Matalascañas

While the rest of the world is cooling off as fall begins, it’s still in the 90s here in Sevilla, so I knew I had to use my weekend to travel to a nearby beach. I originally was thinking about going to Cádiz, but a fellow auxiliar was already planning a trip to Matalascañas, in the province of Huelva, so I, along with ten or so other auxiliares joined in for a lovely Saturday at the beach.

We met at the bus station in Sevilla, and the bus arrived in Matalascañas about an hour later. Despite the continued warm temperatures, most Spaniards have a very specific beach season that does not continue into October, so the town was relatively empty and quiet. There were still a fair number of beach-goers, but most were Americans, Brits, Germans, etc. Pfft, I go to the beach in California in January if it’s warm enough, as it often is. October is a great time to go.

Arriving in Matalascañas.

The biggest landmark in Matalascañas is La Torre de la Higuera, a fallen, upside-down, 16th century watchtower built to defend against the Barbary Corsairs. Kind of reminded me of something out of Lost, like the giant four-toed foot. (Anyone?)

La Torre de la Higuera. Thanks, Google Images, for the photo, since I failed at getting a good one of it, despite sitting in front of it all day.

We had a lovely, relaxing day at the beach, soaking in the sun, wading in the water, and chatting with new friends. After my year in Madrid, I no longer take being near the ocean for granted, so hooray for beaches near Sevilla! This weekend, I’ll be returning to the beach, but this time in Lagos, Portugal, a guided tour with surfing, sailing, and more fun that I get to join in exchange for doing online marketing for a local tour company. Sweet deal, but more on that later!

We have the day off today for Día de la Hispanidad (related to Columbus Day). Hooray! And tomorrow, I’ll stay in Sevilla and join my students for a field trip to see a performance of El Mago de Oz (The Wizard of Oz).