than going on a bodega tour!

We decided to go for a further walk round as a watery sun had emerged but we hadn't gone far before the rain returned - very heavy this time. 

So off we went back to the apartment. 

We had enough nuts and pieces to make a picnic so we didn't have to go back out to find food and we had a lovely little meal eating off our picnic plates and using our own plastic cutlery, chopping tomatoes with Mike's pen knife. 

Then it was back to the microwave to make a coffee 🙄

Looking forward to writing a review for this place.. 👍😁

Sunday 9 March 

Cadiz

Monday 10 March 

Cadiz

Tuesday 11 March 

Cadiz

Wednesday 12 March 

Cadiz 

Thursday 13 March

Gibraltar 

Friday 14 March 

Gibraltar 

Saturday 15 March 

Gibraltar 

Sunday 16 March

Gibraltar