We hopped onto Spain

Cadiz, Spain – April 9, 2014

We planned to get up at 9 AM in order to make breakfast on the ship. Stevie was having really hard time waking up in the morning. But once he woke up, he was happy to go. Hannah woke up before Stevie and on the right side of the bed. She announced we should go “hop on Spain” and then she said she would like to live in Spain.  The weather was warm (around 70 degrees in mid-morning and it was 90 by the afternoon) but very very windy. The wind made it cold enough that we were comfortable in light jackets most of the day.

 

 

 

The kids were happy to get off the ship for a while and continued their tour de playgrounds

 

When we got off the ship to hop on Spain, we were directed to a small tourist information stand right across the street. We asked if there were any playgrounds for kids and were directed to the Parque Genoves Gardens. The lady at the information stand also told us about a café near the beach that had free WiFi. We walked to the Plaza de Espana with the monument of the Constitution of 1812 and took a few pictures. From there we headed to the shore and followed it around the island until we got to the Gardens. It was a pleasant walk but Steve’s knee was hurting and that was not fun for him. Even before we made it to the gardens, we walked through a couple of manicured parks. It is amazing how every little inch of this island is built up and covered with rock or concrete. All the parks are manicured with just enough dirt around the trees.

 

 

 

Walking through the gardens on way to playground and WiFi

 

 

 

Kat and one of the many huge Ficus trees in the garden

 

One park had two HUGE trees that had leaves very similar to magnolia trees but not quite as shiny. It is possible they were ficus trees too. We were not sure what they were, but they were impressive.  The kids loved the little playground in the Gardens and we literally had to drag them out of there. I think we should call our trip “The Tour of Europe’s Playgrounds” as the playground seems to be the high light.

After the stop at the playground, we walked over to the café with free WiFi. We ate lunch there but it was disappointing. I ordered something with goat cheese and roasted bell pepper. What I got was a slice of bread with jam, a circle of goat cheese and a small piece of green bell pepper on top. Steve and the kids ordered hamburgers. We were not sure what kind of meat it was and the boys ate it, but it had rather suspicious color and texture. Odds are it was not beef.  The buns were burnt from the grill.  This rather disappointing meal cost about $50.00 for lunch.  Traveling around Europe for 6 weeks is much like living at Disney World for 6 weeks.  The only difference is that Disney would be less expensive. 

We used the WiFi to check e-mail. The waitress took our picture with the iPad and we e-mailed that as well.  After lunch, we went to another playground right next to the café. The kids loved it again. After a little play time, we went to see the Castillo de Santa Catalina across the street.

We walked back to the ship the same way we came, stopping at the playground in the gardens.  Hannah was getting tired and I had to carry her some because we forgot to bring the stroller. By the time we realized it, we were already off the ship and did not want to go back to get it.  We returned to the ship in mid-afternoon and went swimming.