One Final Day in Espana

April 9

This is how the beautiful day began.........sitting on our balcony....watching Monty gaze into "his" ocean one last morning.

After that he rode the bike and I walked the four miles along the beach and then back through the town of Rota, stopping to peak into the local cathedral as they were making final preparations for the Holy Day tomorrow. One interesting observation I have noted, while being here, is that everywhere we have gone this week you see only images of Jesus as a baby, on the cross, or as a dead body in the arms of Mary and the other women. There is not much about His life, or His resurrection!!

I am so thankful I worship the risen LORD Who is Victor over death and lives victoriously in me!!!

Then for the afternoon, Monty, Stacey and I left Lanny and the children here at the Villa, picked up their friend Elena Parker and headed for Jerez for a wonderful tour of the Gonzales Bodega Tio Pepe, which is where Sherry and Brandy and other wines are made. We learned more than I will ever remember, but one main thing is that authentic Sherry, to be called "Sherry", must come from one of the three-cities-triangle here in Espana. These barrels are stacked four high and go for rows and rows and rows, in bodgea (cellar) after bodega. And the fragrance was wonderful!!

As a part of the tour, we chose to enjoy an equestrian luncheon which entertained us with a Flamenco dancer whose "partner" was a horse, a very impressive horse and his caballero. It was quite a show! They served us a light Spanish traditional tapas of cheese, jamon (cured ham) little breads and, of course, samples of two different types of Tio Pepe Sherry. You can also see behind us barrels with flags representing all of the 115 countries who receive their exported Sherry, one of which is the USA!!


One of the bodegas had barrels signed by famous people who had visited there throughout the decades. I put a photo here of one signed by Picasso (who was Italian by birth, but a Spaniard in life). Others were signed by Winston Churchill, Prince Philip and Lana Turner....to name a few.

This was a perfect ending to a perfectly wonderful vacation to Rota, Spain, thanks to Lanny, Stacey, Caleb, Katie Jo, Seth, Bethany, and Joshie Groves!!! Hasta luego!!!