Under a slate grey sky, we departed Palma de Mallorca on 16 March 2002. Once to sea we encountered large swells giving us a rocky and rolly overnight voyage to mainland Spain. Our landfall was a marina south of the city of VALENCIA. We have come here to see the famous Festival de las Fallas which celebrates Saint Joseph the saint of the carpenters, and the Spring equinox.
The annual burning of Fallas, started way back when carpenters burned the poles that held the lamps which lit the workplace during the long winter. Gradually the poles were decorated and competition grew between barrios (neighborhoods). Today, the Fallas are made of paper mache and wood and are intricately and elaborately designed and wonderfully painted by artists. They can be three stories high or in miniature. Politicians are mocked and satirized, giving Spaniards a good laugh. Others display complete fantasy.
The Fallas are on display for three days. Rob and I explored many plazas finding them and enjoying the joyful mood of the city. Many Spanish women and girls were dressed in richly brocaded long dresses, with traditional hair styles. The men in smart vests and trousers, decorated with medals. Bands playing everywhere, processions carrying flowers to the main cathedral. A very festive atmosphere leading up to the burning of the Fallas.
The mood of the city was feverish by time the Fallas were burned and it was a spectacular sight to see as well as very , very hot!! After each sculpture was burned, bands played and everyone danced around the ashes. The next day, everything was clean and new again. People going to church in honor of St. Joseph.
Aside from the festival, the city of Valencia is definitely to be visited. It has wonderful architecture; the market place, the silk exchange and the cathedral are fine examples of this. There is an abundance of stylish shops as well as galleries
We departed Valencia on 21 March, a sunny, hazy, no wind day, headed south to Denia. The whole coast is built up with high-rise hotels. Many Europeans and Brits come to this coast for their holiday.
In Denia, we are greeted by friends from Pollensa, Jan and Doug of Freeway. Our car is here and we hope to explore inland Spain.
Albufuria - a day trip north, took us to the largest fresh water lake in Spain. We hired a small local boat and went bird watching. Here we found a tremendous number of grey herons. We found a total of ten species of water birds. The protected species in this region is the crested coot (Fulica cristata). They are rare in this region and we did not see one. The local delicacy here is eel from the lake served with local rice. It was a nice day trip!
We returned to Sea Fever, started up the engine for a short voyage south to Calpe. Here Rob and I had a new experience to deal with.....FOG. We could not see a thing! So we get out our horn and turn on the radar hoping we will not hit anything! We anchored in Calpe, but the wind came up and we departed our anchorage at 3:00 am to head further south to Alicante.
We arrive in Alicante on 24 March. The marina is quite upscale, with many restaurants nearby and close to the city center. We quickly meet many of the people who have wintered here and learn about the city and where things are.
It is Santa Semana..Holy Week, the week before Easter. Each evening there are processions down the main avenues of the city depicting the agony of the crucifixion of Christ and his mother Mary. The processions are somber and severe with a steady drum beat. People are dressed in penance robes with pointed head coverings. Pall bearers carry massive pallets of figures depicting scenes from this biblical time. No matter what religion one may be, this is a very vivid and interesting ritual to see.
Easter morning, everyone is happy, dressed in colorful clothes and celebrating the true meaning of Easter...Jesus has risen from the dead and is reunited with Mary.
Rob's daughter, Annalise came to visit us! Rob taught her to drive which is an important event in every young person's life. We all had a great time together and it was just too soon before she had to leave.
We departed Alicante on 7 April under grey skies and a southerly 2-4 wind. We stopped in Torre Vieja for a few days then went on to Agua Dulce.
We left the boat in the marina at Agua Dulce and took a road trip inland to explore Andalucia, the southern province of Spain....j
We
headed for the Las Alpujarras which is on the edge of the Sierra Nevada
mountains. It is the height of Spring and the wild flowers were at their
peak. Rob and I like to take the back roads as much as possible so we
encountered traditional houses made with mud and slate roofs which date back to
the time of the
Berbers. The mountain villages are painted white and sort
of drip down the mountainsides. We took an brilliant walk from one village
down to a canyon. Besides enjoying the exercise and the superb views, we had a
nice conversation with the goat shepherd.
