Rota for 3 more days

Okay, Rota is very nice.  The beaches are fantastic, even in October, and the crowds are gone.  But, there isn't much for non-drinkers who don't para-sail surf to do here, except walk.  There are few historical sights to see.  The Castillo, the local castle, appears to now be used for the local government.  There are very few taxis and there are 3 small bus routes for getting around town.  It seems to be a rather picturesque bedroom community for the U.S.Naval Station.

Of course, there is always eating.  I love the stewed chicken at Bar El Espadero at Plaza de Triunfo.  Espadero is known for this meal and it is SO delicious.   In fact, this is a small skillet of the "Swordmaster" chicken with their fresh julienned potatoes (patatas).   But the first time I ordered it, the waiter brought out a long roasting pan full of chicken and potatoes, with that fantastic juice/gravy.  But, that would have served a table of 6 adults and this was just for me.  They were nice enough to take the big pan back and bring me this (pictured) small skillet that I thought I ordered.  (I felt pretty bad because the waiter looked so proud and triumphant when he presented that roasting pan. )  I always pair this sort of meal with a 2017 Coca Cola, an vintage.  Mmmm...

Every meal starts with olives and they are really tasty.  And, of course, you can't have fresh bread without some salted olive oil to dip it in.

Today is the second day of high winds and partial overcast weather in Rota.  The Bay of Cadiz is very interesting to watch now because the waves are huge, especially near the jetty, and there are several para sailors out there jumping way out of the water because of the almost gale force winds.   But, we have 3 more nights here in Rota and the weather predictions say it's going to stay overcast; in fact, tomorrow is predicted to have thunder and lightening.  Guess Fall is here.  At least, the temperatures are still in the upper 70s.

I swear this is the same sort of bush that I saw all over Arizona and they grow big and beautiful here.

Yesterday, I passed this statue while trying to find my chicken lunch.

Today, in high winds and overcast, we found the beach in front of the Castillo.  The surf was very rough.

I was curious.  This permanent street sign has the word for "kiss" in it.  It translates as "Kiss me on this corner".  Hmmm...  this must be the local "lover's leap".

Something important happened here, but I have NO idea what it was.

I did find the local shopping area, though, and I plan do some shoe shopping there soon (when it's not siesta time).  I need to be able to walk without any hurting and I'm still getting twinges on the left foot joint that I jammed a couple weeks ago.  It doesn't hurt when I walk barefoot, which tells me I just need the right pair of shoes.  I'm going for a pair of New Balance or Nike running shoes.  Then, one of my pairs of sandals is going to be going away.  Rule # 1, if you buy something, you discard something else from your luggage.

By the way, the fashions for ladies here (no matter how much you weigh) call for skinny pants - leggings or skinny legging-like jeans.  Those are paired with snug-fitting tank tops, designer Ts, or loose tunics.  The ladies here have style, I must say.  There are lots of scarves, beautiful shoes, painted nails, and pouty looks.  The waiters here take one look at me and hand me the English menu before I even open my mouth.  I was prepared for that, but my pouty look needs a lot of work.  Oh, I'm pouty, just don't have the look.

Current plans - we are leaving Rota by ferry (or if the water is too choppy, by bus) and heading for Cadiz again on Thursday.  We have reservations for 3 nights to finish our explorations of Cadiz.  We haven't seen the Roman theatre excavation or the archaeological museum.  Then, we plan to take the train to Madrid to see the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia - http://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/visit.  That is the last museum that we had on our 1 year Paseo del Arte tickets and, after we left Madrid last time (without seeing the Reina Sofia), Steve discovered that the the original Picasso piece, Guernica, is there.  The piece in situ at Guernica, Spain is actually a copy.  So, since we have to pass through Madrid to get just about anywhere in the north and east, by golly we are stopping to see Guernica.  We will make reservations for two nights in Madrid to give us a whole day to see the museum.  Then, we are considering heading for Barcelona, if the troubles are over, or if they aren't we'll just transfer to a train to Marseille, see some of Provence and decide whether to head toward Paris then or into Italy.

We are less enamoured of settling down in Spain.  Our language skills are still pretty pequeno and it's wearing on me, for one.  Why is English only spoken in cold, wet places in Europe, I ask you?