Saturday in Cádiz!

 This weekend I took a day trip with CIEE to Cádiz, a port city about an hour and a half south of Sevilla. Cádiz is over 3,000 years old, which makes it the oldest city in Europe! It has been occupied by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Visigoths, Moors, and of course, the Spanish. Cádiz is such a unique city due to this eclectic mixture of culture, and our group spent almost three hours walking around the city trying to soak it all in. We stayed primarily in the historical neighborhoods of Cádiz, where the streets are very narrow, and the buildings are beautiful and ornate.

My favorite part of the day was climbing the bell tower of the Cádiz Cathedral (pictured above. photo credit to Brett Haschig!) The view from the top was simply stunning, as you could the whole town and many of the ports. One of the ports, (I'm not sure which...) was where Columbus set sail on his 2nd and 4th voyage to the New World.

                                                      

Two views from the top of the Cathedral

After touring the city in the morning, we kicked back and relaxed on the beach for the afternoon. I had assumed that because it has been so hot here that the Mediterranean would be rather warm, but in fact the ocean was quite cold! The water temperature was in no way a disappointment, however, and it felt quite refreshing after roasting under the hot sun. (I'm proud to say that I avoided major sunburn, which is no small feat with my ridiculously pale skin :) 

La Playa de La Caleta

I loved every single minute of Cádiz this Saturday, and I wish I could have had more time to explore the city. One day was definitely not enough. Cádiz is known for its celebration of Carnaval, which is essentially the Spanish equivalent of Mardi Gras. The celebration occurs in February and people parade through the streets in a masquerade style, playing music and living the good life before the solemn period of Lent. I hope to return during this time to see this festival first hand!