Spain 2016 - Spanish side of Guadiana and Sanlucar

Having spent all day yesterday inside due to the wind and rain, we decided to get out of the apartment today even though wind and rain were still in the forecast. We drove up the Spanish side of the Guadiana River (not close to it as there isn't a road close to it), through Villablanca and San Silvestre de Guzman (both pretty whitewashed villages) to Sanlucar de Guadiana.
We ate our picnic lunch facing a small farm plot - orange trees, grape vines, chickens and 3 sheep with 2 lambs.

He was having lunch too with his little tail wagging like crazy.

We had a coffee in a restaurant right beside the river and then I did a little exploring.

I wanted to get up to the windmills above the village.

The town wharf packed with boats and more on mooring buoys out in the river.

Looking across the river at Alcoutim, on the Portuguese side, where we were 2 days ago.

On the way up to the windmills I passed a trail marker. It looks as if it goes along by the river and hopefully I can come back on a nicer day and walk some of it.

I had fun taking pictures of the windmills from a variety of angles, but as you can see, the weather was deteriorating and it started to drizzle.

As the wind and rain picked up I took refuge in that little doorway in the windmill.

The view from my little refuge. I could see a band of clear sky coming so waited about 20 minutes and then it stopped and was sunny and beautiful for the walk back down.

Clear blue sky but you can see the next storm bank on the horizon. Don Quixote would have tilted at a similar windmill as I looked them up on the internet and the ones at La Mancha look just like this.

The next 2 hills along the river had ruined windmills (or watch towers?)

I walked back down the hill and met Mum coming up. She had taken refuge in the car so both of us had escaped the worst of it.

Great weather for ducks

Back in the car we tried to get to the fortress above the town. Unsignposted, so we wiggled our way up there with guesswork

It had been renovated to the point that it looked new and we could see no indication that we could get inside, just walk around, but it was way too windy for that.

Great view of the river and the two villages. You could see why it had been built there.

Drove back and stopped at Sonrisa, on the beach, for a glass of wine before heading home for supper.