All Around Rota!

While we've been waiting for our house to be officially ours (for rent) we've been walking all around town, and, with the help of a tour, exploring this town that has become our base home!

Culture, architecture, food, drink, late nights, beach... these are all things Spain, but also all things Rota!

This past Wednesday the class I was taking took us on a tour of Rota. We started off walking down by the marina to see where the ferry to Cádiz was and to also visit the fresh fish market.  I couldn't read hardly any of the signs, but I'm looking forward to finding recipes for them from the locals! 

One of the natural coast lines between the beaches that are so abundant in this area.

That's Cádiz in the distance and is one of the oldest cities in Europe.

Next we headed away from the beach and into the town towards our next stop, the city's cathedral.

The entrance into the town through one of the perimeter walls

Walking up from the beach to the cathedral.

A great piece of stone mosaic in the sidewalk of the plaza

Nuestra Señora de la 0 en Rota

Entering into the church there was a door into the small outdoor plaza where they kept plants

and this is the old well for watering the plants in the entryway

In the center of the church there was the main area of worship

The mahogany carvings were impressive.

On the sides of the main area there were chapels, all decorated with a different style.

Another adjoining chapel

One of the basins for holy water (although they were all dry on this day)

Next came our visit to the castle, which has been turned into the town hall.

Castillo de Luna

In these hot climates, it's common to have an outdoor space within a building.  There is plenty of shade and sometimes airflow that provides cooler temperatures than inside some of the rooms.

This is a remnant of the Moors occupation in this castle, and was a spot for washing feet and hands.

This is the room where all the politicians meet and shows more of what the castle is currently being used for.  Before the church was built (it previously was a mosque), this room served as the castle's chapel.

This is the oldest part of the castle, said to be from the 12th or 13th century.

A view from the top of the castle looking over the outdoor part of the building.

And this is a view over the city of Rota!  Off to the right of the center of the skyline you can barely make out a red and white water tower.  That is the Naval base, and is also a guide that some look for when they are looking for Rota while out in the water or from Cádiz.

 

After the tour we went to eat at a local restaurant where we had tapas (appetizers), tinto de verano (red wine mixed with a sweet citrus soda), and a main dish of our choosing (chicken or fish).  Our guide and teacher for the week told us that Spain's three unofficial national sports are eating, drinking and dancing.  Food and Drink are cheap and plentiful, and walking through the town you will often hear flamenco music. 

Here there was potatoes with herbs and olive oil (I can't think of the name off the top of my head), arranque (the orange dish, which is pureed stale bread, tomatoes, peppers, and other spices), fried peppers, and carne al toro (delicious stew beef).  You'll also see the pitcher of tinto de verano in the center :)

For the Spanish, everything in the day is later.  A reasoning I read was because during WWII Spain was pushed into being into the same time zone as Germany, which set their sunlight hours later in the day.  Another reasoning is that in Spain, the summers are HOT (we are lucky with the sea breeze), but it forces workers to take time in the afternoon to conserve energy and siesta after their lunch.  They return back to work in the evening when the temperature is cooler, but it also means their dinners get pushed back later as well. 

Here we see an effect of the late nights: a later breakfast!  The picture below shows the typical Spanish breakfast, which we went to eat around 10:30am.  There is no menu at this cafe, because why would you want anything else for breakfast than yesterday's rolls, nicely toasted, with tomato and cured ham on top with drizzled olive oil?  A delicious start to your day, with a side of cafe con leche (espresso with steamed milk and optional sugar), only runs you 2€ a person here (about $2.70).

So after paying our 4€, maybe a little shopping at the markets (where I got a liter of local sherry for 3€ and a loaf of fresh bread for 50 cents), it's time for lunch and siesta!  After siesta, it's time to go out and grab some tapas and drinks.  The typical Spanish way is to go to one place, get a tapa and a drink, and then go to the next place to repeat.  After you're done sampling the drinks and appetizers of the town, it's starting to finally hit dinner time at 10:00pm, when the sun is just barely going down.

