Calas De Roche – a quiet beach night
The next morning we continued toward Portugal. Along the way there were enticingly many Spanish cities we wanted to visit. The previous day in Gibraltar had been so active, though, that we decided to find a nice wild-camping spot near a quiet sandy beach. We chose Cádiz as our next destination, partly on the recommendation of a Swedish couple we had met earlier on the trip. While driving toward Cádiz we searched Google Maps and the Park4Night app for beaches nearby where we could spend a day and a night relaxing. As a result we headed to the village of Roche, just south of Cádiz, surrounded by excellent-looking sandy beaches. We picked a quiet roadside spot near a beach called Calas De Roche. The route to the spot ran through Roche's calm residential area over "thousands" of speed bumps. Once we finally arrived we were excited again – the road felt very quiet and next to it was a huge sandy area where the van fit nicely. On one side was a lush forest full of unusual-looking trees, and on the other, beyond low desert plants, the sun was glinting off the sea.
Right after parking we headed eagerly to the beach with our camping chairs. The beach was stunning, and we had it almost entirely to ourselves the whole time. We spent the day on the beach reading books and drinking wine. The weather wasn't quite warm enough for swimming, but in the sun, between the rocks on the shore, the temperature still rose to a pleasantly warm level.
After a relaxed beach day we cooked dinner and went for a short walk along the shore. The area was wonderfully calm, and it felt lovely to enjoy such a beautiful place without crowds. As night fell, the local lighthouse started to rotate, creating a magical atmosphere inside the van. We fell asleep once again under a clear, star-filled sky.
Cádiz – Europe's oldest city
After breakfast the next morning we headed to Cádiz, the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe. Thanks to the handy size of the VW Grand California, we again easily found parking at the harbour near the centre.
In Cádiz we strolled through atmospheric narrow streets lined with lively shops and restaurants. We stopped at a local café to taste some treats. At the same time I bought myself slightly tidier shoes, as my old ones had started to wear out badly during the trip.
We would happily have spent more time in Cádiz, but we also wanted to make it to nearby Seville.
Seville – the liveliest city on the trip
The drive to Seville took only about an hour and a half. In Seville too we found parking relatively easily after a short search, within walking distance of the centre. Seville is clearly a bigger city than Cádiz, however, so the walk was a bit longer.
When we reached the centre we fell in love with the city immediately. The atmosphere was noticeably livelier than in Cádiz. The streets were full of cheerful people, and music echoed through the idyllic alleys lined with orange trees. In the square a youth choir performed catchy Spanish songs while playing various instruments. People were inspired to dance to the music as well.
After wandering around the city for a while we stopped at a beautiful café for a snack and coffee. The café's central location on the pedestrian street showed clearly in the prices, however.
After exploring both cities we decided to continue our journey toward Portugal. The cities were quite similar in style, so in hindsight we could have picked just Seville as our stop.
