Port of Call–Cadiz & Visit to Jerez de la Frontera

We had another early “get up” as we were scheduled to dock starboard-side-to in the Port of Cadiz (pronounced Cad-ith)  at 7 AM. I think we had lines over before that, but by 7:41, we were walking down the gangway.  We needed to kill an hour before we met the rental car agent at 9 AM, and we made good use of the early morning hour to walk the “painted” trails that lead us to interesting old buildings and churches in this, the oldest inhabited city in Europe.

Before I get into that let me share with you a scene we witnessed near the waterline below our verandah, as we approached Cadiz Harbor.There were dozens of seagulls surfing the wind created by the bow wave and as they came near the bow they would raise up about as high as the bridge (one deck above us), sail back on the wind and get back in line.  By the time I had the good sense to get my camera they had diminished in numbers, but this will give you an idea of what they were up to:

It seemed as though they were escorting us in to port and having a great time at it.

We had three objectives to day and the first was to pick up “gold plated”car, I use that term because to rent on a Sunday in Spain, there was a “Sunday surcharge” the total for the day to 74 euros or close to $125 dollars.  But for what we wanted it for the price was worth it -  here is the car – very small Fiat – Panda:

Here it is, parked on the wrong way on the street in front of where lived in the 70’s, and here is our second objective, to visit our old neighborhood and here is a picture of the Villa we lived  in for three years:

There is now a second story and the fireplace chimney was added, but as you can see it was very private.  Security seems to be a lot more of a concern than it was 38 years ago. All of the homes have security systems and locked gates. Sad to say, our landlady’s beautiful mansion, around the corner, is now a part of a children’s school.

Our third objective was the Fairgrounds, which is the site of two fairs annually; the Horse Fair in the “primavera’ (Spring) and the wine festival in the fall.  Sadly for us, the Spring Fair kicks off at 10 PM today, so you will have to use your imagination in viewing a daytime picture of the  center of the grounds, and while you are pretending, imagine beautiful antique carriages being pull by a team of matched horses, as beautiful women are “paseo –ed” up and down the streets.  As well, there  will be men on horseback with a beautiful Spanish lady riding side saddle behind him. All the women will be dressed to the nines in their colorful flamenco dresses.

Lining the streets are elaborate cassatas, offering food and drink, some private and some public, which will all be removed and rebuilt before the next fair.  Fair time was one of the highlights of our time living close by in Monte Alto..

It was a wonderful day of exploration, and I must say that the Spanish drivers are much better today than the years ago.  I felt very comfortable driving our rental car, even when my navigator (Barbara) set my course down narrow one way winding streets of the old gypsy quarter – there were places when I don’t think even a pedestrian could have shared the cobblestone street – think one our alleys in town and then halve that! We hade a gorgeous day (75 degrees) and because it was Sunday, families were out if force. Some with their little girls dressed in their white, fluffy confirmation dresses.

That’s about it for this evening – we are currently approaching the Straits of Gibraltar, and  we can see some lights in the distance but it is 9:39 Pm and darkness is setting in, so I don’t think we will be able to get any pictures.  By maritime law ships on an easterly heading must sail nearer to the Moroccan coast.

We are currently at 35 N, 005 W with a speed of 15.4 knots and a headwind of 40-50 knots. Outside air temp is 64 degrees.

Next: Almeria, Granada and the Alhambra.