Chipiona beach picnic and sea glass hunt

Easter is here, and with it the promise of hope, and spring! Winter has been challenging in Spain, because it is never THAT cold, but it is still chilly and windy and rainy enough to keep the kids inside many days at a time... or risk dealing with a month of coughing and runny noses. I tried to take them to the park whenever it was sunny, but there were enough rainy Saturdays to destroy some of our daytrip plans, and give me cabin fever. So when March brought some warmer weather, I took advantage and started making plans on weekdays after school with some other preschool moms. If we couldn't get a good day to go exploring with my husband, then by golly I would have some adventures on my own!
A few weeks ago, I finally made a visit to Chipiona, the town a few minutes North of Rota on the Atlantic coast. One of my friends is living in Chipiona, and we were able to walk to the beach from her house. So we packed some snacks for the kids, zipped up the jackets, and had a picnic on the beach!

The beach wind was a little chilly, and the water was even colder. For the first time, I managed to take all my children to the beach during the off-season without anyone getting their feet/clothes/hair wet. The older two were deterred by the reminder that they would have to walk back in wet clothes if they went into the water... but the baby just wanted to walk headlong into those waves! So I had to carry him, while the others enjoyed walking on the beach, looking for sea glass.

Sea glass is a new phenomena to me. At first I thought it was sand that had been struck by lightning and turned into glass, like in the movie "Sweet Home Alabama." It is still beautiful, but the origins are much less romantic. It is just pieces of old glass bottles that have been tossed in the waves until they are frosted and smooth. So pieces are typically brown, green, or clear. I wonder if we have less of it in America because glass bottles aren't allowed on most public beaches? They seem to be allowed here, and on some beaches you can find many pieces of sea glass. The kids had a great time looking for it, and I'm sure we will expand our collection this summer!

Chipiona is a unique town, with a similar style, but different flavor, from Rota. There are fewer Americans, since it is a little farther from base, so it feels more authentically Spanish, even though it is still a seaside resort town. We were not in the downtown area on the main paseo (boardwalk), but there is still a very nice boardwalk and beach on the north side of town. From here, you can see the Chipiona skyline, particularly the famous lighthouse. It is the tallest lighthouse in Spain and, I believe, the 3rd tallest in Europe! The beach was quiet and empty on a Monday afternoon in March, but it will be crowded with tourists from many countries when summer is here. So I want to learn my way around as much as I can before the busy summer season arrives.

We had a lovely afternoon, and even got to purchase some fresh hot bread from the panaderia (bakery) on the walk home, which the kids promptly devoured for their dinner. :-) We will certainly go back to Chipiona and enjoy some more beach picnics soon!