Today is the day… Cissy turns another year older. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CISSY🎉

To celebrate her birthday, we decide a day of exploring is in order! As I grow older, the meaning of the phrase…Every day is a blessing….takes on more significance.

Leaving the seashore, we headed up into the Sierra de las Nieves(Snow Mountain Range) to admire the famous Ronda Bridge (Puente Nuevo). It took 40 years to build this spectacular bridge which was finished in 1751, but 50 workers lost their lives in the process. This bridge spans the 390 feet deep chasm that carries the Guadalev River and divides the city of Ronda. The view leaves you in wonder of how in the world did they ever do it? How did they ever maneuver the huge stones? It’s simply miraculous… like MANY MANY historical sites we’ve seen on this trip.

Heading back to the Western coast of Spain, we stopped at Jerez de la Frontera located midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cadiz Mountains. The church was magnificent….Cathedral of the Holy Saviour was designated a World Heritage site in1931. Built in the 17th century, it is a mix of Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical style… i.e. incredible from an architectural perspective and can be seen from miles away. We admired it inside and out for over an hour… at times just sitting in awe and breathing in the intoxicating smell of the orange blossoms in the gardens surrounding the church.

Moving further south to the Bay of Cadiz, we found shelter in Puerto Sherry at the Marina condos. Great view of the windsurfers, sailboaters and lighthouse from our balcony.

That evening, we took the 20 minute ferry across the bridge to the city of Cadiz…
Expecting to see a carnival comparable to Rio per the guide books…but NOT the case. It was more like a Halloween celebration with costumes and musicians & singers performing on every corner in the Old Town. Birthday dinner and back home by midnight… late night for us😜

NEXT DAY, visited the quaint old town of Santa Maria…similar to most of the centuries old towns in this area with a beautiful church on every corner. More musicians and carnival costumes…especially kids.

Relaxing few days with a beautiful view… hard to beat.