Tuesday 3 May 2011

Cadiz

Looking forward to spending a couple of days on the long beaches of Cadiz, Mia and I set off from Seville around midday, arriving to grey skies and chilly Atlantic winds a couple of hours later.

View from the hotel


Navigating the local bus system was straightforward, and we found our hotel. It lacked the character of our nice room in Seville, but was very clean and comfortable, providing nice views of the ocean from the second floor.

The weather ruled out the beach, and so we walked the couple of miles back into the city along the water. There were one or two brave souls in wetsuits trying to make the most of the surf, although I didn’t notice any waves above two meters.

The city itself is said to be the oldest in Europe, and unfortunately has not been maintained particularly well over the years. We spent some time wandering around, and saw the cathedral from the outside and also the ruins of a Roman theatre. The theatre was completely shut off for reparations and the cathedral looked to be undergoing some as well. We decided not to linger at either.

Roman theatre ruins

The streets are a bit wider than Seville, and it was generally easier to find our way around. We sat down for a very nice lunch of calamari and a local fish specialty.  After this the rest of the day was spent walking to see the few small sights and parks that are dotted around the small city.

Local fish

Mia was very keen to experience some flamenco dancing while we were in Spain, and the helpful lady at the tourist office recommended a place on the way back to the hotel. We found our way there later that evening and were provided with a really good (and free!) show of flamenco dancing and singing.
Flamenco
There was a guitarist, several singers and a percussionist who supported a very talented young male dancer who clapped and tapped his red shoes about the stage at the speed of a humming bird flapping its wings. It was quite a performance, and also looked to be a graduation of sorts for him, as he was rewarded with some kind of commendation at the end. The whole experience was very authentic, and it appeared that this was the thing to do at the end of the week for the local citizens. The place was rammed full of a few hundred people, and Mia and I were very grateful to be able to see the show. I have to congratulate Mia on fending off waves of Spaniards trying to pinch my seat as I battled through the throngs at the bar to get us a few drinks.

Sunbathing and beaching was again ruled out for us the following day as the grey clouds and rain set in early. We again caught the bus back into town and visited the local market that was selling huge quantities of fresh seafood as well as at least as many delicatessens around the outside selling varieties of meats, fruit and cheese. Picking up some strawberries, we wandered out to the last remaining monument we hadn’t yet caught a glimpse of, found a nice tapas bar for some lunch and wine and whiled away the rest of the day having a few drinks, reflecting on the trip so far. We would make our way back to Seville the following morning, and then back to London the day after.

Cadiz fish market

All in all, Cadiz didn’t really go the way we’d hoped. I imagine that later in the year the weather would be much warmer and more amiable to beach activities. At this time of year there is only the sights of the city itself, which couldn’t really hold a candle to the magnificence of Seville, that we’d just experienced. We were very glad to be heading back to spend one more afternoon in Seville and finish our Spanish excursion on a high note.



I found it interesting that the Spanish don’t really speak much English, which compared to other western and central European countries, was a bit of an oddity. At the same time though, they are still quite a friendly people, and are willing to engage in a bit of communicative charades. Mia and I have both really enjoyed southern Spain, and are keen to visit again sometime. Perhaps Granada?

The best part of Spain

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

For example, I want to lose 5 pounds of fat by February 25th.
I spent hundreds of dollars trying to find that "quick fix" or magic solution that would have allowed me to drop
the desired pounds and have the perfect body. This can
be achieved by adding more weight, increasing the number of repetitions,
or by adding on additional sets.

Also visit my website: click the next page

Anonymous said...

Not only will they have cool items to add to Myspace, they will learn something
about our country in the process. This trend brings more enthusiast people to upload the beautiful funny videos to share with others and get their precious feedback.
Use old fabric to create puppets, monsters, and any other creatures that your child can imagine.


My blog post ... funny pictures animals cats

Anonymous said...

[url=http://w.chine-li.info/viewthread.php?tid=11364&extra=]louis vuitton for sale online[/url] (get more)


[url=http://bbs.zgmljj.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=515746]hermes outlet uk[/url] each choices to accomplish a minimum one segment or works of art in their home for various leads to. however, Not try to find again acceptable extra money to ordering their private item of very well-thought of art. as a result of extra length of work to workmanship needed in to make a artwork, sometimes operates by the actual most rookie musicians include a huge expense.


[url=http://0411game.com/bbs/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=945372]louis vuitton bags on sales[/url] 7 explanations Howcome uggs hunter wellingtons country unquestionably even better as compared with Its opposition

Anonymous said...

For normal delivery the mother should be fit to
cope with the delivery. My grandma can really feel vindicated at such a claim,she's been saying this all my life. Emotion linked to a definite objective is a strong mixture.

Feel free to surf to my blog - http://fitnesstipsonly.com/post/41363270147/jillian-michaels-challenge

Anonymous said...

People sometimes tend to think, “if only I were a celebrity, everything would be better”.
Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan had a rough battle, when the movies related
to them were released at the same time. However, today, the wedding photographers capture photographs
of moments that are precious and that you would
cherish all your life; and, when you least expects the wedding photographer to capture you.


Here is my web blog: celeb news

Anonymous said...

Along with the stories about celebrities and other things,
you will find many different stories about regular people and people who have made the
news for many different reasons. Who does not want to know what is happening in our favorite celebrity''.
This is why the said Albanian gossip thashetheme celebrity news blog page is
written in Albanian '.

Look at my web site latest celeb news

Anonymous said...

Heh. I see your blog has attracted some spam in this period of laying fallow.