Weekend in Rota

This weekend my husband finally got a day off! Yes, the rest of the American forces here enjoyed a 4-day weekend for Columbus Day, but we were happy just to have Saturday and Sunday together. :-) He also had permission to leave base for the first time in weeks, so we made several trips into the town of Rota, just to stretch our legs, explore a little, and experience some of the Rosary festival, which is in honor of Mary Our Lady of the Rosary, the town's patron saint. The celebration started Thursday, with the procession of the "Damas," teenage girls representing various organizations from the city. We did not attend, but it seemed like it was basically a beauty pageant, with the crowning of the "Grande Dama" who would preside over the weekend festivities. All weekend, there were concerts and carnival rides in the city. However, most of the events started at 8PM, and since our kids aren't quite on Spanish time, that wouldn't work for us. However, we were able to go into town at noon on Friday and Saturday to see everyone flocking downtown for the parades. Friday's parade was a little strange, with huge colorful heads, and I was not sure what they were representing. But Saturday's was a procession of the Damas in horse-drawn carriages, and I knew our kids would like that! But... I made a small mistake. The main event was in Plaza d'Espagna, which I thought was the town square between the castle and the cathedral. So we headed there and staked out a spot at one of the cafes. We were surprised to see a wedding come out of the cathedral and fill up the square, and the kids enjoyed watching everyone. But we heard music coming from 2 blocks away. Daddy and Sophie walked over and saw the horses and carriages, but by the time we got our food and ate, they had moved on to the music and dancing. Which was fun too! All the damas were in elaborate dresses...

 and they had the whole crowd dancing and clapping! Even though it was VERY hot! Sophie and Danny both loved watching the "princesses." We had fun and came home with some tired kiddos.

We also made a stop at the town fish market and got some fresh salmonetta and mussels. We cooked them up Saturday night, but there will be a separate blog post about that. :-) For now, I'll just say it was a fun and delicious weekend!