A day of great anticipation!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

A day of great anticipation!

In planning our entire two weeks in Spain, there was no day or activity with more anticipation or uncertainty than this day - as we would be retracing my foot steps of 40 plus years ago, but in a much changed Espana, i.e.: over new highways, through modernized towns, cities, villages with my ever adventuresome wife Connie as map reader and navigator.

Early, we picked up our Citron C4 and a highway map at the Sevilla railroad station. We headed South on the A4 highway, a lot different than the winding twisting roads of 40 years ago. Something else was new, we saw numerous "wind farms" dotting the southern Spain countryside. There were also large solar panel installations in rural areas.

Our destination and goal was to arrive in the Rota area (a 70 miles journey) by lunch time, then, head on to Estepona and the Marriott Playa Andaluza Vacation Club, another 105 miles by late afternoon. Dispite some highway detours due to washed out roads we arrived outside La Base Naval de Rota around noon, just in time to enjoy lunch at a seaside hotel.

We walked around the streets of Rota, which is now a beach resort for tourists from Nothern Europe.

The Naval Base which had always been under the command of the Spanish government was home to 10,000 Americans (military plus families) in the 1960's, now its the "home away from home" for 1,500 American military personnel. Because of it's strategic geographic location, it's harbor, airport runway and other facilities, Rota will always be important to the US and the free world.

After lunch, we were on the road again heading south through the provience of Cadiz, along the Straits of Gibralta, past "the rock of Gibralta" itself, on to the Costa de Sol aka Costa de Golf and our destination of Estepona...

We stopped along the way to take pictures of the panoramic view of North Africa, across the Straites..