The Atlantic port of Cádiz is situated two hours south of Seville by train on a narrow strip of peninsula that juts into the Atlantic. Over the centuries, the city has gone by several names: Gadir under the Phoenicians, Gades under Romans, Qādis the the Moors. Under the Catholic monarchs, the port served as a major naval center and the base of operations for the Spanish Amada. Indeed, the forts protecting the beaches below were built after a succesful raid by Sir Francis Drake in the 1500s. In the 1700s, as the Guadalquivir River began to silt up, Seville lost its status as the official port of trade with the New World. Cádiz entered its most splendid phase as the wealth of the Crown and prosperous merchant descended on the city. Given this fact, it is perhaps not surprising that the city has a very colonial feel, reminiscent of the Caribbean in many respects.The peninsula was the only part of Spain that Napoleon's armies failed to conquer. It was here in 1812 that Spain promulgated it first constitution, the so-called Constitution of Cádiz, which served as the basis for constitutions throughout Latin America. To commemorate this event and the looming bicentennial, the city is gearing-up to fulfill its role as the Ibero-American Capital of Culture in 2012.
This trip marked the first of several goodbyes. I managed to catch a nasty sunburn at the beach that required a trip to the emergency room a few days later. Too much fun can be dangerous!
La Playa de la Caleta, the setting "Cuban scenes" for Die Another Day.
The fortified entrance to the old city.
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