A local bodega that specializes in their own sherry from Sanlúcar de Barrameda

50 cents for a glass of local sherry? Yes please!

This is how light it is at 9:50pm.  Soon people start to wander to their dinner destination, if they don't just choose to continue eating tapas all night :)

After wine and paella, it's time to either walk back home (if there's work in the morning), or it's time to wander some more for drinks, dancing, and socializing.  It's not uncommon here to see children out until midnight, especially on the weekends, and whole families are eating and spending time together everywhere you look.  To me, this is a country with the right priorities.  As I've always said, and as now I've heard in Spain, life's philosophy should always be "work to live, don't live to work".  Take time for family.  Enjoy your food and drink.  Drink to enjoy the drink, not to get drunk.  Above all else, Relax!

¡Viva España!

Spanish Driver's License Test

This week I am sitting through a 4 day ICR (Intercultural Relations) course.  Part of taking the course (and the sole reason I'm there, since it isn't mandatory for dependents) is taking the test to get your Spanish driver's license.  Right now I have a 60 day temporary paper that allows me to drive with my NY license, but by taking this test (in 2 weeks) I will have a legitimate Spanish license with an endorsement to also drive motorcycles up to 500cc.  To drive over 500cc you need to have your motorcycle license for more than 2 years.

The test consisted of 50 multiple choice questions, 35 of which were road sign identifications.  Here is an example of some common road signs in Spain:

 I got all the questions right!!  My husband took the test a week ago, so he told me some of the things to pay special attention to.  Even though most are common sense, it's difficult to study for a test when given a whole binder to look through the night before.  Some of the non-sign information that differs to the US is that you cannot turn on red unless there is a green arrow allowing you to.  You can exceed the speed limit by 20kph in order to pass someone.  When passing a school, shopping center, or anywhere else where there are a lot of pedestrians, the speed limit is "the speed that a pedestrian can walk".  Another thing that is different is that you must always carry with you in your vehicle 2 safety triangles and a reflective vest in case you break down on the side of the road.  You must also have a spare tire, the tools to change it, and spare light bulbs for all types of lights you have in/on your car. 

If you get pulled over, you can pay your ticket on the spot.  If you pay on the spot, or within 20 days, the cost of the ticket is halved. 

With the Spanish driver's license, and the soon to be Spanish registration on the car (European Union license plate with a E for España - point of origin/registration) we will have free rein to drive anywhere in the European Union.  Whether driving or not, we can travel anywhere in the EU for a long weekend without taking leave too!  This will be a mighty big adventure with our travel opportunities.  With the car, trains, buses, ferries, and cheap flights, I hope to see as much of Europe as I can within these next 20 months.  I'm so excited to explore, but also to see all of my former exchange students and friends who are scattered around this area!

Now we just have to wait for our car to finish its trip from the US! 

Next step... motorcycles :)

Ross's Arrival and House Hunting: Part II

Get ready for a lot of photos in this post! 

After a relaxing weekend, Monday brought much excitement with the arrival of USS Ross to its new permanent home port in Spain!  It had only been a week and a half since I said goodbye to my husband, but what a week and a half it was, and his accompaniment would have been greatly appreciated, not just for his company.  I was lucky enough to get connected with another wife who offered me a ride to the pier for the homecoming ceremony, but since no one was that clear or forthcoming about the time, we were the first family members there.  With butterflies in my stomach, I not-so-patiently waited, and then finally after an hour to an hour and a half, we saw the ship as it rounded the end of the pier.

Thank you to Amanda Hand for capturing me photographing the entrance of the ship!

Of course the ship took its sweet time coming in so they could appropriately time their arrival to their spot on the pier with the commencement of the ceremony... but after a wait that seemed like forever, the ship was finally close enough for me to locate my dear husband.