We
crossed multiple canyons of the Las Alpujarras to reach the city of Granada.
Here from the balcony of our room, we could see the snow capped mountains of the
Sierra Nevada. We explored the narrow streets and delightful plazas of the
Albayzin, the old Muslim quarter of
Granada. It is listed as a world heritage site. It was not long before we found a spot which
over looked the Darro River and across to the 9th
century Alhambra and Generalife, one of the
few remaining fortresses built by the Moors (Muslim Arabs from North Africa).
To visit the Alhambra, you must purchase tickets in advance. Only so many people are allowed to enter at one time, so it is never too crowed.
The Alhambra is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, peace and tranquility combined with the strength of a fortress to keep away invaders. The extensive gardens and use of water for fountains and reflecting pools provide intimate spaces for relaxation and meditation or admiration for beauty and design. The tile work, wood work and plaster work are of the finest quality. Over the ages, many stories and legends have generated from the Alhambra, and reading the book Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving gives wonderful insight to these and what it was like living here 100 years ago.
After
our fantastic visit to Granada, we headed to the Sierra Nevada for a few days of
snow. Rob got in two days of excellent skiing and I had a fine time going
for walks and enjoying the sights and sounds of the mountains. (I do
not ski.) Rob met a local couple on the slopes and we were invited to
their cozy flat for a glass of wine. A very nice encounter!
After three nights in the mountains, we headed for Cordova. We took a
lovely scenic route that took us through miles of undulating hills covered with olive
groves. We are on the
"olive trail". Every now and then you see olive mills. The route is reminiscent
to driving in wine country with wineries along the way.
We did not make it to Cordova. We got sidetracked in the wonderful small village of Zuheros in the Park of Subbectica. We loved it so much we stayed an extra night, spending a full day walking in the surrounding mountains of this natural park. It was so beautiful it seemed like paradise. Green, green grassy meadows, abundant wild flowers and flowing water in the streams...a very special place! The white-washed village still belongs to the locals who are very friendly to outsiders. The village looks out over the olive groves, has its own small castle and one hotel and lots of narrow streets.
After our eight day sojourn, it was time to return to Sea Fever and back to work! Rob and I spent three days cleaning, varnishing and maintenance work on the boat, attacking the never ending job list!
We sailed north to Alicante to pick up our friend Ruth, a most welcome and frequent guest. We motor-sailed past the dramatic Cabo de Gata which sent the wind going in all directions. We continued on through the night with a good force 5 wind on the starboard quarter. The mainsail got injured..a broken car, so we just to sailed on the jIb.
We took a rest in Mar Menor, anchoring in the outside harbour; fixed the mainsail and the anchor winch which was sticking a bit.
28 April, we depart Mar Menor north to Torre Vieja. We had a good south wind and a clear day. Torre Vieja has been producing salt since the middle ages. Lots of expats from England live there.
We pick up Ruth in Alicante a few days later and head out to the Balearic Islands making landfall on Isla Fomentera. On our crossing we see a bloom of jelly fish, millions of them! We had a nice anchorage off of Formentera for one night. Ruth was very brave to get in the cold water for a swim, but we warmed her up with a great BBQ on the aft deck!
We had planned on visiting Ibiza, but gale warnings came up and we had to stay in the marina in Formentera. Ruth did not get in much swimming this trip. The three of us took the local ferry to Ibiza town crossing the channel with 18-20 foot swells. Sea Fever could handle those swells, but it would not be fun! Ruth had to leave by ferry as it would have been very uncomfortable sailing to the mainland in time for her flight.
Before we headed back to the mainland, we sailed to the southwest corner of Ibiza for a night anchorage. Really beautiful coast line here.
We worked our way south with a bit of everything..squalls, beautiful days, good sailing, motor sailing, practice tacking, familiar marinas. After a few days of heading south, we return to our destination of Agua Dulce.
We settled Sea Fever nicely into the marina and took off in the car again. This time we headed for Seville, via as many back roads as we could find. We are headed to Seville not only to be tourists, but to get my computer fixed (a new hard drive) so I could keep up the Sea Fever Journal.
