sySpringDawn

After crossing off another milestone from our list - passing Cape Trafalgar to port yesterday, we settled down in Barbate for a couple of days. This is the last place of shelter before one makes the break towards Tarifa and into the Strait of Gibraltar so we decided to wait here for a couple of days until the forecast was in our favour.

Barbate marina is another of the EPPA marinas owned and run by the Andalucia Junta. They're all very well run, cost the same price so you know where you stand. Although the marina itself was a tad soul-less, Barbate town is quite busy, it's a fishing port which is very proud of the local tuna fishing heritage. The fishing fleet in Barbate use a certain method of trap netting for catching tuna called almadraba and there is even a 'Tuna & Almadraba Interpetation Centre' - unfortunately it was closed when we tried to visit. Barbate also has a really nice looking long, sandy beach and it would appear that it's a popular holiday resort with the Spanish and as yet, untouched by other European tourists.

The main Christmas celebrations in Spain are held on 6th January, which we call Twelfth Night. The tradition stems from the visit of the Three Kings and the giving of gifts to Jesus. On the evening of 5th January most Spanish towns have their own Three Kings parade where floats pass through the streets and the Kings shower the crowds with handfuls of sweets and one or two extra treats (we saw several small soft toys thrown to children). All great fun. On the night of 5th January children leave their shoes out in the hope that the Kings will visit and fill them with sweets but if they've been naughty, a lump of coal is placed in their shoes. Traditionally, gifts are exchanged on 6th January (another public holiday) when families spend the day together much like our Christmas Day.

Another tradition is the sharing of a particular cake, Roscon de Reyes, which looks like a large glazed bagel, dotted with glace fruits. Treats are hidden inside the cake (much like our tradition of sixpences in Christmas pudding) along with one slice which contains a broad bean. Whoever finds the broad bean in their slice of cake has to pay the forfeit of buying the cake the following year.

We took a seat in a small bar on the edge of the procession route but a local fisherman who couldn't speak any English, decided we were his new best friends, planted himself at our table and continued to gabble at us. Oh dear! We have managed to learn a smattering of Spanish but not enough to converse with this bloke! Fortunately, we were bailed-out by another gent who told us it was probably best to move on (in English and very politely) as the mad fisherman really only wanted us to ply him with alcohol for the rest of the day.

We watched the procession from a convenient street corner and managed to catch a few sweeties. Then it was back to the boat for an early night in readiness for our trip into the Straits the following morning as the forecast looked very favourable.