La playa y sherry!

Pictures: http://uwp.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014677&l=99730&id=184703838


This weekend was probably one of the least expensive and one of the most fun weekends I´ve had here in Spain. We spent Friday in Seville and went by the river to do some paddleboating. Didn´t get to far in the boats but it was a beautiful day out and it was fun being passed up by all the people in kayacs and tourist ships. Then we went to a italian pizza place for dinner which was quite good and being there it almost felt as if we weren´t even in Spain. Then on Saturday we headed out on the train for the city of Cadiz, which is located on the Atlantic ocean. The ride took about two hours, which is not that bad at all.
Once there, Liz and Clara found our hostal. It´s always so nice to travel with those two as they always have a wonderful sense of direction and are quite good navigators. Casa Caracol was our hostal and it was unlike anything I´ve ever stayed in. The staff was very friendly and there was a community kitchen, which was exciting because we would be able to actually cook our own dinner! It also had internet access. The atmosphere was that of a family as people just came in and out of the lounge, dining room area and just made conversation. They even had a dog there.

After checking in, we gathered our stuff and headed to the beach. It turned out to be a perfect day. Warm with no clouds and great waves. Nicole, Clara, Amanda and I had lots of fun "fighting" the waves and trying to body surf on them while Liz took pics on the beach. The water was so salty though that by the time I was got out, I felt like I had eaten a whole big bag of potato chips. We had bought food to bring to the beach and ate our lunch there.

We left the beach at around 8 pm after watching the sunset and at the hostal we cooked a splendid dinner. All of us contributed to our dinner. We took frozen vegetables added some olive oil (a must here in spain) and then we added some eggs. Liz heated up some sweet potatoes, which were really tasty.

That night we went up to the roof of the hostal to watch the lunar eclipse. It was a slow process and fun to watch with all the other people staying in the hostal at that time. There was a girl with bright orange hair who played the accordian and sang what sounded like scottish or irish music. There was a man working at the hostal from Canada. Another was a student from Germany who was just traveling through and we also met a boy from London.

The next day we headed off to Jerez, minus one person. Amanda had hurt her foot on the rock by the ocean and had decided to take the train back to Seville.
Our destination was a Winery of Tio Pepe. We started on a train tour with took us past the holding places for the barrels of sherry and brandy. The smell was very strong in some places and varied depending on what type of wine was stored there. The guide was very informative. The range of sherries that they make are many ranging from dry to very sweet. While tasting wine, we met a couple from London who gave us advice about our upcoming trip.

We had to wait two hours for a train back to Sevilla and by that time we were quite exhausted. Walking back to the casa, I made a stop just on time for the eight thirty Mass nearby. Then I headed to the casa and had a portugues style meal that consisted of thinly sliced potatoes, bacala, and egg. Then we had some white cheese and as always after lunch and dinner, we had fruit which this time were strawberries.
Paqui never disappoints us!

Hasta luego for now!