So we headed to Cadiz, Spain, the other day, based on recommendations from all of the British sailors we have met. Because no one knows about places Americans haven’t heard anything about like the British.
Our passage was mixed. We ended up sailing for only two hours. Early on, we had no wind. As we approached Cadiz, we had (unpredicted, of course) 40 kts of wind. Let’s just say that docking a 48 ft catamaran in 40 kts of wind 30 degrees off the port bow is a spectacle. We had eight other sailors watching/helping. Mistakes were made. We tell ourselves that with sailing, one should allow oneself to make mistakes, as long as one learns from the experience. We managed to dock, anyway. We will not dock in similar conditions again, and the fiberglassers are coming tomorrow. The good news is that the bilge is dry. We checked.
We were a little disappointed coming into the Puerto Americana Marina, as Cadiz looked really industrial. But exploration of the old city, a World Heritage site that originated with the Phoenicians over 3000 years ago, was just fabulous. See pics.
We are slowly getting used to Europe. Men in capri pants. Lots of young women smoking. Narrow streets in which one has to watch for mopeds, not cars. Variable capacities to speak English (for which we are always grateful.) Short doorways. Mini cars. Warm Cokes without ice. LONG lunch-hours, causing things to be closed at 2 pm. A ton of money invested in archaeological exhibits. The persistence of the past.
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