The Trip of a Lifetime: June 3 to 7, 2022 - Algeciras, Càdiz and Badajoz

June 3, 2022: I don’t see my narrative from last night, so I must not have entered it. Here goes:
Captain’s log: star-date 47; Friday, Cadiz, Spain
We slept in today. Getting back to running tomorrow. Sometimes discretion is the better part of…bravado… We must be extra tired. This morning at breakfast, Roz asked if I had cheese stuck up my nose. I thought she was making a joke, but I had somehow gotten cheese in my nose without realizing it. I mean, it was the cheese I was having for breakfast, so it wasn’t like day old cheese or anything. Worse than having beans in your ears, right?
I am so glad we are back in pork-town. I missed bacon, ham, sausage, you know, everything pig. They even have a supermarket here named “el Jamón.” I’m buying stock in that company! And beer. It is so much easier to be a drunk here. They don’t shame you.
But, do you know where they do shame you? Roz went into a farmacia for some Alka-Seltzer Plus They told her she needed a mask to enter the store, which was kind of in the open air. She didn’t have one and they said she had to buy one. Pfizer would not have as much power as they do if virtue signaling plebes like that did’t push unfounded crap. We left and found one less repressive. The world is back. Read the memo.
It’s funny. In Morocco, the world is back to normal. You’d see the occasional tourist in a mask, but very few. I realized, when we returned to Spain, that there are many more westerners who are buying into the masks forever dogma. It’s a scary world. You can’t avoid all diseases, no matter what that Fauci guy says. Take your “I’m better than you!” Bumper sticker off your face and let us see you smile. Unless you don’t have a smile…then keep your sour puss masked up…do us all a favor.
We are back to driving for just a few days. We tried to get a driver to Cadiz and there were none available, so it made sense to rent a car, because we have an extra bag filled with “treasures” for our home. The downside is I had to drive the car onto an elevator to park it at garage level -2. I guess that would be cool if it wasn’t almost as small as the car. That’s some scary sh*t Yo!
Cadiz is a beautiful seaside city. There is surf, tapas, vino and cerveza. They also are holding their carnival late, maybe because they knew we wouldn’t be here until now. Weird; New Orleans had theirs on time. Not complaining. Glad they postponed it…
mañana

June 4, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 48; Saturday, Cadiz
We slept in again this morning. I had a queazy stomach the last two nights. I waited until this afternoon to do my run. Boy do I feel good after just a two mile jog.
We took the Hop-On-Hop-Off-Pop Bus today. Fun. Did one in Miami too, even though we lived there. Great way to see things. Roz and I did it with Yves Bien-Amie and his wife.
It was fun. The city is beautiful and very rich in history. It was founded by the Phoenicians in the 12th century BC as a colony outside the Pillars of Hercules. The Romans took over at some time, and built it into a regional power.
They traded with Venice and inherited Carnival from them. In Venice they wear masks and dress extravagantly. Here they dress comically and it is built more on sarcasm and wit. We lucked out in that they had to delay Carnival this year, so it is happening now. People are all over in crazy costumes and the cerveza is following.
The sun is just setting at 9:30 and the festivities have not yet started. We are not night people, so we won’t be partying the night away. I guess we’ll check out the floats in the parade tomorrow.
mañana

June 5, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 49; Sunday, Cádiz
I got back to running in the morning today. The water is so different before the sun comes over the buildings and turns the water aquamarine. It takes me on a trip down memory lane. The ocean looks like JAX Beach early and then turns very Miami-ish later. I actually ran down onto the beach this morning and collected some shells. I could live here.
We visited the Cádiz Museum today. It’s kind of like three museums in one. There is an archeology part, a sacred art part and a modern art part. Roz was blown away by the jewelry they made and I was fascinated by the tiny pottery. I don’t know if it was functional or just cool.
There have been chairs and barriers set up all day along the street we are on, and people are dressed in all kinds of costumes, but we have no idea when the parade starts…Oh, it all just changed. It started around 8:00 PM, so it is going on into the night. Strangest thing. It’s dark out and the only lights on are street lights. It’s rocking, though.
mañana

June 6, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 50; Monday, Badajoz, Spain
Last night’s parade ended at 11:00 and when I went running at 6:30 this morning, it was all broken down and cleaned up. Pretty amazing.
The world reeks of Fabuloso! At the beginning of the pandemic, our neighbors on Santander Avenue had a grocery shopping ritual. The man would go out for groceries in a jumpsuit and face shield. He would return and place the grocery bags on the front step and individually “sanitize” each item, passing it in to his wife, who wore rubber gloves.He would then disappear into the back yard and reappear several minutes later in different clothes. At Publix the checkout person was required to spray the conveyor belt between customers.
The Air BnBs, ryads, taxis, private drivers, Ubers and especially hotels all smell of Fabuloso and other horrible odors. It’s disgusting. It’s like spreading that Purell crap on your hands. You are not eliminating germs. In fact you are spreading them. Stop lining the pockets of corporate America for producing worthless “eye dressing” products.
Verizon sucks. We set up an overseas plan before leaving the states. I keep getting notifications that we owe them money. We don’t. I’ve been on with them three times and each time they said they straightened things out. They didn’t. Got another notice today. Fourth time is a charm? I bet it isn’t. The bad news is AT&T sucks too.
Enough wining.
The ride up here went along sunflower field after sunflower field. The roads were planted with various colorful bushes. When we went up in elevation it alternated between high plains and mountains. This is a place we never would have visited. We are here because it is halfway to Madrid. But it’s a cool place. The hotel is great. There is minimal Fabuloso smell.
When we got here there was a panhandler who directed us to a parking spot and then demanded we give him money for his services. The problem is the hotel provides a parking garage.
The guy was pretty aggressive. I told Roz I may have to go Jolly Coppers on Parade Kenzo on him. I explained that at 68 years old that will throw him off balance for about 15 seconds, as I get up in his face and aggressively ask him if he knows whom he is f*cking with; after which he will realize he can just kick my ass and will commence doing so. I said, “As soon as I start getting in his face, run and immediately get help, unless you want to complete this trip solo.”
Luckily, the step forward made him retreat and I didn’t have to play the whole thing out (and possibly bleed out next to my wife and a rental car). It’s funny. In Madrid I am going to shoot a video called “Point Breeze Avenue,” about when I learned this move; well the Philadelphia PD version of it. I can’t wait to tell it.
mañana

June 7, 2022: No captain’s log