Spain - Conil de la Frontera

10 – 26 December 2007

Heading east from the Algarve coast into Spain, there is a very large national park fed by the salt water tides of the Atlantic Ocean and the fresh water of the Rio Gualdaquivir as it flows south into the ocean. The largest national park in Spain at 73,000 hectares, it is home to a wide variety of animals including lynx, deer and wild boar, as well as numerous species of birds and waterfowl: imperial eagle, ducks, heron, and flamingos. Influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Africa it is an important refuge for migrating European and African birds and waterfowl.

We hope to visit it in some depth. But for now, the lack of roads running from Portugal to Spain along the coast means a big detour for us towards Sevilla in order to get to the province of Cádiz and the Costa de la Luz. (In Spanish most letters in all words are pronounced, so Roger’s last name would be “Elmayz”; accents indicate which syllable is to be emphasized if it differs from the typical accent on the second to last syllable.)

Roger’s attempt to avoid Sevilla and its high speed freeway interchanges and heavy traffic included a route to follow secondary roads to cross the Guadalquivir River at Coria del Rio by ferry, thus remaining at least 40 km south of the big city. In the end we were unable to find the ferry, it was getting dark, so we ended up having to go north to Sevilla and navigate its freeways during the rush hour. “The best laid plans of mice and men…” This meant spending the night at a free campsite at a gas station on the freeway, with 4 or 5 big transport trucks and no one else since the station closed at 2300. Marie-Claire slept like a log to the restful pulsing of the traffic.

Our maps or our navigation skills brought us during the morning rush hour into what looks like a small town on the map, Puerto Real. In reality it was a small city. Fortunately Roger’s Spanish was sufficient to get directions to the National Highway we were seeking to lead us to the coast. Interesting talking to a taxi driver at the train station during the morning rush, but knowing that we were visitors from “el Canadá” he was very helpful and patient, although unable to slow his machine-gun Spanish.

Having investigated a few campsites along the way and finding them too isolated with no bicycle paths linking them to a town we continued on to Conil de la Frontera, which we had read allows or at least turns a blind eye to overnight parking along their ocean-front promenade. We got temporarily installed and wandered up the hillside of this white-washed town that, apart from its extensive beach, could have been lifted from a postcard of Greece.

At the Oficina de Turismo a friendly lady gave us good information on the town and a nearby campsite, and told us that overnight parking along the promenade is prohibited and the police would tell us to move. Consultation with four German motorhomers who had stayed there three nights told us that we need not worry. So we decided to set ourselves up for a few days. Walking back to our motorhome we suddenly see a familiar face with a grand moustached smile jumping out of a big motorhome. It was Bernard; and Lucy from the Netherlands who camped beside us a month ago in Évora, Portugal. They have been on the road for several years, with brief visits to their former town. Australia was one of their long term trips, not in their big motorhome, seen here beside our smaller offspring (yellow highlights) and close to a green self-converted van. The last was carrying 4 young guys and one young woman, all from Sweden, on a trip for several months making music with their guitars, flutes and harmonicas. Bernard and Lucy were en route to Morocco with their motorcycle in their motorhome. Ah the contrasts in travel – viva la diferencia.

This area has been inhabited since the pre-historical period. But the first recorded settlements were those of the Phoenicians who set up highly productive tuna fishing almadrabas, a specialized net system for catching the migrating tuna, a method still practised today. These colonies were taken over by the Carthaginians who continued the tuna and sea salt industries. The Romans turned the town into an important port on the Roman Road from Málaga (on the Mediterranean about 100 km east of Gibraltar) to Cádiz 41 km north of Conil. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the town suffered invasions by the Vandals, Byzantines and Visigoths until its capture by the Moors in 711. The conquest of Sevilla by Ferdinand III in 1248 marked the beginning of the expulsion of the Moors from southern Spain. But the expulsion took time and the frontera (border) between the Moors and the Spanish Kings shifted with time giving rise to many towns and cities here enjoying the suffix de la frontera (of or on the border).

Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, a knight to whom Ferdinand IV granted the village of Huedi Conil, founded the modern town which was known for more than two centuries as Torre de Guzmán after this tower, here with its Christmas decorations, which he had constructed for defence.

Later Conil and the surrounding area on the Costa de la Luz became part of the fiefdom of the Dukes of Medina Sidonia until 1812 when the French influenced Cortes de Cádiz (Parliament of Cadiz) established a liberal constitution that abolished the 500+ year old feudal system.

Seven years earlier, on 21 October 1805, the combined French and Spanish fleet commanded by the French Admiral Villeneuve departed Cádiz harbour to meet Admiral Horatio Nelson and the British “Hearts of Oak” in what became known as the Battle of Trafalgar, one of the decisive battles of naval warfare. Cape Trafalgar is a few kilometres south of Conil, so the town was a witness to the decimation of the Spanish fleet.

Today there are few physical signs of this tumultuous past. The early 14^th century Guzman Tower above, a small portion and one gate of the old town wall (Puerto de la Villa) are the two principal examples of the few to be found.

The beautiful 16^th century Iglesia de Santa Catalina was restored in the late 19^th century resulting in a mix of architectural styles. Currently under renovation from its foundations up, its Moorish influenced beauty shines through the construction barriers and scaffolding.

The Count of Cinco Torres (5 towers) ordered the building of the Iglesia de la Misericordia in the 1760’s. Under his directions it was built in two parts; a church with an oval floor plan and a courtyard surrounded by dwelling places for 30 poor families.

In 1648 when it became clear that the existing municipal buildings were insufficient for the town’s administration, plans were drawn up to construct a new building. The lack of funds prevented this. One hundred and sixty-five years later the French occupation resulted in the dismantling of the 16^th century Monastery of the Mínimos Order and the
expulsion of the friars. In 1839 the municipal offices were installed in part of the old monastery (to the right of the church steeple) and in 1843 that part of the monastery was officially taken over by the town council.

The church is now the church of the parish of Santa Catalina.

In the district of the town historically inhabited by the fisherman the dramatically simple Capilla del Espíritu Santo (Chapel of the Holy Spirit) has a stark interior highlighted by
natural light and by the contrast of its simplicity and a gilded Saint Carmen. This 17^th century chapel was founded by a private family.

But this is a vibrant living town which expands its numbers 5 fold each summer as Spaniards

and others come to escape the heat of the interior and cities and enjoy sea breezes for summer vacation. In the winter, while a bit slower, it is still a busy place. Imagine having lunch at the “roadside” restaurant. To expand his business this restaurateur has simply expanded the footprint of his space by setting tables up in an available part of the street, and in summer each of these tables would be filled.

A winter night sees the local youth marching band rehearsing for Christmas. Now marching bands in Latin countries are a different experience from their counterparts in North America or for that matter in northern Europe. Picture “Feliz Navidad” played and marched at the slow march, lightened by drum riffles and the brass crescendos of blaring bugles blended with trombones

and trumpets. Add a dollop of cold evenings to get the feel for Christmas and call a daily practice for 8-10 P.M. 50 meters from our motorhome. Check out the range of ages with a concentration of younger members on the blaring bugles – maybe that explains the discordance. Actually it was a nice experience.

To add to the musical feel of the town each day at recess and lunch at the school in the background of the second picture (above in this post) classical music is played over an outside loudspeaker system while the children play games and run in the asphalt covered yard.