Buenos Diaz, Spain!
Thinking we would get BeeDeeJay’s engine fixed, and after my slightly harrowing experience leaving Faro, we made our first stop in Spain quite randomly in Ayamonte. Never heard of this town before but, as with so many places we have visited along the way to date, Ayamonte is chock full of history which we of course immerse ourselves in. This little village or town is located about two kilometres up the Guadiana River and is the first place you come to on leaving Portugal. In fact, the opposite side of the river is Portugal. Its only a small place of about 20,400 people across the whole area and that makes it perfect for this Chaotic Compass.
Ayamonte has throughout its history, been home to Iberians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs and you can see that in its eclectic architecture. It was in 1239 that the area was conquered and fell under the protection of Portugal before passing into Castillian hands in 1335. Like many coastal towns along this coastline, Ayamonte was actively involved in the discovery and colonisation of the American continent and Christopher Columbus was supposedly given an enormous welcome when he came into the River before heading off on his history making venture.
The village has an old medieval quarter with narrow cobbled streets and laneways. Its a car free zone which is lovely and has some amazing old architecture to explore. Added to that, it has a fabulous fresh food market and like so many of the spots we have stopped so far, seafood is a staple fare. We completely forgot about our outboard problems and got lost meandering the streets and laneways and enjoying the food and culture of Spain.
We spent 3 nights here in the little marina which is situated right in the centre of the town and on the edge of the old quarter. Only a short walk and we had everything at our finger tips. One of the things we most enjoyed here was sitting in the plazas at the end of the day where every generation of the family come to mingle, socialise and play. Its such a lovely thing to do and something we have lost I think in our 'modern' living.
However, with a wild weather front being predicted, we decided we needed to get our butts into gear and get across the Sea of Cortez to a safe harbour that was closer to Gibraltar, so we made a bee line for Cadiz. The weather front looked like it was going to keep us locked down for about 5 days so we couldn't afford to be too far from our end goal on this trip. Cadiz was the perfect spot. We had a lovely 10 hour sail across the water and then from there, we knew we had about 16 or 17 hours to Gibraltar. So a perfect choice.
However, as is often the case, with the winds and waves increasing, our entry into Cadiz was a little hair raising. The entrance to the marina is only about 10 metres maybe 15 metres wide and with waves building and the wind pushing us directly towards the sea wall, both our hearts were once again racing. A very speedy full throttle entrance, followed by a very inelegant dog leg and we hastily found a berth suitable for Inelsamo. With
the help of the marina staff, we manhandled Inelsamo into place as she was being pushed hard up against the finger pontoon. The winds at this point were about the 30knts and right on our portside so it was a little scary. Multiple ropes later, a few bruises and squashed fingers, and every fender we could secure, she was locked down tight for winds that were being predicted to reach up to 50knts. And it did.
We had 4 days of howling winds and I mean howling. It was absolutely horrible. But the upside was that within the narrow streets and laneways of the fabulous old city of Cadiz, you wouldn't have known that the seas were nasty and the winds that bad.
Cadiz is an ancient port city. It was the epicentre of exploration and trade in its day and there are still more than 100 watchtowers built along its walls for spotting ships and the enemy. It is one of the oldest
continuously inhabited cities in all of Europe with archaeological remains dating back approximately 3100 years. The city was originally founded by the Phoenicians, but has at various times been under Roman, Moorish, and Greek rule. It wasn't until 1262 that the Spanish took power and since then it has been home to the Spanish Navy.
It was once one of the most wealthiest cities in Europe and given its location, it has seen action, heartache and loss in just about every war, blockade, and revolution in this region.
Today, its a bustling city that welcomes numerous cruise, cargo and military ships into its harbour. Its a city that has wonderful museums and cathedrals, great food culture and markets, and pretty good shopping if that interests you.
We loved it. Totally not happy with the wind, but Cadiz was fabulous and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring its history and its lanes and alleys. Would definitely do a repeat visit on our homeward journey! But time now to move forward once more....
