Anniversaries Ole

Cadiz.  Super view from one of the city's many towers, Torre Tavira

Puerto America Marina, Cadiz

Itinerary Cadiz, Spain: 10-14th October 2012.  Taking history lessons in one of Spain’s oldest, most notable port cities.  Their ham (jamon) and sherry is also highly recommended. 

Cadiz is said to have existed for over 3000 years.  The Phoenician’s settled, Hannibal plotted, Columbus sailed, Sir Francis Drake raided, Anglo-Dutch burned (to the ground), Napoleon desired and early American colonies traded - all from here.

Not perhaps quite how I'd like to be remembered...

Old city streets, lined with tapas bars and cafes, remain narrow and quaint. Painted apartment blocks are decorated with elaborate tiled balconies and wrought iron work.  Leafy squares pulsed with activity.  We biked, we walked and we caught a big red bus just to be sure that we saw as much as we could. Highlights of the city are sculptured gardens of Parque del Genoves, a massive baroque yellow-domed cathedral, 4kms of beautiful white sandy beach, isolated Castillo de San Sebastian and a camera obscura (and view) at Torre Tavira. BCK & GS also shopped in high fashion streets.  Locals are so very stylish that we all felt a little “boat crumpled” (that’s our excuse).

Oh, I'm sooo happy to have found you XX years ago! 
Tell the truth or the fingers are off...

Our fixation however was with tapas and, as luck would have it, we fell into a wonderful tapas bar somewhere deep in cobbled streets surrounding the cathedral.  We ate special ham (acorn fed pigs), smoked salmon, veal, octopus salad, cheese and drank beer, white wine and rose.  Plus a few reds…  Oh, and a digestive of sherry (we think!)  Well, we’re in Spain after all and we did have reason to celebrate.  And we’re very good at it….. except remembering the name of the tapas bar!! 

Watching the world go by through a ham curtain in yet another Tapas Bar

From: Ceuta, Spain  Lat/Long: 35:53.412N  05:18.821W   Date/Time: 10/10/12: 0125

To: Cadiz, Spain  Lat/Long: 36:32.544N  06:17.042W   Date/Time: 10/10/12: 1530
Time Taken: 73.5nm (14hrs)  Distance (this year): 335nm (55hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 10572nm   Weather: Little wind; very calm & flat  
Fastest Speed: Up early to make the best of tides through narrow Gib Straits; little shipping thankfully; heavy fog near Tarifa.  Good run until Cape Trafalgar when current turned and winds got up a little.

Yes, we did find time to catch a big red bus too,
our modus operandi to scope new cities!