Our drive to Seville took us through country of rugged mountains,
orchards and wildflowers. We stopped in Antiquiera
enjoying local foods, visiting a fine fortress and visiting outstanding
Megalithic ruins (the Dolmens) dated 2500 BC. We stopped at the 
Parque
El Torcal, an ancient seabed uplifted from the surrounding hills and
plains. We took a walk through wonderful layers of
limestone rock formations sculpted by weather elements over the centuries.
We tried to see flamingos as the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra, a
major breeding ground, but they were much to far away....disappointing.
As we descended down from the mountains, we see the colorful patchwork of crops growing on the hillsides and plains. We passed through acres of miniature sunflowers, avocado and loquat orchards, olive groves and wheat fields.
After all our country wanderings, we arrive in SEVILLE, finding a small, inexpensive hostel in the central part of the city. This city feels alive, moving, full of blooming jacarandas and more celebrations are about to begin.
We visited the world heritage site, Alcázar which dates back to 913. It is basically Moorish in architecture, and has been altered by many different peoples over the centuries. We found it a close rival to the famous Alhambra in Granada because of its beauty, tile work and stunning, manicured gardens. The Cathedral is also a world heritage site. It is a massive structure in which Christopher Columbus is buried as well as King Fernando.
The city is preparing for the celebration of Corpus Christi. Shop windows are decorated, altars are made on the streets, balconies are draped with intricately embroidered Spanish shawls. Hordes of people are milling about viewing all the festivities. In the evening, music is played...string quartets, brass quartets and the city orchestra. At midnight the procession arrives at the main town hall. At least fifty men are carrying a heavy pallet with Christ, flowers, silver, candles. When all is in the correct position there is an outburst of clapping and music.
When we went to the top of the tower of the cathedral, we noticed that all the roof tops are tiles and there are no high-rise buildings in Seville. The highest building are the church towers. (The only other city without high-rise we have seen is Rome.)
We ate some wonderful tapas here and were lucky to see some very good Flamenco dancing. I have always loved Flamenco, so it was a treat to see and hear the real thing.
Our next city to visit was to CORDOVA. We found a nice pension in the old part of town easy walking distance to the sights. This historical city was once a center of learning and knowledge. Under the Omayyad Caliphs, people of different cultural traditions, Moslems and Jews, lived peacefully together.
Our first stop was to visit the Mezquita, a mosque dating back to 785 and one of the most remarkable works of art of all times. Originally, it was open and in harmony with all of its surroundings; the outer halls were used as a cool & shaded place for locals to visit or pass the time of day. Inside you see row upon row of two-tiered arches in stripes of red brick and white stone inviting a meditation on the geometry before you. Elaborate arches and intricate decorations define special spiritual places and passageways. In the 16th century Christians took control of the mosque and built a large cathedral right in the middle of it. Needless to say, the addition of the cathedral changed the feeling of the original design, but the Mezquita is still a must see if one is in Cordova.
I went to the Hamman, or Arab bath, and had a dreamy treat to nourishing hot water pools, massage in an environment of pure peace. Loved it!
Meanwhile, Cordova, all of Cordova was partying! Just across the river at the fair grounds was the annual Cordova Feria. Caballeros on fine horses with fancy senoritas sitting side saddle behind them. The women were dressed in traditional colorful flamenco dresses, everyone dancing, enjoying music, eating and drinking. It was a great insight to the Andalucian culture.
After Cordova, we returned to our favorite village of Zuheros. Rob went for a long, full day walk in the beautiful mountainsides while I stayed in the village. It was Corpus Christi day here. I found four elaborate altars in front of home, potted plants lined the streets and balconies covered with special Spanish shawls, lace tablecloths or other special fabric. When the procession finished, men cracked whips of braided grass which sounded like fireworks.
On our return trip to Agua Dulce, we stopped to see my friend Ron, whom I know from way back when. He was very surprised to see us, as he thought we were already in Portugal. He and his friends, Craig and Joanne came to have lunch on Sea Fever a few days later. It was a wonderful visit and catch up on our lives as we had not seen each other for at least 5 years. As it turns out, Craig has always wanted to cross the Atlantic, so he is going to come with us and help crew when we cross later this year!!
