Donde Europa se encuentra a Africa

When we arrived at the beach in the little town of Zahara, that is a summer getaway for people from all parts of Spain and especially Madrid, my Spanish family pointed out to me that through the haze and just across the Atlantic Ocean you can see Africa. As I squinted my eyes and could barely make out the outline of a mountain across the water a thrill went down my spine of just how amazing the place where I am living is. To see a place that represents, through both its location, landscape, and architectural heritage the interaction of two continents and completely different histories, cultures and people, of Africa and Europe coming together between a short distance of ocean to influence one another. Of my limited travel experience in North Africa, I thought that the village of Zahara reminded me a lot of many of the places I visited around the country of Tunisia that also falls along the coast of North Africa. More than all this the thrill I felt upon witnessing another continent before my eyes so suddenly came from the connection that this small strip of land and sea provides between two completely different worlds, where Europe finds Africa.
The drive in car from Jerez de la Frontera to Zahara takes roughly 58 minutes through countryside and just maybe two small towns. According to my family the beach we went to just east of the town of Zahara and within their beach house community complex is the best in Spain. The beach stretches for at least a mile and the sand is clean, except for the occasional trash, and filled with interesting shells weathered down by the waves and small rocks that are smooth and perfect for skipping. The beach has an embankment before you reach the water, but nothing at all insurmountable and beyond that the water is refreshing for October and the waves come in sets with strength but not too roughly. As I tested the waters I saw a surfer enter the water to my right along the beach, though few other people were out because as today was a Friday, and October is no longer summer, not very many people go to the beach anymore. Today was a local holiday in Jerez, but only here, so the children did not have school, but everywhere else they did. We had little traffic on the drive in except for the occasional tractor or truck and though there were some people walking around Zahara, I have been told that in the summer you cannot find parking there and the town grows by about 1000 percent. In the winter the residents of Zahara live off of fishing and agriculture. Driving back to Jerez at night I could see the lights of the boats heading out to sea to begin a long night of fishing that will not end until 4-5 tomorrow morning. Though the weather was pleasant today apparently normally Zahara, up the river that enters the sea north of the city and in the surrounding countryside it is quite windy and wind generated power comes mainly from this area for Spain. Even driving into the area I could see some large windmills but it was not even until the late afternoon that enough wind arrived to begin turning their large blades.
As always for me, the beach is a place of my heart, no matter what country or continent or ocean I am dipping my feet into, therefore today, though busy and full of playing with children, was a restful one for my soul and one that restored some peace to my mind and body after a long week of adjustments here in Jerez. Even though the weather was warm at the beach and I was able to get a little more of a tan, the cool days are fast approaching in the South of Spain and in another week or so I will be able to wear a sweater and pants at the same time.