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| The white sand beaches of Tarifa (those hills in the background are Morocco) |
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| Nat shreds Tarifa (kids in foreground) |
Just back from our first official overnight road trip and would deem it a big success. First off, note that the location was chosen to appease both my husband and the boys. We went to Tarifa, windsurfing mecca on the southern coast of Spain, just across the straits of Gibralter from Morocco (about a 3 hour drive from Granada). Think white-sand beaches, palm trees, plenty of wind and best of all NO PEOPLE! We were there on the shoulder season so the crowds of summer had already started to disperse.
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| Digging in the sand |
Some neighbors gave us some great recommendations on where to stay so we checked out 2 different locales. One had simple bungalows (think yurt) right near a hip, surfer hangout beach bar and the other was a wonderful beachside hotel with all the amenities.
If you haven't figured it out by now, tapas are a big deal here in Spain. Little plates of starters that often come free when you order a drink. One night at dinner we were served 4 slices of melon with little toothpicks in them along with a few small yellow squares with red sides which I assumed were slices of cheese. Unfortunately they turned out to be pats of butter (with paprika on the sides?) which I found out after stuffing one in my mouth, but thankfully the bread was close at hand.
If you haven't figured it out by now, tapas are a big deal here in Spain. Little plates of starters that often come free when you order a drink. One night at dinner we were served 4 slices of melon with little toothpicks in them along with a few small yellow squares with red sides which I assumed were slices of cheese. Unfortunately they turned out to be pats of butter (with paprika on the sides?) which I found out after stuffing one in my mouth, but thankfully the bread was close at hand.
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| Now where did I leave the boat keys? |
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| Clark climbs a tree |
Lifestyles of the rich and famous
Another friend told us to check out Sotogrande, a swanky golf community, on our drive down and recommended we have lunch at the Puerto (harbor) at the very fancy Ke Cafeteria which was a fascinating place. Apparently these are artificial islands where one can park their boat next to their townhome. We were definitely underdressed.
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| The southern tip of Spain in Tarifa. The Atlantic ocean is on one side and the Mediterreanean the other |
We're legal! (I think)
We got 4 letters via the post last week via certified mail (I had to sign for them), all official looking in Spanish legalese and requesting our presense at the local immigration office in a week's time. Worried that we had done something wrong (we still haven't heard back from the Spanish consulate in San Francisco), I nervously approached some neighbors for help translating and I was assured it was good news -- our temporary residancy has been approved. So off we went to the office, with another new friend along to help us with translation, and after less than a half hour wait, we were out the door with NIE cards (actually, they'll be ready in a month). These are basic ID cards used here but they also prove legal residancy so I am feeling a lot better about our status. Maybe all those hours of tracking down documents, fed ex fees and accumulating paperwork were indeed worth it?
We got 4 letters via the post last week via certified mail (I had to sign for them), all official looking in Spanish legalese and requesting our presense at the local immigration office in a week's time. Worried that we had done something wrong (we still haven't heard back from the Spanish consulate in San Francisco), I nervously approached some neighbors for help translating and I was assured it was good news -- our temporary residancy has been approved. So off we went to the office, with another new friend along to help us with translation, and after less than a half hour wait, we were out the door with NIE cards (actually, they'll be ready in a month). These are basic ID cards used here but they also prove legal residancy so I am feeling a lot better about our status. Maybe all those hours of tracking down documents, fed ex fees and accumulating paperwork were indeed worth it?
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