Thursday, December 12, 2024
The Beautiful City of Cadiz
Spectacular clouds greeted us as our ship pulled into the Port of Cadiz in the Andalusia region. The beautiful sunrise reminded us of the saying, “Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” While the weather wasn’t terribly stormy that day, it was windy and rainy and very wet, with dramatic whitecaps in the bay.
The suspension bridge and sunrise as seen from the ship.
Located on an isthmus, the City of Cadiz (the capital of the Province of Cadiz) is surrounded by the sea, making its lovely beaches popular summer tourist destinations. The most popular of the many beaches in Cadiz is La Playa de Caleta Beach, which is situated between two castles — the Castle of San Sebastián (1706) and the Castle of Santa Catalina (1598). Le Caleta and its boulevard so resemble the Malecon and the city of Havana, Cuba, that it served as the set for Cuba in the James Bond movie, Die Another Day.
La Caleta resembles the Malecon in Cuba.
One of the oldest inhabited cities in Western Europe, Cadiz was founded by the Phoenicians as a trading post. In the 18th century, the Port in the Bay of Cadiz was the main harbor for Spain’s mainland. Cadiz has many well preserved barrios in the Old Town, which is surrounded by remnants of city walls. To accommodate modern traffic, two arches were cut into the ancient walls of the Las Puertas de Tierra (16th century). Much reconstruction and preservation is going on throughout the city.
Throughout the old city are narrow winding alleys and large connected plazas. In the newer sections of town, stretch wide avenues and modern buildings. Very impressive about Cadiz are the many parks throughout the city with exotic plants and giant trees brought from the New World. Everywhere there were elaborate Christmas decorations and lights. Some trees were so encrusted with lights, that they looked like they were full of white blooms.
The Catedral of Cadiz is one of its most famous landmarks, but there is much to see, including an 18th century watchtower. At one time, there were 160 towers in the city, built primarily by merchants to watch out for incoming ships bearing their imports from the New World. However, the Tavira Tower, the tallest remaining one left, was built a high point in the city and served as the Navy lookout.
Although we did not get to see it, Cadiz has a Roman Theater in the El Populo area. It was discovered in 1980 when some old warehouses burned. Underneath that spot was a layer of medieval buildings, and beneath those, workers discovered ancient Roman stones. It turned out to be an almost entirely intact Roman theater, built in the 1st century B.C. It is the second largest Roman theater in the world.
Our bus took us past some of the most lovely parts of Cadiz, including the Roman Theatre (which we really couldn’t see), the old Royal Prison, and the Puertas de Tierra, separating the new city from the Old Town. Next, we rode through the “new” Cadiz, past Victoria Beach and the hotel district.
Excursion: Panoramic Cadiz & Jerez with Sherry Tasting
A view of the winery gardens.
What impressed us the most on the way to Jerez was the magnificent La Pepa suspension bridge (which is lit at night) that crosses the Bay of Cadiz and links with Puerto Real on the Spanish mainland. It is the longest bridge in Spain, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the entire country, and one of the highest in Europe. Its beauty reminded us of our Skyway Bridge. Driving across the marshlands, we enjoyed views of flamingos on the flats.
Flocks of Flamingos can often be seen in the flats outside of Cadiz, but the birds were too far away to be captured in photos.
The Andalusia region, where the cities of Cadiz and Jerez are located, is famous for its sherry production. Traveling to Jerez, a lovely city with strong Moorish influences, was like a trip back in time. Jerez de la Frontera is not only known for its wines, but also its horses and flamenco. The historic center is so well preserved, it has been declared a historic artistic site.
Jerez is considered one of the most Nobel towns in Cadiz, with aristocratic palaces and it unique Andalusian architecture, characterized by Moorish designs, such as horseshoe arches, elaborate tile work, large courtyards, roof terraces, whitewashed walls, and intricate carvings. Strong Renaissance and Baroque influences are evident throughout as well, characterized by symmetry, proportion, classical elements, and grandly ornate detail.
Our first stop was for shopping in a beautiful square, where tented booths were set up. Beyond the booths were shops, including a lovely bakery. We had just enough time to visit an ATM for Euros (or first time ever in another country — with a charge of about $7), and buy some unique candies at a booth and a few souvenirs.
Next, we stopped at an imposing, neatly preserved fortress, the Alcazar de Jerez de la Frontera, which is surrounded by an expanse of neatly planted rows of heavily laden sour orange trees. Our excellent guide said that the city owns all of the orange trees (everywhere you look in the city) and every year the city holds a harvest. The oranges are primarily sent to England, where they are made into orange marmalade.
Overlooking the fort is the gorgeous Cathedral de Jerez de la Frontera, built in the 17th Century in Spanish Baroque, Gothic, and Neoclassical styles. It is spectacular, and could also be seen from the sherry winery that we visited next.
The winery is located downtown in the old section of Jerez.
Rain continued falling and grew heavier as we walked to the sherry winery, the 19th Century Bodegas Tio Pepe, located in the heart of the historic district. The tour was truly an unforgettable experience, from the beautiful mansion, to the bodegas (wine cellars), to the modern building where we would experience the wine tasting.
Stepping down from the main building, we walked brick cobblestone walkways, passing by “the most beautiful street in the world,” which is canopied by grape vines and traverses to a spectacular view of the cathedral.
Passing by the lovely wine shop that we would visit at the end of the tour, we entered the fabulous wine cellars, where barrels had been signed by famous people who had visited through the decades. We looked at displays of antique bicycles and cars as we learned all about the sherry making process. The spectacular bodegas felt magical — like nothing we had ever experienced.
A large, modern building, decorated throughout with statues of the winery’s symbol, Tio Pepe, greeted us next. Tables with sherry glasses were lined up for us, along with small snacks. We tasted two white and a red. The whites were dry, but the red was absolutely the best — a delicate, lightly sweet cream style — perfect. Afterwards, we visited the wine shop and quickly located the red sherry, purchasing two bottles. We also bought a cork with the red hat of Tio Pepe. At around eight Euros, the sherry was very inexpensive. We expected it to be over $20 a bottle. We should have purchased a case of it!
When we finished shopping, our guide walked us back through the rain to our bus, for the ride back to the city of Cadiz, which took us over the La Pepa suspension bridge. Before returning to the ship, we took time to walk through the city and enjoy a bit of lunch in one of the beautiful little cafes.
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