Rota is the type of cruising locale about which you have to be wary. The town is charming, the marina conveniently located, and the inhabitants friendly. You could easily become trapped by the ambiance and stick around for way too long.

The tourists are almost exclusively Spaniards, and many of the yachts are here for the summer, escaping the heat of nearby Seville.

We are ensconced on an end tie (hammerhead). The cleats are cast aluminum with stainless bolts, and probably plenty strong, but just in case we have rigged double bow and stern lines.

We may be the only boat with air conditioning – it  is hot and humid – and the rest of the folks are making do nicely with the dock hose for bouts of evaporative cooling.

Works for man and beast.

There are lots of kids, the very young to teenagers, hanging out, enjoying the sun, having fun with the other kids and their parents. A very relaxed, easy going environment, given to late night dock parties.

One of the attractions of Marina Deportiva is its location adjacent to old town. This of course means narrow streets.

We are warily sharing these thoroughfares with cars, trucks, two wheeled vehicles, and other pedestrians.

The windows all have bars, an indication of a past predilection with personal safety we are told. However these days the crime rate is quite low according to our local sources, so the bars are now an architectural treatment.

It takes us a few days to get our bearings in a new city.

We now know where the fresh bread is in the morning, as do these ffolks.

Sunday seems to be a day to hang out with friends, show off the kids, and frequent the many restaurants.

There are quiet plazas every few blocks, with bench locations optimized for watching the world go by.

The plazas are typically served by several restaurants, offering a variety of local fare, which we have enjoyed sampling. It is not unusual to move from one to another. Our buddy Richard Black, who swallowed the anchor in exchange for a lovely apartment  here, took us on an evening trek, explaining the various delicacies. We started eating at 11PM and didn’t wrap up until 1AM, at which time the local populace including their children, were still going strong.

Richard explained that being a waiter is considered a good job, although seasonal in Rota. Tipping for service is not considered good form.

Part of the charm of Rota is in the old town facades. They are varied enough to be visually invigorating, the type of environment that does not become boring with familiarity.

Many of the locals do not have cars (and parking is very scarce) so small neighborhood merchants can compete with the bigger stores that require more effort to visit.

Since the Moors dominated this part of the world as long as the Spanish, you would think this was a mosque or other Moorish edifice.

Wrong. It is the local public market, lined with small stalls selling a variety of different foods. Richard is educating us here on the local ham.

There are many varieties, most of which are cured without preservatives or sugar.

The butcher is preparing samples for our gustatorial enhancement.

This type comes from happy little black pigs, who run around free eating acorns, until the fateful day. The acorn diet works. This is good ham!

Local custom is that you do not fondle the fruit and veggies.

The proprietor, with his or her expert eye does the picking for you.

Another specialty store sells olives. After a complex decision making matrix we settle on oil and garlic olives. Again, no preservatives or chemicals.

We might need to come back for more in a few days – they are really good.

The apartments in Rota all have interesting entrances, often leading to inner courtyards.

Rents are quite reasonable by US or UK standards. On a year around basis you can aquire a pleasant, well appointed apartment of 800 square feet (75 square meters) for around US$800 per month.

There is even an Irish Pub, although whenever we passed by business seemed slow.

This caught our eye. Many, many years ago, we were in the concrete forming business.

We have another date with Rota on the calender. It needs further investigation when we exit the Med. a month from now.