Cadiz-One of the Oldest Cities in Europe.

Cádiz- One of the Oldest City in Europe.

Cadiz is a unique Spanish city in the south west of the country on a narrow slice of land surrounded by the sea. Like most of the cities in Spain there is the old part of the city with all the historic sites and monuments and then there is the newer area of the city. On this visit to Cadiz we have planned to do our own thing and explore the narrow winding alleys and streets of the old town, to visit some of the churches and forts and to walk along the water front with its well-tended gardens and statues.

 

The Eurodam has docked very close to the old town and it is only a short walk to the monument Las Cortes set in the Plaza de Espana. This massive marble sculpture is the Commemorative Monument to the signing of the first Constitution in 1812 (but it was not finished till 1929.)

 

It is a charming walk through the narrow alley ways to the Plaza de la Cathedral. The sun is shining and it is a beautiful warm day. The streets are very narrow and the buildings either side are three stories high. It is too early for the shops to be open but there are many locals out for a Saturday morning walk with their dogs. Each alley way has lovely old style street lighting and there are colourful pots of flowers everywhere.

The Cathedral Square is very picturesque, little cafés, beautiful old buildings and a magnificent cathedral all face onto the square.  We really enjoy a self-guided audio tour of the inside of the cathedral. This building is being faithfully restored and it is full of precious Spanish religious paintings and sculptures. This Neo-classical Baroque Church is magnificent inside and outside. It has Neo-classical towers and façade and its cupola which was completed in 1838 it made of golden yellow tiles that glisten in the sunlight.

 

We then walked along the water front. From here you get great views of the beaches and also back at the Cathedral and other churches. It is a perfect day and there are lots of people on the beaches and many are preparing their boats for the coming summer. Saturday must also be the day for weddings and renewing marriage vows. Locals are dressed up in their Sunday best – all the young ladies are dressed in pretty short dresses, high heel shoes and fascinates. The children are dressed up also in long white dresses and the boys are in suits. I think that it must be Confirmation Day for some. Lots of people are out taking the all-important family photo to remember the occasion. There is a lot of activity in Cádiz today.

 

The main beach we pass by is La Playa de la Calera, it is the best loved beach in Cádiz as it is in the old town situated between two castles – San Sebastian and Santa Catalina. The tide was well out as we went by and all the brightly coloured row boats were high and dry.

 

We then venture into the Castillo de Santa Catalina (which has been beautifully restored) and walked through some of the restored building and around the walls. This Castle had fantastic old sentry towers strategically positioned along the walls and facing out to sea.

 

 

We continued our walk and came to the Parquet Genovese which is home to the beautiful botanical gardens.

We loved our day in beautiful Cádiz. It is a very clean and orderly city, full of wonderful architecture and history and I am sure that one day we will return to Cadiz to explore more of its treasures.