Arrival at Arcos

After a good breakfast and a midday swim, we set off today for Andalucía, heading South on the 'silver route' motorway. We stopped at Zafra but forgot to buy a map.

The roads were pretty relentless, but we got to the south of Seville and decided not to take the toll road, which would have been fine except that the non-toll road was full of lorries, and the sat nav got us fairly lost. We ended up on a country road that was fabulous, really rural, with fields of scorched sunflowers on either side, and witnessed a fight between several vultures and some kestrels. Obviously there had been a recent kill. Sadly we didn't manage any images, but drove on past a castle on a hill and some frizzled artichokes. Saw a farmer in the intense heat harvesting sunflowers with a combine, while two trailers stood by, heaped with hulled seeds.

The shimmering road led us to a white town where the balconies and streets were decorated with bright potted flowers, causing me to remark that we'd reached 'the real Andalucía'. Arcos de la Frontera, our destination, wasn't far away, but the B and B is out of town, and then some!

With the help of Google maps, and no thanks to the sat nav, we found the dirt track, well outside town. At this point tempers were getting a little frayed, and I offered to get out and walk, taking Google maps with me! Fortunately S was persuaded to drive up the bumpy track, and we eventually located our B and B, 'El Fogón del Duende' ('The cooking stove of flair and passion') right at the end. What a relief!

We have a beautiful room with air con, and our own terrace (pictured above). Because it was our first night, I'd booked a meal on the patio downstairs for later, and it turned out to be superb:

Garlic prawns Andalucían style; a green salad with walnuts and soft cheese; chunks of fresh hake cooked in a rich sauce of spinach and cumin, with rice; a home-made lemon mousse with the lightest of touches. All served up with the local red wine.

Are we happy now? You bet! The hosts also called us out in the middle of supper to admire the sunset over Arcos. CleanSteve got a splendid shot. We haven't met the other guests yet, but perhaps we will, if they stay for breakfast. Having sampled the supper, we're definitely breakfasting here!

There are three dogs here that patrol the grounds, but apart from the odd bark from them or the neighbouring dogs, the area is well populated but remarkably quiet, with 360 degree views. It's wonderful to be back in Andalucía again, after a mere 34 years. I can feel the weight of those years rolling off me. Maybe tomorrow it'll slide right into the sea and be borne away on the mighty tides of the Atlantic.