Blogs from Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain, Europe - page 12

First of all, sorry for being the worst blogger ever! I’ll split up this blog up by the weeks. So 2 weeks ago was Carnival here in Cadiz. It is where everyone dresses up in costumes like Halloween and parties for a whole week. We get school off and everything, you can drink in the streets and it is totally legal. A bunch of people from all over come to cadiz for carnival and it almost triples the population here. I was going to dress up as a pirate with the costume my sisters host mom had, but then last minute went through my host’s families collection of goodies and found a fairy costume. My host mom found some gold fabric and made me a quick little bag for my “fairy dust” (little pieces of paper ... read more

Found Somewhere a bit Warmer We almost didn't get off on time but, thanks to our Giles and friend Mike, we managed to mend our broken electrical step. Much thanks to them for working so quickly, the day before we were due to leave. And then Michael managed to break the valve to one of the wheels whilst attempting to take a dust cap off. This meant a call to the AA and then a trip to the tyre shop to get a new valve fitted ("We don't fit metal valves!"). So on Tuesday we made it to Folkestone to see Lesley's brother's family which was really good including an afternoon with Emma in town and a walk along the front. Then onto Dover, Calais, our friends in Evreux for a coffee stop and to our ... read more

Day 5 - Cadiz is Europe’s oldest city, compact and surrounded by sea. Instead of taking a tour we decided to spend our day ashore exploring on foot. We thought we start by taking a short walk to the nearby cathedral before returning to the ship for morning tea. After taking a wrong turn we ended up walking for 3 hours a little more than we expected especially as Alex was in uncomfortable shoes. Along the way we did find some beautiful botanical gardens and a café to enjoy a coffee and churros, much better than any we had tasted in Australia. The café was interesting as the tables were in the botanical gardens on one side of the road, and the small café on the other side of the busy main road. The waitress was ... read more

“You can always recognize British people easily,” Jonny says, “they walk like they’re not entirely normal.” I smile. He should know; he’s British and he’d be the first to admit that his own motorics fit his description. We’ve walked through the costums office on our way from Spanish La Linea de la Concepción to British Gibraltar and now we stand packed and ready with our guitars and equipment in the oppressive heat before a barrier. Waiting for airplanes. Yes: laying right across the one and only access road to the city are the runway and airstrip of Gibraltar airport. Practical. Maybe a "hidden" sign of the Dutch that conquered this little part of Spain together with the British then. Airplanes in 1700? Hmm. “No, then the Brazilians,” Jonny interrupts my thoughts, “they dance when they walk! ... read more

Dzzjjj-zzjjj-zzjjjj-zjjjunggggg… Oh no. Not “dzzjjung”, is it? Not now. I silence the “it’s-your-own–fault-told-you-so” moaning voice in my head while I try all possible combinations of choke, gear and gas until I can’t remember anymore which ones I tried. Now I flooded the engine for sure. In the meantime I’m talking to my dear friend who I have left standing there workless with it’s front wheel against the curb for a few weeks now, and I beg him to please keep grumbling this time when the starter keeps quiet. I promise that this week we’ll drive a few hours every day. Yes: I’ve planned to leave Cádiz tomorrow to go back to Holland for a little while. By bike. Or, well… Dzzjj-zzjjjungg. With my parents and my brother Koen, who had driven three thousand kilometers to come ... read more