Our First Port of Call: Cádiz

Our first opportunity to rid ourselves of our sea legs was in the darling Spanish town of Cádiz.

People have been living in Cádiz for more than 3,000 years, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe. Traces of the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans and North African Muslims, who once ruled these lands, can all be found on a short walk through the old town.







We stumbled upon the only church we visited and were impressed. The Padres Hospitalarios de San Juan de Dios began work on the church in the second half of the 17th century, and this continued until the end of the 18th century. The façade is built of sandstone from the ruins of the Roman city of Singilia Barba, except for the doorway which is made of red limestone from El Torcal.
The most important feature of the church is its interior, a treasure of the Andalusian Baroque style thanks to its decoration of intricate white plasterwork with a predominance of plant and animal motifs. "These ornamental motifs reach their maximum expression in the vault over the transept, which, particularly by day, commands the attention of its visitors."



















The Gran Teatro Manuel de Falla is one of the most popular and emblematic buildings in the city. It stands on the site occupied by a earlier wooden theatre designed by Manuel García del Álamo in 1870 and which burned down in a dawn fire on August 6, 1881. Its reconstruction began in 1884.
The theater is in the Neo-Mudejar style and its four façades are a characteristic red brick (the house of “colored bricks”, as it is sometimes called). It is truly stunning and a surprise to come upon.
The Balneario de la Palma - La Palma Spa was one that intrigued us. This very visible, and intriguing building, has been on La Caleta Beach in since it opened in 1926. After a checkered history the building now serves as a government administration office.
In 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, the building became the boarding school of the Naval fleet, returning to a spa in 1943.


A must was a stroll to the Castillo de San Sebastian. The castle is connected to the seafront promenade with a walkway called Paseo Fernando Quinones that ensures the castle is accessible at high tide. It is located on an island off-shore from the mainland city. This island has been the subject of continuous settlements since ancient times.


This, the gateway to the castle, is my favorite photo of the day!
Lunch was at the incredible Quilla on its scenic patio.

Tostas of ham and cheese for Steve and goat cheese and tomato for me, was just perfect to better fuel our explore.
The salted pistachio gelato for dessert helped, too.

How about this stack of sandwiches?... Next time, perhaps.

“One's destination is never a place,
but a new way of seeing things.”
– Henry Miller

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1 comments:

Erin Marlowe said...

The ham and cheese and bread in Spain is like nowhere else. I think I ate it every day when I visited that country.

May 2, 2024 at 11:42 AM

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