Took a day here in Cadiz to explore the sights, and, following the pattern of the last week, it was sunny though cool in the morning, warming and burning off whatever clouds there were in the afternoon. I suppose, like anywhere, one could spend much longer to actually get to know the place, but the old city being so necessarily small (it being perched on a long thin peninsula), I felt I got most of the highlights in my day of sightseeing.
I started by walking along the waterfront and exploring the fortresses which long made Cadiz a nearly impenetrable stronghold. On of the forts is out on a long spit accessible by a thin walkway over the reefs and sand, and it's easy to imagine the havoc it could wreak on any invaders foolish enough to come super its guns. Though still impressive, they haven't gone too far out of their way to restore or explain to the visitor the history of the place- there were a few signs in Spanish that I generally got there gist of, but it seems the tide of EU historical money I have seen so many other places in Spain hasn't gotten here yet.
It had gotten to the very impressive main cathedral in town, which apparently underwent a major renovation. A large part of the charm of Cadiz is that most of the older buildings are constructed of a fossil-rich limestone, which over time has eroded fairly significantly, so everything seems pretty crumbly- which is great for aesthetics, but bad for giant towering highly ornamented churches. By now suffering from inevitable cathedral fatigue, I moved on to the Museo De Cadiz. I have been a bit spoiled so far in museums being housed in buildings as magnificent as their collections, and this one is not, but it did have a great archeology exhibit focused on the very long history of Cadiz- from pre-history, through the Phonecians (they have a pair of nearly intact sarcophagi that are awe-inspiring, considering they are nearly 3000 years old) , through the Romans (which also gave a nice teaser for Bolongia, where I was to visit in a few days), then the Moors, and so on. Upstairs was another Museo De Belles Artes, which I have come to understand is as "religious art museum." Sort of pearls before swine for me, since being poorly educated in art history, all the vast canvases of ecstatic saints and Virgin mothers and cherubs and Christ at various stages of the passion have now run into kind of a blur for me. Plus, as I mentioned, after the stunning museum in Seville, this one was second fiddle. I finished the day with some more strolling around various excellent waterside parks, eating the famous fried fish out of a paper cone (sorry England, invented here first), and soaking up an outstanding view from atop the Torre Tavira (the tallest of the hundred or so watchtowers in Cadiz).
Sleepy from a poor night's rest there night before (thunderously loud snoring roommate), and having a big day of riding the next day, I reluctantly skipped the flamenco dancing trip that night (I would probably be more game if it started before midnight).
The extensive history must reflect waves of Mediterranean traders? I've read that the Vikings [sic] also traded into the Mediterranean. Did any of the historical sites or exhibits deal with that, perhaps. It seems like your weather luck on this trip has been better than good...
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