White Villages of Andalusia

This morning Norma and I woke up at the same time. We slept in - heaven. Had a leisurely breakfast where we were joined by the other STs and exchanged e-mail addresses and made plans for tomorrow's farewell dinner. We have a relaxing sea day to look forward to. My sore throat is getting worse so we are staying in our room for dinner tonight.
Tom, Sandra, Norma and I managed to get on the same bus for our shore excursion today. Had an excellent guide - well paced tour. We drove 45 minutes to Arcos de La Frontera, one of the white villages so named because most of the buildings are white. We took a small train up to the top of the hill where the oldest part of the town is located. We walked around the narrow streets enjoying the views and absorbing the atmosphere of the town. Went to an old church - I have never seen anything like it. Everywhere you looked, there were enormous carvings of wood which were then covered in gold leaf. There were ornate see-through coffins with mummified bodies in them - I kid you not. I have the pictures to prove it. What were they thinking? We ended the tour at the highest point of the town where we were treated to a glass of wine and some tapas and clean toilet facilities. From there we walked downhill to the bus for our next drive to the village of Medina Sidonia. It was siesta time so the village was quiet, most stores were closed, but very charming with intricately tiled walls and beautiful doors leading into some lovely courtyards filled with plants. Took a lot of pictures.
Then back to the bus where we got a peek at old Cadiz, the oldest city in Spain, situated on a peninsula with a huge coastline and beaches that reach right into the heart of the city. Just before that, we passed by some extensive salt marshes where I saw groups of Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), another lifer for me. After going through security at the port, ran through the rain to our ship. Apparently this is very special as it hardly ever rains here. Our weather has been pretty good so far. Further north, the days were mostly bright, sunny and cool. It is getting cloudier as we go further south but the temperature ranges between 18 and 25 degrees. We are definitely staying put in our room tonight. Will update again from Barcelona. May even get some pictures sent.