Andalusia and Gibraltar

I cannot lie, 3 days without luggage because the airline lost it wasn't a good start. But, I didn't let that ruin the trip. We started in Gibralter which is the island known as 'The Rock' due to the huge rock that's the landmark.

Separated from Spain by a small border it really is England in the sunshine with high street shopping, pubs and fish'n chip shops. The island is known for the Barbary Apes upon the rock that can be very cheeky and will steal your belongings of you don't watch out. We stayed on a docked cruise ship so our room was a cabin which was quirky and fun. Great service and lovely harbor views too that we enjoyed and we would definitely stay there again. It's really quite interesting to be able to walk in and out across the border between Spain and UK.

From Gibralter we drove to Cadiz. We decided to avoid the highway where possible and we drove along the coast road. We were in no rush and wanted to see the sights. We some some lovely villages and clearly good surf towns based on the number of surf shacks and surfers around. Cadiz is an interesting mix of old and new. We walked along the old city wall and along the long stretch of white sandy beach at La Victoria. We had wonderful tapas served in cafes where very little English was spoken. We had no idea what we ordered as none of us speak Spanish, but it was fabulous.

The reason for the trip to Cadiz was to see the Tall Ships in the 2nd stage of their 3 part race from Antwerp to A Coruna. They were a pretty spectacular sight and the bonus was we could actually board the ships and take a look around. There was a real festival spirit in the town over this weekend with parades, music and parties.

After Cadiz we visited Torrox. The town centre is very pretty with white-walled houses clinging to the steep slope on which the town is built. From the top the views are pretty spectacular as they are on the cliff road through Frigiliana which is the coast road we took back down to the coast. Torrox Costa is a tourist hotspot particularly for the Spanish who visit as it is widely considered to have the best climate of Europe and it's also known for regular festivals and traditions which are celebrated throughout the year.

For our final night we travelled inland to Ronda which is a mountaintop town. The journey offered stunning scenery as we drove through the mountains before arriving in the pretty town set dramatically above a deep gorge. Here the views were spectacular and I did enjoy simply sitting on the balcony of the hotel room and looking out over the countryside. We didn't go in, but the Plaza de Toros, (18th-century bullring), is one of the key attractions in the area. And people were clearly enjoying the trips around the town in the horse and cart that could be hired close by.

We strolled through the very pretty park with the well maintained duck pond that was the focal point. And enjoyed fabulous traditional food with local wine in one of the many pretty little restaurants with stunning views. And then it was back home to Dubai for a rest!