The city of Cádiz lays claim to being the oldest city in Europe - the Phoenicians allegedly founded the place in 1104BC.
Most of modern day Cádiz is not that old, however, but the architecture is nevertheless splendid and mostly dates from the 18th century. Only the ruin of the Roman theatre provides evidence that the city is much older than it looks.
 |
| Cádiz - Plaza de la San Juan de Dios |
 |
| Manuel de Falla portrait in the Cathedral crypt |
There are many baroque buildings including the Hospital de Mujeres whose main attraction is a painting by El Greco - the 'Extasis de San Francisco'. Other places of note are the Museo de Cádiz and the Gran Teatro Falla, named in honour of composer Manuel de Falla, who is buried in the crypt of the Cathedral. There are lovely places to walk in the city like the palm-fringed Plaza San Juan de Dios and the bustling Plaz de las Flores.
The jewel of the city, though, is the cathedral - the Catedral Nueva looks particularly splendid from the waterfront. Its dome glitters like gold in the sunshine but in reality is made of yellow glazed tiles.
 |
| Cádiz Cathedral © Robert Bovington |
Cádiz - the province
Cádiz is also the capital of the province of the same name - one of the eight provinces of Andalucía. Other important cities are Jerez, famous for its sherry and Algeciras. Tarifa is an interesting place and is the most southerly town in Europe. It is also a tad windy - handy for those that go there for the windsurfing!
 |
| Tarifa - old town gate © Robert Bovington |
But most of all the province of Cádiz has tremendous scenery and dramatic landscapes. It is a nature lover's delight with many protected areas including the Sierra de Grazalema and the Parque Natural de Doñana.
 |
| Sierra de Grazalema © Robert Bovington |
Robert Bovington
more blogs by Robert Bovington...
"Photographs of
| |
"postcards from
| |
"you couldn't make it up!"
| |
"a grumpy old man in
| |
"bits and bobs"
| |
"Spanish Expressions"
| |
"Spanish Art"
| |
"Books About
|
No comments:
Post a Comment