"Surfer Girl"
"Surfer Girl" was another big hit for the Beach Boys - see also "Surfin' Safari" - and Madita, who is visiting us from Germany after finishing her "Mittlere Reife" (16-plus exams), was just that yesterday on the Costa de la Luz. A true "surfer girl".
Madita with grandma Rita
A two-hour introductory surfing lesson was our gift to our 16-year-old granddaughter for doing so well in her exams, so off we went to El Palmar near Vejer de la Frontera.
Rita helps Madita into her wetsuit
The sea was a bit rougher than the surfing teachers like for beginners, yet Madita made great progress and managed to stand up on her board several times, which is apparently unusual for first-timers.
Hence my name for Madita - "Surfer Girl".
Madita with teacher Victor
Her teacher, a long-haired surfing dude called Victor, was very attentive, full of good teaching techniques and with a positive and encouraging manner.
Despite being exhausted, Madita really enjoyed the experience and is already talking about coming back to "surf" again next year.After a relaxing normal swim and a brief sunbathe, we packed up our beach kit - sunbeds, sun umbrella, towels and cold drinks - and headed back to the car.
***
Now it was time for a late lunch / early dinner, before the two-and-a-half-hour journey back to Ronda. We headed for San Francisco, a beach-side fish restaurant that we knew from previous visits to El Palmar.
View of sand and sea from Casa San Francisco restaurant
Madita is a committed vegetarian, by the way, so no meat or fish.
We were given a warm welcome by our waiter Carlos, who pointed out dishes that could be adapted into vegetarian ones.
We ordered drinks and then our food.
Rita opted for vegetarian too, in order to support her grand-daughter.
They shared crema de salmorejo Cordobés con taquitos de jamón ibérico, with the ham pieces removed. Salmorejo is a thicker version of gazpacho.
alcachofas de la huerta de Conil con salsa romesco y papada ibérica
For mains they went for alcachofas de la huerta de Conil con salsa romesco y papada ibérica with the papadas (cheeks) removed.
Madita also ordered a portion of french fries (chips, to a German, are what we British call crisps).
calamar de potera a la plancha con vinagreta de cebollino y pistachos o relleno a la antigua
I eschewed a starter and went for calamar de potera a la plancha con vinagreta de cebollino y pistachos o relleno a la antigua (a whole squid stuffed with goodies and grilled and accompanied by a long thin batter tube filled with vegetables). The best calamar I've ever had in my 50 plus years of visiting / living in Spain.
The bill came to just over 100 euros - not bad for the quality we had enjoyed and the number of drinks (seven).
We headed home - Rita's turn to drive - with just one stop for a toilet break.
We were back home for 9.20 pm and a refreshing swim, followed by hot showers to get rid of the sand from the nooks and crannies of our bodies..
After that we shared our pictures and films of the day and sent a selection off to Madita's mum and dad.
© The Spanish Fly
Acknowledgements:
Cadiz a la carta
Paul Whitelock
Rita Whitelock
Links:
Bing Vídeos - "Surfer Girl"
Casa Francisco El de Siempre – Restaurante en el Palmar
The Spanish Fly - Travels in Spain (eyeonspain.com)
Tags:
alcachofa, Arcos de la Frontera, Beach Boys, Cadiz a la carta, calamar, El Palmar, escuela de surf, gazpacho, Germany, La Troupe, Madita, Medina Sidonia, Mittlere Reife, Paul Whitelock, Rita, Rita Whitelock, Ronda, salmorejo, surf, "Surfer Girl", "Surfin' Safari", Vejer de la Frontera
