A day by the seaside

We fancied a day out today and recalled our friends Celia and Colin mentioning Rota, a town on the Atlantic coast north of Cadiz, approximately 140kms (86 miles) or 90 minutes drive west of Olvera. So we headed off at 10.30 this morning looking forward to a new place to visit.

We followed signs for the centre of town but found it impossible to park on the streets, yellow and blue lines everywhere. Eventually we saw the sign for the "El Merced" car park and followed the one-way system around and around and around again. We were very nearly on speaking terms with the clients in a roadside cafe....we passed it three times!.
Eventually, Anne spotted the final, well hidden car park sign and we parked in the underground car park.

We emerged into a warm but slightly overcast day and followed the signs for the Tourist Office located in the Castillo de Luna, the origins of which go back to the 13th century. The castle was completely renovated over an eleven year period, opening in its current beautiful restored condition as the Municipal Palace in 1999.

This tiled plaque in the entrance hall depicts the visit of the Catholic Kings to Rota in 1477.

Armed with our map and lots of other information provided by the very helpful tourist office staff, we started to explore the old town.

A monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus.

After a very short walk, we came to the 16th century Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la O.

Around the central nave are five chapels, all wonderfully decorated, one of which is pictured here.

The central nave with its beautiful ornate altar and ceiling.

We left the Church and headed in the direction of the sea.

"What do you mean, dogs not allowed!!".
The Playa de la Costilla stretches over 4kms with a lovely promenade along its length.

We headed off to the harbour area.





The Playa del Rompidillo, a smaller beach on the other side of the harbour area with views across to the joint Spanish/US Naval Base.

















We liked Rota, apart from the difficulty we had in parking. The old town had lots of bars and restaurants, pleasant squares and the beach areas were really clean and tidy. Definitely worth another visit.