Today was amazing and I don't even know where to begin. My tour started at 9 so we loaded the buses and first drove around Cadiz. It is claimed to be the oldest city in western Europe and you can see by all the varying styles of architecture. There are buildings from the Phoenicians, Romans, and Moors. Some of the highlights of this trip was the visit to the archaeological museum where they have a male and female sarcophagi from 5th century BC. They were Phoenician and since the Phoenicians were known for trading by boat all over the Mediterranean they picked up some ideas from the places they traveled, like Egypt and the sarcophagus.
We also visited the new cathedral which was very interesting too. Half of the cathedral is built in the baroque style with oyster stone (the native stone of Cadiz) and since it took so long to finish the top half of the cathedral is built with lime stone and in the neoclassical style. Unfortunately the limestone is not holding up very well and chunks are falling down. But don't worry there are nets to catch the chunks before they hit your head!!
We had lunch during the Siesta time ( 1-3 pm). We ate at a cafe/bar right in the plaza of the new cathedral. The food was so wonderful, we had tapas (or little appetizers), sangria, a pork dish and some chocolate cake. Lunch lasted a total of 2 hours, this is totally normal for Spain because they are people who work hard but love to relax and enjoy life equally as hard.
The other really cool thing I got to see was the watchtower. Cadiz is known for its many towers (over 160 towers in the city), but this tower is the tallest and original. Once we climbed almost to the top of the tower we stopped in a black out room. In the room has a contraption which used mirrors and magnifying technology to project real time images of the surrounding skyline. It was incredible, it looked like a movie, we saw clothes waving in the wind
, cars driving by, an occasional bird, and of course all the monuments and churches on the skyline. Then we proceeded to the top of the tower for some of the most beautiful views of the city.
After my tour was over I had about 45 minutes to change and rest a little before my Andalusia Flamenco night began. We took buses to a place called El Sotillo in the south of Cadiz province. It was very rural and beautiful. Once we stepped off the bus we were served wine or beer under beautiful flowering trees. Then we proceeded to the bull ring to watch the entertainment. We saw flamenco dancers charming an Andalusia horse, a Andalusia horse performance, and of course an amateur bull fight(meaning they use a smaller bull than the real bull fights and do not kill him). It was beautiful and majestic all at the same time. Then we went into a little hacienda for tapas and sangria and more flamenco with live music of course. The evening concluded with all of us joining the flamenco dancers on the dance floor.
I had a wonderful first day, experiencing so many aspects of Spaniard culture and life. I can't wait to see what today has in store for me.
, cars driving by, an occasional bird, and of course all the monuments and churches on the skyline. Then we proceeded to the top of the tower for some of the most beautiful views of the city.
After my tour was over I had about 45 minutes to change and rest a little before my Andalusia Flamenco night began. We took buses to a place called El Sotillo in the south of Cadiz province. It was very rural and beautiful. Once we stepped off the bus we were served wine or beer under beautiful flowering trees. Then we proceeded to the bull ring to watch the entertainment. We saw flamenco dancers charming an Andalusia horse, a Andalusia horse performance, and of course an amateur bull fight(meaning they use a smaller bull than the real bull fights and do not kill him). It was beautiful and majestic all at the same time. Then we went into a little hacienda for tapas and sangria and more flamenco with live music of course. The evening concluded with all of us joining the flamenco dancers on the dance floor.
I had a wonderful first day, experiencing so many aspects of Spaniard culture and life. I can't wait to see what today has in store for me.
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