Tourism is a numbers game. And there was plenty of evidence of that during our return visit to Cadiz (or pronounced Cardiff without the ‘r’).

Firstly, there were a lot of people in town – this being primarily due to the arrival of two cruise liners at the port of Cadiz. Still, fortunately we visited today because tomorrow there will be 5.

Secondly, the map we had from tourist information had a number of colour coded walks on it, suggesting different ways to see all of the sites.

Mo thought she had seen coloured markings on the pavement but was nevertheless surprised when Tourist information did indeed confirm that the coloured lines were replicated on the ground. No requirement in Cadiz to be able to read a tourist booklet – “dumbed down tourism”…

 

There’s lot’s to see in Cadiz. In fact, staying in the old town would be a great place to spend a long weekend – there are flights from the UK directly to Jerez which is close by Cadiz. Everything is in walking distance – the monuments, the numerous bars and restaurants, beach etc. There’s also a railway station with good links to Seville and beyond.

Not wishing to disappoint the organisation of our hosts, we chose the purple line, abandoning just before its end and then picking up the yellow line all the way around the headland.

 

The standout experience of the day was the Tavira Tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A splendid 360 degree panoramic view of the city beholds those prepared to climb the 172 steps.

There is also a darkened room containing a Camera Obscura – working on the principles of the pinhole camera – projecting an image of town onto a white “bowl shaped” screen.

One of the nicest squares is Plaza de Mina and we found a bar to eat a traditional Spanish menu of the day. Not bad for 9.5 Euros each.

A selection of pictures from around Cadiz appear below.

 

 

Beach at Cadiz

 

 

 

 

Typical weather for the holiday weekend…

Ah, so the 10th day has arrived.

Whilst I appreciated the rapid attention at A&E, I’m not entirely sure the consultant truly spends a lot of his time stitching wounds.

The stitching was first rate but the decision to then plaster the area with surgical glue would appear to have been overkill (as well as probably not recommended) and this has now created a nightmare for Mo to remove the stiches. All the knots just clogged in superglue…

This is the prescription from the North Hampshire hospital (excluding the glasses). Not what one might expect but ingenious nevertheless.

 

And after 90 (yes the zero is not a typo) minutes of picking glue, cutting and prodding, the sutures were fully removed. All 6 of them.

 

 

It’s now over 30 degrees in the shade – time for some sunbathing – signing off for today now…

Nothing much to report on day 9. Most of the morning was spent preparing for the big day tomorrow – Mo get’s to remove my stitches.

There’s some last minute panic buying going on to try to buy something to loosen the glue the surgeon spread all over the wound and sutures. The glue is the medical equivalent of superglue.

Petroleum Jelly doesn’t work. Acetone (nail varnish remover from Aldi) is having some success in breaking up the glue bond but it’s still painstaking progress.

Watch out for tomorrow’s update – will we end up at the Spanish hospital after all?

We are becoming acclimatised to the Spanish way of life and by the time we arrived in Cadiz it was late afternoon (maybe even early evening!) and having spent a couple of hours wandering around the Old Town, we decided to we would need to re-visit to properly explore.

Late night BBQ back at the campsite.

Another relaxing day in Conil (mostly spent working) followed by a late afternoon cycle ride from the campsite along the coastal paths. Really need to get an attachment to clamp the mobile phone to the bike to avoid stopping every few minutes to consult maps.me!

The view from the clifftop over the beautiful beaches and nearby villages is magnificent.

 

And here is the route of the cycle ride.

 

Things are pretty chilled out here on the coast near to Conil de la Frontera. It looks like we will be here for perhaps another week or more. Who knows! The weather was a pleasant 21C today and the evenings have been more than warm enough to fire up the BBQ.

Had a look around the town of Conil this afternoon. Managed to buy some vaseline which, rumour has it, is good for “melting” the medical glue slopped all over my stitches. I think Friday will be a long day as Mo takes on the role of nurse – will she put on the uniform?

 

 

We will be able to spend a few evenings in the old town of Conil. Lots of restaurants to choose from although apparently not on this street!

This was our first full day at La Rosaleda, near to Conil de la Frontera.

The hillside location offers some stunning views over the surrounding countryside and

whilst we had chosen a nice plot, we had not opted to pay an additional 4 euros per day for one of the grand pitches.

 

 

 

The site is a category 1 – the highest ranking in Spain and the facilities are absolutely first rate in terms of both quality and cleanliness. It’s also a great time of the year to visit – we are using our ACSI card and the price is 16 Euros per night – even cheaper if you want to spend 30 nights here (8.5 euros per night).

After replenishing supplies at the local supermarket, we finished off setting up the awning and adding some refined touches

– including the remote controlled candles – a recent birthday present from one of my good friends.

Another day on the road. This time a 400km journey to Conil de la Frontera departing Caceres around 10am.

This should have been a relaxing days travel but the weather in Caceres was atrocious and the inclement weather persisted for most of the journey.

Heavy rain and wind weather warnings were posted for the region and extracting the van from the Caceres site was truly miserable. The heavens opened up and it was freezing cold. It was pointless trying to stay dry – the adopted approach was to basically wear a pair of shorts and bare feet rather than soaking lots of footwear and clothing.

This persisted until our arrival south of Cadiz and latterly we’ve enjoyed a fine evening. The forecast looks good for the next week.

Travel day from Salamanca to Caceres. A leisurely few hours drive to Camping Caceres, near of course to the town of Caceres.

To say the least, the campsite was interesting.

 

Each pitch had its own personal “hut” comprising a private Toilet, Shower, Wash Basin and outside sink.

 

 

 

 

Not only did every pitch have the private bathroom facilities but

also a sun canopy as can be seen on this picture. Whilst the sun canopy might be of some value during the summer months, right now a waterproof shield would have been far more appropriate.

The campsite is situated around 4km from the Old Town of Cacares

and this little gem is worthy of a visit. a bus service stops within a 5 minute walk of the campsite with buses running between once and twice each hour, dependent upon day of the week.

 

 

 

 

After our brief sightseeing trip to the Caceres Old Town we ate at the campsite restaurant. For 20 Euros each we enjoyed a 3 course meal, with the main meal consisting of a mixed grill sharing platter. The meat mountain was extensive to say the least…

I had previously said that the unique attraction of the Don Quijote campsite, located east of Salamanca, appeared to be its location

next to river Tormes and the cycle route into the centre of the town.

Don Quijote is not going to win any prizes for the quality of its toilet seats. There aren’t any… But the cycle route nevertheless is first rate and apart from the lack of toilet seats, the campsite is a very pleasant place to stay and the facilities are kept very clean.

It’s about a 5 mile ride into Salamanca, dependent of course on

Excellent Cycle routes

 

where you are going and beyond the riverside cycle path there is plenty of other cycle friendly territory.

 

 

 

Salamanca itself is a very old town and some of the architecture

is stunning. Pictured here is a typical street in the old town. April seems a great time to visit, as the streets and Plaza’s were very quiet and pleasant.