Spain 2016 - a more attractive Isla Christina

Mum and I saw this, in the distance, from the terrace, this morning. We thought it was a life saving boat from Isla Christina.

I took the ferry back over to Isla Christina today to see if I could find a more attractive or older section of the community. When I was over there last time I walked the huge beaches and back through a rather stark part of town, concrete, aging apartments mostly. This time I turned left after getting of the ferry at the marina and walked towards the church steeple, I figured that would be the old part of town.

There was a nice tree lined street up to the intersection by the church but no square.

A bandstand next to the church. There are a couple of restaurants clinging tenaciously to some sidewalk space but nowhere to really sit and enjoy the church facade.

I continued walking in the general direction of the fishing port and found this square. None of the restaurants or bars were open on it or I would have sat and had a cafe con leche and maybe sketched.

A house on that square with a facade, entirely tiled and

a ceramic balustrade.

I think it used to be #8 and now it is #7.

There were some other impressive houses on that little square. Plaques by their doors indicated that they had been built in the early 1900s and redone in the early 2000s.

Continuing towards the port, another little square with tiled benches and small trees. This building

houses the ornate cart and probably other ceremonial equipment that

makes the pilgrimage to El Rocio on behalf of Isla Christina. Translates to "Brotherhood of our lady of Rocio".

I knew I was getting closer to the fishing port when I walked down this street. Metal carts wet from carrying the plastic tubs of fish. Peaking in open doors to see metal counters with running water to clean and gut the fish and huge freezers and loading docks to take the products.

A bit of internet research yielded the information that Isla Christina is the 2nd largest sardine port in Spain and one of the most important for canned tuna and processed fish. It has a history of being an important fishing town with agreements to provide fish to Catalonia in the 1700s. The town was wiped out by the tidal wave caused by the 1755 earthquake and rebuilt the following year. But in walking around I saw few really old buildings, the oldest were dated in the early 1900s.

Lots of seafood restaurants around the parking lot at the wharf where the fishing boats unload.

Warehouses and factories, some with an indication that they sell to the public but it was 2:30 so even if they were open this time of year, it was siesta time.

Fish warehouses line the docks though many of them are used for other things now and the refrigerator trucks take the catch right from the docks.

or the restaurants come and pick up the catch.

Piles of nets, weights, buoys and ropes lie in organized chaos on the long wharf.

Just helping out, cleaning up.

Beside the fishing wharf is the lifeboat station. There are two freefall lifeboats here and I think that was what Mum and I saw this morning.

I saw this poster at the marina, looking for volunteers for the life saving squad.

I walked back through town to the marina to catch the ferry back. I had managed to find some attractive areas of the town but most of it seems to have been built at an unfortunate time architecturally. From the internet though I gather it is a very popular place in the summer, populated mostly by people who come from Seville to holiday at the beach.

Think this is what we saw, now moored at the marina.