Emerging from the boat in Gibraltar marina was surreal. Tears were shed and many hugs shared before Anthony set off to catch his flight back to London. Minutes later we found ourselves eating breakfast on a sunny restaurant terrace that overlooked Arcadia, floating happily in her slip. The next few days were spent exploring the small British territory and slowly prepped for our next journey. Like any good tourist, we took a cable car up to The Rock. 40% of Gibraltar is a mountainous nature preserve so opportunities for hiking, cave tours, wildlife viewing, and historical sightseeing were plentiful.

After a few day of R&R we felt ready to set off on our own. A group of tourists enjoyed watching us prepare to leave, so we confessed that it was our first solo sail on Arcadia. They cheered for us as Neil successfully navigated the marina departure. It was a perfect day for saiiling. Warm steady winds at our back allowed us to make great time and feel comfortable aboard. We sailed all day and night, and arrived in the town on Motril the next morning. It’s a small place, known as one of the friendliest marinas in southern Spain. It was our “port in the storm” for several days as we waited out heavy unfavorable winds. So, we took the opportunity to travel an hour inland to Granada where we visited the magical Alhambra. It is one of Spain’s most important sites where Moorish architecture and history is the star, but intermixes with that of later Spanish nobility. Apparently we stood in the room where Ferdinand and Isabella met with Christopher Columbus to fund his voyage. In Granada we also got to meet up with a couple who are friends of the Millers, which was a treat. Granada is a highlight of our journey so far, and we love that it was entirely unplanned.

Our “sail” away from Motril was less glamorous. In fact, it was pretty miserable and anxiety provoking. We probably should have waited one more day for the weather to settle further because we ended up motoring straight into strong winds and huge waves for 12 hours before reaching our anchorage for the night. Arcadia kept us safe but it was a nail-biter.

After two more day sails and overnights in nearly deserted coves, we reached Cartagena, Spain. Cartagena is a gem. The marina and harbor are beautiful, and the city center has marble streets. Really. Our first tourist destination was a Roman amphitheater that was buried for centuries until it was discovered and excavated in the 1990s. We walked under a gate with Lucius Caesar’s name into a theater for 8000 spectators and were gobsmacked. How does something that size become lost for centuries? In Cartagena, we also made more effort to be part of the local culture, eating at local haunts and attending a small local festival.

We left Arcadia in Cartagena and traveled by train to Madrid to catch a flight home for a couple of very important graduations. Before departing, we took in the sights. One fun evening was spent checking out Picasso (and more) in the Museo Sofia Reina and then meeting sweet Elise Johnson for drinks and food at the respectable Spanish dinner time of 9:30 pm.

After a great trip home where Sarah got to see niece Audrey graduate, and Neil was home for nephew, Felix’s graduation, we made our way back to Spain. Our flights converged in Barcelona. Unfortunately Neil’s luggage took another week to arrive. That’s a story for another day. Before leaving the mainland we spent a couple days in Valencia (home of Paella and the Holy Grail) and one in Alicante. In Valencia we stayed in a B&B in an orange grove, ate delicious meals, and walked the city’s historic district. We found ceilings high enough for Neil at the gothic La Longa (15th century silk exchange) and Sarah indulged in some instagrammy photos.