La Línea, Estepona & More

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Since the weather was forecasted to be very good, I wanted to take a trip to Tarifa as it is supposed to be super nice with weak winds. So I checked the bus schedule online, made myself a snack, and went off to the bus station with high motivation. At the counter, I tried out my limited Spanish skills and was bitterly disappointed. The planned bus was not running (for whatever reason) and the next one is not coming for another 4 hours. But that was too late for me and besides, I was ready to go. On the display board, a bus in the opposite direction was shown, to Estepona, which is departing in half an hour. This city has also been mentioned in conversations, so I quickly bought the ticket and changed my plan.

So I sat on the bus to the northeast for 1.5 hours at noon. The coastal road was a feast for the eyes and Estepona is a charming, manageable coastal town. First, I went to the promenade because I hadn't had any contact with the sea since my arrival. So I had to dip my feet in. It wasn't sooo cold... The air was much warmer than in La Línea, as the wind wasn't blowing so fiercely, and I started sweating immediately. With a city map from the tourist office, I walked through the center, passing through many narrow, beautifully decorated alleys. Fortunately, it was off-season, otherwise, it would be pretty crowded here. The murals (large paintings on facades) that are scattered throughout the city were particularly beautiful. The garden around the orchid house was also a beautiful place. In the numerous parallel alleys, one could easily get lost in thoughts. In the afternoon, I walked back to the bus station and returned home.

Arriving in La Línea, I made a detour to the harbor and admired the sunset, the boats, and 'The Rock' in Gibraltar through the lens. For dinner, I mostly had salmorejo (a cold vegetable soup with olive oil and bread), with bread topped with hummus, peppers, and Burgos cheese (<3). Because food from the supermarket is much cheaper than in restaurants, and I also have to watch my budget.

In the evening, Michele, Valen, and I went to Molly Bloom's Irish Pub (short: Molly's) to see a live jazz band. It was quite loud, but still very nice. I often get a bit hypnotized by live jazz. After a round of pool, we went home and went to bed.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Today was very quiet and the weather was rather bad. We stayed indoors all day and 'worked' (uploading photos, writing blog, social media, etc.), because unfortunately, it doesn't get done on its own. In the evening, we went to a cool bar (Vogg), where a weekly international evening (Language Exchange) with free food was taking place.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Our skipper Birgit (Germany) asked us to get a guest country flag for Morocco, as we might have to stop there in bad weather. It turned out to be more difficult than expected, as the first three sail shops no longer had them in stock. In a shop in Gibraltar, it turned out that another store about 3-4km away still had a flag, but there are no buses going there. So the shop assistant spontaneously offered to pick it up for us in the evening. I'm curious if that will work out.

Otherwise, we cooked delicious meals again, and in the evening, I almost bought a fancy sequin dress that I might have worn once next year. In the end, reason prevailed, but it was close.

The anticipation of the boat is slowly mixing with boredom and impatience. We also realize that Valen, our couch host, is getting tired of our hospitality.

We ended the evening in bed with tea. We watched a couple of series (making the most of the internet) and read a whole trashy novel all at once. It's time for some more challenging reading...

Friday, November 15, 2019

I actually wanted to get up early, but my body told me to make the most of the time in a real bed. By the way, we did get the Morocco flag after all.

Since the weather is nice again (sunny but cold), we wanted to go to the Rock in Gibraltar to see the monkeys. After countless steps uphill, they wanted an admission fee... Even for walking by ourselves. We found that annoying and turned back.

The rest of the day, we stocked up on provisions because the boat is actually arriving tomorrow. Tip number 1 for novice sailors and generally before embarking on a longer passage is to not drink alcohol the night before and to get enough sleep. So we opened a bottle of wine for dinner and then went to Molly's, where a live reggaeton band was performing. It was a super nice last evening here in La Línea, and after a bit of dancing, we went to bed tired and excited. However, getting a deep sleep was out of the question.