Blogs from Tarifa, Andalusia, Spain, Europe

Today we took a farry from Tarifa and had short visit in Tanger. It´s too late now, so i have to update that blog and this one as well tomorrow from Malaga. Keep in touch, I promise more pictures and infos are on the way, but now there just isn´t enough time. See you.... read more

10 days later! we're still in Tarifa - we just can't seem to escape this place! We've attempted to head off around 4 times but for some reason we keep being drawn back - bizarre! Its like the windmills are magnets or something. We've been up and down the coast between here and Cadiz around 4 times - but we are determined to head to Morrocco - we have bought the ferry tickets and all! We were heading there 2 days ago but discovered a really cool campsite and now we're here for 3 nights. The weather is a balmy 20 degrees with blue skie - really nice. We spent last week wild camping and I even washed my hair in a bucket.... now I'm officially a crusty... the same day Brendan went for a wash ... read more

Headed to Tarifa last week and camped around 4km from town centre in a campsite. Tarifa is a cool spot with loads of cool cafes and shops. From the beach you can look across and see Africa - mental! Its only 15km across the water. Because we were so close we figured we'd head across on a day trip on the ferry leaving the dog in the van. The ferry was at 1pm so we left the campsite at around 11am on a cloudy wet day. Around half a mile into the walk to town, we heard some thunder and lightning - didn't pay much heed - just plodded on in the rain. Next thing we're in the middle of nowhere and the heavens opened - we were caught slap bang in the middle of the ... read more

Nachdem es das eine Mal wegen starken Windes nicht geklappt hat nach Tarifa zu fahren, haben Torben und ich uns dazu entschieden am Mittwoch dort hinzufahren. Mit dem Bus hat es 1,5 Stunden gedauert bis wir da waren. Es war ein nationaler Feiertag und deswegen blieb uns nur übrig in einige Surferläden zu gehen (die hatten nämlich auf), uns ein wenig die Stadt anzugucken und natürlich den Strand zu testen. Wie für Tarifa üblich, war es auch an diesem Tag sehr windig, aber wir waren todesmutig und legten uns trotzdem an den Strand. Es dauerte nicht sehr lange und wir sahen aus wie panierte Schnitzel :-) Die Stadt ist sehr übersichtlich, ziemlich verwinkelt und es fehlt das gewisse Etwas. Tarifa ist schon schön, vorallem weil man von dort aus Marokko sieht und weil die Strände sehr ... read more

It's honestly like every legitimate surf town that I've been to in California, the side walks while driving into town where store after store of neon colored signs advertising wind surf equipment and lessons with Spaniards strutting around the streets like flamingos in bright board-shorts and flip-flops. Once off the bus we all rushed the bathrooms at the ferry station and scoured the horizon for what we were told was the Moroccan coastline. After our tour of the small white-washed streets we visited two of the older churches in town: one that was an old mosque and one that wasn't, but there were many parts of the city that showed how the Arabic past was still very much present in today's Catholic world: old water fountains, communal ovens, and baths. Around one of the puertas (doors) ... read more

Tarifa is a sleepy town known for kite and wind surfing. Near the impressive harbor is a crumbling old castle, Castillo de Guzman, which was boarded up tight for renovations. Yet, from its top plaza we could see the coast of North Africa, some 8.5 miles away. Because of the narrow strait, Tarifa is a popular spot for whale and dolphin watching. After exploring Tarifa, we drove west along the Spanish coast and then inland a tad to the US Navy base town of Rota. The streets of Rota are lined with lovely stucco homes with walled courtyards out front. Our hotel had a bit of beachfront but the waves of the Atlantic were not impressive, perhaps due to low tide. The next day, we headed to Cadiz, on the coast. This busy city juts out ... read more

So I’ve been on my European/Spain get-away for two weeks now; the fact that I’m thousands of miles away in a foreign country for the first time in my life doesn’t shock me every day anymore, but I still manage to think about it every now and then. Sometimes it feels like I could just be in Hawaii or Oregon while I work on the farm, or lay next to the beach with my eyes closed, or share a glass of wine with Eric while watching Dexter or The Wire on his computer, or walk around the town of Tarifa while everyone is wearing bathing suits and slippers and sun dresses. And then I go to ask the hosts a question and try to do it in Spanish and open my eyes at the beach to ... read more

The farm, aka el campo. While I am still in the process of adjusting to the lack of internet/phone service, little electricity, small living quarters, and strange hours, I am beginning to get the hang of this living on a farm thing. The first several days we were here were insanely busy and did not include hardly any typical “farm” work at all. The farm we are on is part of the EcoCenter cooperative that promotes healthy living and lifestyles and sustainable communities through a restaurant, pizzeria, meditation/yoga/tango/pilates studio, and an eco-friendly store. As part of their mission they are trying to reach out into the Tarifa community to develop a lost sense of community partnership, and in doing so played host to a major party during the annual African Film Festival, one of the biggest ... read more