Jerez de la Frontera is the birthplace of sherry. According to legend, the name sherry comes from the British pronunciation of Jerez’s Arabic name. The white soil there is the secret to the flavor of sherry.

In town there are stacked barrels showing where the vineyards are. We stayed in Jerez only long enough to check out the Gonzalez Byass headquarters. Tio Pepe, made by Gonzalez Byass, is one of the oldest and best known sherries. The tour consisted of driving around the lot in a cheesy little train. After the train ride, we were shown the cellar where the sherry was aged in oak barrels. The tour was cool but when I had some Tio Pepe, it was horrible.

On the way to the next town, Arcos, we saw a field of sunflowers. We stopped to take pictures of ourselves and the car, including one where you can see the damage done in Toledo.