Cadiz

Ah, Cadiz. Home of the Spanish navy for ages and lots of those ancient ocean-going explorer blokes. Christopher Columbus (who was Italian) set sail from near here (under Spanish sponsorship) in three small ships that I wouldn't sail on Port Phillip Bay let alone an uncharted ocean. Ironically he is better remembered in Spain as an adopted heroic son than he is in Italy.

Old town Cadiz is at the end of a long narrow isthmus which at some places is no more than around 50 metres wide. Just wide enough for a road and a train line and that's all. It is also one of the oldest populated city in Europe and has records dating back through the Phoenetians to some 3,000 years ago. We strolled along the Atlantic side of the isthmus on a sandy beachfront called Playa Victoria. It was fairly early and not much was happening.

Oh, people. We have a confession to make. We have finally turned to the dark side and bought a selfie stick. One day we might work out how to use it, but in the mean time please bear with our first bumbling attempts at "Selfie" photography.

On the way to the Cathedral we came across the Plaza de la Constitution and its gateway through the old city walls. Couldn't miss it really. This is an old walled city after all so you really have to go through a gate to get in.

We passed the old Roman Theatre archeological site (Jackie didn't, she had to go in and have a look) and walked round the rear of the Cathedral to the plaza in front. It was alive with people and restaurants and bars and souvenir vendors and entertainers of varying quality. And cruise liner tourists, about 20,000 of them arrive each day. The longish queue for Cathedral entrance didn't phase us. We'd seen worse, much worse, or were we becoming slowly more Spanish in our outlook. The cathedral is an enormous piece of Neo-classical architectural glory. The interior is surprisingly light and doesn't have that baroque "cram everything in everywhere" appearance, which is a pleasant change.

We've long since learned that lunch in places close to tourist landmarks is expensive, unauthentic and usually slow in arriving. We, clever people that we are, moved on to the Mercado or central market area, where the food is cheap, plentiful, local and oh so fresh, fresh, fresh. We had bocadillos of freshly cooked eggs, bacon, tomatos and cheese. For desert we had about a kilo of the largest, juiciest, freshest strawberries I have ever seen. Around 8 euros the lot.

Off the the Torre Tavira. It is one of the 100 or so surviving towers in Cadiz and is the tallest. Merchants would watch for incoming ships from their towers and thus get the best prices for their trading goods, such as spices, wines and especially chocolate. From the top there is a breathtaking 360 degree uninterrupted view over the whole of Cadiz, so the climb up the many steps is well rewarded.

Also installed in the tower is a Camara Obscura, a modern day installation of a very ancient invention. It was first devised way back in the 12th century, with subsequent improvements by Leonardo during the Renaissance and Sir Roger Bacon later in England. It is rather like a large periscope with a large mirror at the top and a couple of focusing lenses. That's about all there is to it. It projects a magnified image of whichever direction it is pointing onto a large parabolic screen. Since it is displaying the image in very real time it is quite something to see birds in flight, clothes flapping on clothes lines, workmen not working and people walking about on the streets. Sort of God vision.

Still generally making a circuit of the town brought us to the Casa de Quatro Torres, a large house featuring 4 towers, and the Plaza d'Espana featuring the Monument to Las Cortes. This is in tribute to General Cortes and those other chaps who wrote the Spanish constitution in 1812.  

Under a certain non-descript apartment block is the Catacombs del Beatario. Originally a hostel for lay women, the burial crypt underneath has miraculously survived a history that includes the women being evicted for being religious, being a bomb shelter during the Civil war, being converted to a monastery and lastly being converted to its current apartment block and being used for general storage by the tenants. Now it is a neat and creepy place to visit. So neat they even run Escape Room events there sometimes. Bogey, bogey, bogey.

A quick walk through the gardens to the bus stop where the gigantic cruise liners make for an impressive backdrop. Then a simple bus ride back to the accomodation, where we collapsed. 

The Atlantic beach front, Playa Victoria, leading up to Cadiz in the distance.

The harbour coastline is only about 100 metres to the right and parallel.

One of several Beach Clubs on the Playa Victoria.

A good spot to relax and have a cocktail or something nice.

An archeological remnant left on the beachfront.

Kids play on and stuff, so it can't be too significant, can it?

These gates in the city wall divides the old and new areas of Cadiz.

This is the Plaza de la Constitucion, because the Spanish constitution was signed in Cadiz in 1812.

Some of the ancient walls of the Roman Theatre.

Even the Romans had a piece of Cadiz at some stages of its history. It's a very old city.

The majestic neo-classical facade of the Cathedral. Are you guys Cathedralled-out yet? 

Spain sure has a lot of them. I took some interior shots just in case.

The hand carved wooden choir of the cathedral.

Notice the wooden busts on the top are all different and individual.

 The high altar and altar setting.

This beautiful hand wrought grill separates the Choir from the Nave.

 Typical street scene in old Cadiz.

Outside the central market was a series of street paintings by a local artist. I didn't get her name unfortunately. She paints with great felling and sensitivity.

Here a lady greets her cat and the cat responds in kind. Lovely sentiment.

 This one is called The Return of the Emmigrant.

A very touching scene don't you think? Even the cat and the dog add something to the atmosphere of "glad to have you home".

 Her works, about a dozen in all, grace the end of the Mercado or central market.

Public art like this I could watch all day.

A view east to the port and the harbour bridge in the distance.

This shot was taken from the Torre Tavira, the highest of the surviving watch towers of Cadiz.

  

Again from the Torre Tavira, you can see the towers of the Ingresa de San Miguel.

There is a 360 degree uninterrupted panorama of this beautiful city from the tower.

 Here is a view towards the cathedral. It backs right onto beach front.

Jackie enjoying the view from the tower.

A hard climb but oh so worth it. And didn't we get a lovely day for it?

 The tower also features a Camara Obscura.

While it may be old, the concept is still perfectly valid and a magnified image of anywhere in the city can be presented on this large parabolic screen. No photos during the viewing, too dark anyway.

 The Casa de Quatro Torres (house of 4 towers).

The nice end is a hotel where we nearly stayed. The other grotty end is private apartments

 The Monument to Las Cortes in the Plaza d'Espana. Every town seems to have a Plaza d'Espana of one sort or another.

This is in recognition of the signing of the Spanish constitution in 1812 as well. 

 A nearby fountain in a nearby park.

This one had squirting turtles and you know I just can't resist a squirting turtle.

See, I told you I couldn't, didn't I?