First week in Cadiz

Judy. We’ve been in Cadiz for a week, and I’m prepared to share a few reactions to this place.  I can call it a city, and it is, but is perched in the Atlantic at the end of a long, skinny bridge of land—as Alex says, “like a lollipop,”bay on one side, open ocean on the other. It’s on the southwest side of the country

First, some facts:  Cadiz has a long and fascinating history, most of which I won’t delve into now—you can certainly get a good idea from Wikipedia on your own. It’s said to be the oldest city in Western Europe, dating from the Phoenicians over 3000 years ago, and called Gadir (“Fortress”—which tells you what it was). It’s a great lookout point and fortress, not to mention perfect for trading routes, which is why the Romans hung out here (there’s a huge Roman theatre here, one of the largest and oldest extant).

Ruins of Roman Theatre

As a matter of fact, Romans would tell you that Hercules founded the city after his Ten Labors. So the Romans conquered and hung around, then, of course, invasions by Visigoths, and later, the Moors. By the Middle Ages, it became an important trading center (Columbus set sail on his second voyage from here, and lots of New World treasures came back), and this continued, with lots of wars with the English and French until the nineteenth century. The end result is a fascinating city with all kinds of architecture, and a very special type of Spaniard, the Gaditano.

The populated part of the city itself is about 4.4 square kilometers (1.7 square miles) with about 130,000 inhabitants—one of the most densely populated cities in Europe. Even so, population has dropped dramatically since 1999. We were told unemployment is at 26%. Our observation is that there are lots of pensioners here, and a few homeless people. There are also some very nice shops and well-dressed citizens.

Ted at the Rosa Arch

There are parts of the city where you can spot water on either side. We walked halfway around it, along the seawall, and it took less than an hour. BUT, the streets are  narrow and crooked and it’s easy to get lost (which I really enjoy—I mean, eventually you’ll come out somewhere you recognize).

The Atlantic

Cruise ships stop periodically, and the city is dependent on tourism, which mostly happens in the summer. A German ship docked here a few days ago, and while we were wrapped in our jackets, most of them had on shorts and windbreakers. One passenger told us the weather was perfect, and the Caribbean far too hot. So, if you’re from Northern Europe, wintertime here is no deterrent.

Speaking of weather, Cadiz has a mind all its own. Temperatures are in the fifties and low sixties Fahrenheit, and the sun shines most days. BUT there are those darned winds! If you’re in the sun with no wind, you can take off your jacket. Catch the winds and you’re in a winter coat with scarf, hat, and gloves. Even the Gaditanos! Today the winds were 19 miles per hour, and tomorrow they’re to be 30. Yikes!

We live in the Old Town in the Barrio de la Vina. Streets are narrow and angled, and a fishmonger sells his fresh fish outside our building every morning. We’re two blocks from the Atlantic and a block from the city market with its fresh fish and vegetables, as well as meats and beer. There is construction going on around us as old houses are being renovated, but we are well inside our building, with the only windows opening onto an enclosed patio open to the sky three floors up, so we hear nothing, except an occasional seagull cry.  It’s a pleasant surprise to leave the noisy, bustling street, close the door to the hallway of the building, and hear nothing. It almost makes up for the sewage smell that’s almost always present in the hall until you close the apartment door    

Ted relaxes in the living room

As yet to be used patio

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The apartment is small and cozy, as have been most of our Airbnb’s. It is, as many we’ve been in, furnished thanks to Ikea. The floors are marble, which is probably better in summer than in this cooler weather.

Cadiz buildings, much like the inhabitants, are a mixture of old and beat up and fancy and shiny. 

You’ll see old cannons that are upended and attached to the corners of many of the buildings; seems that there were so many left after all the wars that they were repurposed to save the edges of buildings that are so close together. I don’t know how cars get through these streets, but somehow they do, so I guess the cannons on the corners help the houses. There are surprises everywhere: an El Greco in a former hospital, several Goya paintings in the Santa Cueva Oratory. Of course there are churches everywhere, several with a Black Jesus or Black Madonna. Some churches are converted Mosques. 

Black Jesus

Black Madonna with white Jesus

We took a free walking tour (as we have in several cities—I highly recommend these) and our guide Pablo pointed out the importance of so many of the buildings, houses, and churches we’ve seen. We’d not really noticed the cannon corners, or the towers on most of the houses, which were there so merchants could spot trading ships coming in and fly flags to note what goods they were looking for. Now we see the towers everywhere.

Ted and Pablo

Updated house

Admiral's House-in transition

We’re still working on daily routine. Since we have no library for expatriates like we did in Oaxaca, or opportunity to teach, or even a church, getting involved in the community is an almost insurmountable obstacle. I’ve signed up for a yoga class, so maybe that will open some doors. We’ve pretty much fallen into the Spanish day—sleep till eight or so, linger over coffee or tea. We try to take a brisk walk or clean house to get some early exercise, then study Spanish or catch up on the internet. Lunch is around one or two in the afternoon, usually tapas or the fried fish Cadiz is known for, or we cook for ourselves. Reading and a nap is next, a walk around the city and maybe a coffee, then a light dinner and television or games. We’ve not yet gone out at night, something that will change when I start yoga in the evenings, and will certainly change once Carnaval begins next week. But that’s for another post…