From Marbella to the end of Europe...

We are separating from the rest of the nice group for a few days. Our mission: to find a place for 4 vans at the Rio Grande. For two days we drive through the mountains via Coin and Alazoina in search of a suitable place for all of us. But most places are too small, and when we finally find a great huge spot right on the Rio Grande, we realize that we can't drive down there with our 7.5 tons and 3.40 meters in height. Slightly annoyed, we finally end up right by the sea on the outskirts of the famous Marbella. The rich vacation here. Huge expensive apartments and flashy villas everywhere you look. We are happy about the free parking under eucalyptus trees right on the beach. Together with other vanlifers from all over the world, it's a comfortable place to stay here. We take long walks along the magnificent beach promenades and marvel at the beautiful cactus gardens and hundreds of palm trees. Our neighbors from Hamburg have a mobile tattoo studio and finance their life in the motorhome that way. Since Kilian has wanted a new tattoo for a long time, we seize the opportunity. The next day, a compass with our truck adorns his calf (how fitting for our life).

After a few days, the others also join us. Leah, who sews all her clothes herself, knits a colorful hat for me. It's perfect. Thank you, Leah. A few days later, we all drive together to the warm springs of Banos de la Hedionda de Caesars. The old Roman bath is still popular with the locals. Turquoise 22° warm sulfur water, smelling of rotten eggs, comes directly out of the mountain here. It flows through several swimming pools before continuing as a small stream. Unfortunately, today is a public holiday in Spain, and the locals flock here to swim. We meet four other Germans who also live in vans and are here for swimming. Together, we are now nine campers. We squeeze our vans onto the small parking lot in a Tetris-like manner and sit together in the evenings. It's always nice to meet new people, hear their stories, and exchange tips about places. Since the place is very shady, Kilian and I drive a little further back to the sea the next day to enjoy the sun.

A short time later, we end up in Santa Margerita on a free parking lot right by the sea, which we have all to ourselves. This is truly a rarity here in Andalusia. We take a nice walk on the beach, marvel at the millions of seashells here, and walk straight to the Rock of Gibraltar. It is right in front of us now. The dogs are excited and run back and forth happily. We stay here for 5 more days. We are no longer alone here either. We get nice neighbors. Most of them are coming from Morocco. Because the ferry sails from Alcerias, which is around the corner behind the Rock of Gibraltar. The country is made attractive to us, but unfortunately, it is difficult for us with our dogs because we would have to have a rabies titer test done. It is expensive and takes a few weeks. In addition, there are the ferry costs, which would be too expensive for us altogether. Andalusia is big, and there is still so much to see. We have only seen a fraction of it.

On March 4, 2023, we arrive in Tarifa. The place where the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet. The southernmost point of Europe has been reached. Unfortunately, thousands of other campers also want to conquer this beautiful place, and we are surprised by the number of campers. But not only "white goods" can be found here. All kinds of world travel mobile homes are present. From converted coaches to furniture trucks, everything is here. We haven't seen a short-hood yet, but now we are here!

The famous goat meadow, a popular large place by the sea, is canceled as a place to stay because hundreds of campers have settled here, some for months. This is the "place to be" for kite surfers because in Tarifa (due to its location) there is almost always wind blowing. In addition, the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean Sea here. A paradise for the surfers who whiz around on the sea with their colorful sails. Since it is Saturday evening and also carnival (yes, it is celebrated here too), we give up our search for a parking space today and drive up to the mountain village of Facina. Here the municipality offers free parking spaces with a water station. We gladly accept that and sleep like logs far away from the hustle and bustle.

On Sunday, we find the public parking area right in the city. Our Hummel is safe here for 8 euros. On our first walk, we discover some (allowed) parking lots right by the sea. They are packed with campers from all over the world. There are truly all nations present, and many have their surfboards on the roof. There are also camper vans parked everywhere in the side streets. We can understand that the 18,000 inhabitants are slightly annoyed by this.

Tarifa's beach is endless! At the end of the Atlantic side, you can see the huge wandering dune slowly making its way up the mountain. They try to keep the mountain road free with huge bulldozers, which only partly succeeds. You can walk endlessly by the sea, and if you've had enough of the beach, you can also walk through the huge freshwater bird sanctuary. The dogs love it here too.

Africa is within reach. You can clearly see the coast of Morocco on the horizon. The famous Strait of Gibraltar is before us. All kinds of whales, dolphins, and other marine creatures pass through here daily. Boat trips for whale watching are offered. In the small seaside town, there are some old buildings from the 13th century to see. The Castillo Castle and the Puerto de Jerez are just a few of the well-preserved castles here.

Narrow streets lead through the city. There are countless bars and restaurants. Everything here is naturally geared towards tourism. Nevertheless, we enjoy it very much to be in a small town again and walk through the city for a long time.

Now we have also reached the southernmost point of Europe. In 2018, we were at the northernmost point at the North Cape, in 2019 at the easternmost point on the Peloponnese, in 2022 at the westernmost point in France, and now in 2023, we have completed the Europe trip with Tarifa.

Europe is beautiful and diverse. We have thoroughly enjoyed the past months in Portugal and Spain. The mentality and zest for life of the people are contagious. And the climate here in southern Andalusia also contributes to that. The sky is almost always blue, and just that alone is therapeutic for us Germans.