Day trip with Pepe to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cadiz Province

 Pepe drove us about an hour and a half south west to Sanlúcar de Barrameda which is an ancient city at the delta of the Guadalquivir River. Here is a Wiki link which you can read if interested in its long and varied history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanl%C3%BAcar_de_Barrameda

The town has levels of steepness starting at the top with the castle and old town, graduating down to beach front and the river. 

The major industry here is Manzanilla which is a variety of fino sherry, old town has rows upon rows of large warehouses containing the product and production of it by a company named Barbadillo. We visited a privately owned one that Pepe used to do work experience at, but more about that in a bit.

The castle, Castillo de Santiago, is extensive with many floors, the topmost floors holding rooms with framed navigation maps, neither one of us had ever seen a map collection of that scale before! Many of the drawings of the world did not include western America because it hadn't been discovered yet. Up and up phew, up, the top has magnificent views down to the city and water. It is now privately owned and must have cost a "bomb", so they host events to pay for it's keep. 

Children's play area, Pepe gave it a well done try.

We walked through the luscious city gardens and into the exhibition space which was ornately decorated.

Needing a bit of drink and food we went to what is called here an "old man's bar" for their special sauce made with garlic, tomato and bread which was yummy.

We went to a deli to collect food for visiting the bodega which was certainly not the non-fat version but tasty. They plated up snack slices of salchichon, chorizo, (both types of sausage) chicharrones, (pork rinds with paprika) picos, (bread crackers) and manchego cheese.

Walked from top of the town to about middle, a lot more stairs, but it was the quickest way to get there with parking in town difficult as it is in most cities in Europe. 

The Bodega de Las Infantas where Pepe did an apprentice, doing manual jobs like painting wine barrels had high arched ceilings, black stuff on the white walls and rooms of casks stacked two or three high. It is a locals place where many people came in as regulars Pepe remembered, he said in two years nothing has changed. Wine is sold off the cask into plastic bottles which the customer brings back to have re-filled, while that's being done they enjoy a free glass of fino, or maybe more than one. 

Loosely translated: Give me 5 litres of wine. Where are your bottles? You are looking at him!

We brought our snacks in and others did as well, all for sharing with other customers and the barman. It was a lovely experience and a great walk down memory lane for Pepe.

By now in the day it's time for a late lunch so we headed inland and up the mountain to a very large restaurant called Meson El Rancho. The exterior and interior were certainly not pretty but the food was exceptional, I had dorado on the bone, Pepe had a shark fillet. https://www.mesonelrancho.com/

I have to say it certainly wasn't what I had planned, a table at the beach, but clearly the locals know what they are talking about and a tourist would be hard pressed to find this place, in fact, we drove by it once before locating it in an industrial park.

On to the beach which stretches far and wide with fine golden sand containing silt and shells from the river, Pepe said it's not a good location for swimming but is famous for horse racing on the sand. https://www.carrerassanlucar.es/en/

We saw a couple of riders practising along the sand and into the water, a lovely site. That was something my dad always wanted to do and didn't get the chance.

It was a very great day out for us both, especially Pepe, I think, reconnecting with his mates at the bodega and for me experiencing the locals culture.

Great day, great friend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you! Cheers!