ET2 Palmer, top and center :)

 After an eternity of watching them all stand there, taking tons of photos, and patiently waiting, the sailors were finally being released off of the ship.

And we were reunited!!

(U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist William Clark /RELEASED)

So that was Monday.  The rest of the week was mostly about house hunting and doing a bit of exploring in Spain!  I went on a tour on Tuesday around Rota, where I learned of a couple good restaurants and got to see the beach in town.  It was my first time out and I'm glad I went.  Between meeting some people at the ceremony and meeting people on the tour, I'm starting to make friends and it's feeling more and more like home every day.  It's strange that I feel more welcomed here in a foreign land than I ever did in our other 2 stations (Great Lakes, Illinois and Norfolk, Virginia).  

Wednesday was a day full of house hunting. I had two different appointments with the housing department on base, and one appointment off base with a couple of girls who help people find homes.  Long story short, we found a home that would be perfect for us.  My husband couldn't stop thinking about it after we saw it, so Thursday morning we made a decision to start the paperwork on that house before it was swept out from under us.  

There are 2 guest rooms, one master bedroom, a loft, living room, dining room, a fully furnished basement with a bar, 3 bathrooms (one has a jet shower, and one has a jacuzzi tub), a laundry room, and a gorgeous big kitchen.  There is also (this is my husband's favorite part) a HUGE garage.  There is a nice yard which is maintained by the landlord, balconies, nice front porch.. and it's in a country style neighborhood.  We have an empty field/lot next to us on one side, and a field/garden behind us.  Just a short walk down the road one way leads us to the beach, and a short walk the other way leads us to the little local stores for bread, produce, and other stuff that we'll figure out as we explore :)

There will be a full post about the house when we move in, and hopefully all the inspection and paperwork will go through without any glitches.  We're very excited about this and slowly we're feeling more and more comfortable in Spain.

Stay tuned for more updates in the next week!!

House Hunting: Part 1

My husband and I are very easy going.  This makes the house hunting process very difficult. 

When I asked my husband what he would like in a home, he didn't really have a response.  He's lived everywhere and can make anywhere a home.  My requests/requirements for a home are as follows:

• Nice large kitchen (where I cook a lot, have a lot of kitchen gadgets, and where I spend most of my time)
• Off the street parking (preferably a garage)
• At least 2 bedrooms
• At least one bath tub

That's it really.  Everything else I can think of is not really that important.  On one hand I'd like to be away from it all and live more on the outskirts, or even in the country.  On the other hand, if we lived in town I wouldn't necessarily have to take my husband in to work with our one car if I wanted to run errands because I would be in walking distance of things.  Sure, it would be nice to live near a beach or have a pool, but not if that jacks up the price of the apartment and leaves us with less space.  

Another frustration comes from the fact that we have no access to the official base approved housing list, so to view these apartments/houses, I can't take my leisure time and browse through them on my computer.  I have to make an appointment with housing, try to explain what I want (I don't think they understand what a good kitchen is), and peer over the desk as the housing agent looks through the list.  I can also see her frustration as she asks "do you want to live in the country or the city" and I tell her "it doesn't matter".  She and I both know this would be an easier process if I were more picky.  She asks me what town I want to look/live in.  I tell her I haven't a clue because I haven't been off base.  I don't have a car.  She asks me when I will have one. I have no clue on that either.  It could be in a couple weeks, it could be in a month. 

Considering we only get 30 days to stay at the Navy Lodge, and by the time I have my first house hunting appointment it will be 12 days since I've been here, I'm feeling the pressure.  I want my husband to help me, but have no idea if his work schedule will permit any time off for this.  He has taken 2 weeks of leave in July, but it will start just about the same time that our 30 days are up. 

Will I have to do this on my own?  Will I have to rent a car?  Will we find and settle on a home/contract by the time our hotel stay is up?  What town will we settle on?  

Stay tuned to find out...