We were up before the 8:19 a.m. sunrise to walk a little
over two miles as the ship sailed into Cadiz harbor to dock. The temperature
was 20 C, the sky had a little bit of cloud and the breeze was light. We
decided to have muffins and café mochas at the Café al Bacio for today’s
breakfast, before going to the theater to check in for today’s city tour.
Cadiz is an ancient city on the Atlantic coast. It was part
of the old Moorish territory of Andalusia.
Before the Romans, the area was inhabited by the Phoenicians back to
1100 BC and claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited European city. The old city is located on a peninsula and is
the flamenco (traditional dance) capital of Spain. The Cadiz Cathedral is the final resting place
of Christopher Columbus. Cadiz harbour has been the home of the Spanish navy
for almost 3oo years. Some of the 18th
century city walls still stand and, in some sections, hug the seashore. In the old town the streets are narrow and
some traffic is restricted. In some
plazas the stones used to pave the roads were ballast from ships when they
returned from the Americas. Spain’s first
liberal constitution (La Pepa) was signed here in 1812 after Napoleon Bonaparte’s
defeat. A recent discovery of a Roman amphitheatre in Cadiz was an important
find. Many ships sailed from the Cadiz port
during Portugal’s Age of Discovery starting in the early 1300s with knowledge
of the Atlantic Ocean’s Canary Islands and Azores then continuing along the
west African coast to avoid the Saharan Moorish traders and progressing around
the world into the 16th century. Cadiz thrived during this time, becoming wealthy
and attracting explorers, merchants, businessmen, boat builders, entrepreneurs
and their families. Grand houses were built with tall towers so that the owners
could spy on activities in the harbour. The
English sailor Francis Drake, known as the “Dragon” by Spaniards, destroyed 30
Spanish ships in 1587 when his fleet attacked Cadiz harbor. In 1805, the famous Battle of Trafalgar
between the British fleet and the combined navies of France and Spain was
fought in the ocean near Cadiz. After the French under Napoleon Bonaparte and
his brother retreated from the Iberian Peninsula in 1812, the new Spanish
constitution was proclaimed in Cadiz.
Some passengers took trips to Seville which took over
eight hours, at least 4 ½ hours on the roads to and from Cadiz.
Our tour started by bus, for a panoramic drive around the
main Cadiz area, through the old city and into the new part to see the beaches
on the Atlantic side of the peninsula. The
guide was difficult to understand for the people at the back of the bus even
when she increased the speaker’s volume. The guide pointed out landmarks and some Cadiz’s
statues, before we were dropped off for the walking tour portion of the
morning. Due to complaints to the Shore
Excursions desk, of not being able to hear the bus commentary, all passengers
on bus 20 received a $20 US credit on their ship account. Cadiz’s old train station design was
influenced by the students of the architect of Paris’ Eiffel Tower. We paused for photos of Santa Maria beach on
the Atlantic Ocean side of Cadiz and saw the small harbor used by the
Phoenicians over 3000 years ago. Cadiz had
the largest US navy base in Europe. The walking
tour started at San Juan de Dias Square and wound through the old city cobbled
stone streets. We passed City Hall built
in 1799. Next the “new” cathedral with a golden dome and tall towers originally
designed in Baroque/neo-Classical style. It
took over 120 years to complete. We were
guided through the church, its high alter and its crypt and had a few minutes
to explore on our own. One of the
chapels held a silver “float” by Enrique de Arfe, carried
through the streets in religious parades. The silver came from Mexico on
Spanish galleons. A pipe organ is located on two of the walls of the choir
stall. The limestone used to complete
the church, since it was cheaper than marble is not as resistant to salty air
and pieces crumble from the high ceilings, justifying the netting strung about 8
or 9 meters above the cathedral floor.
We saw St James Church one of many locating in Cadiz to be the base for
sending missionaries to the Americas to convert the people there to Catholicism. The monk who founded some of the California
missions (that we visited in May) was sent from a Cadiz based church. Our last stop was Flowers Square, where the
flower market is located, before walking to Flamenco place, La Cava, for a 45
minute Flamenco dancing show, Sangria wine and sampling tapas – either Spanish omelet,
ham or cheeses. The show was the crown
of the tour. The tour ended in Plaza
Espana for those people who wanted to stay in the old city rather than take the
3 minute bus ride to the ship. Here there is a huge statue “Las Cortes” erected
in 1912 commemorating the centenary of La
Pepa, the new Spanish constitution. We
walked back to the ship in less than five minutes. There was a bit of cloud,
the wind was stronger and the temperature was a pleasant 26 C.
After lunch in the Oceanview Café, we went back to the old town of Cadiz,
we walked along the old city walls and when we diverted a narrow street, discovered
the San Antonio Parish Church originally built in 1669 and renovated several
times over the centuries included the current baroque style from 1858. We had logged more than six miles so we
returned to the ship for a stop at the ice cream counter. Then we found a lounger in the shade on Deck
15 to enjoy the warm weather and read.
The ship got underway about 30 minutes late, due to two buses returning
from Seville being late.
We joined Pat and Frank for dinner. Two evenings ago, they had been moved to
another stateroom and couldn’t make dinner in the dining room. Tonight we chose Greek Salad and Seafood
Bisque soup as appetizers. For entrées
we selected Lamb Shank with root vegetables and coucous or Grilled Chicken
Breast with beans, carrots and mashed potatoes. The desserts were Bittersweet
Chocolate Fondant and Banana Napoleon cake.
Entertainment
tonight was violinist Inna Tolstova. She
played a mixture of electronic and classical music, including music that she
had composed.
About 10 p.m. the ship was near the western entrance to
the Strait of Gibraltar. The outside decks were off limits to passengers due to
high winds.
Miles logged today 8.7.
Tomorrow we arrive in Malaga for two days. It is on the Costa del Sol, a tourist
destination.
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