Excursión a Cádiz

Today marked the second excursion organized by my program. We visited the port city of Cádiz, which may be the oldest city in Europe. Founded as the trading base Gadir by the Phoenicians around 1100 B.C., Cádiz also has bragging rights as Columbus' embarking point on his second & fourth voyages. It follows, then, that the city's golden age was the 18th century, when the city prospered by 75% of Spanish trade with the Americas. After the loss of the American colonies in the 19th century, however, Cádiz plunged from its place as the richest & most cosmopolitan city in Spain.

CIEE led us on a walking tour around the city, where we saw the neoclassical ayuntamiento (city hall), circa 1800, & the catedral, whose origianl baroque facade was also completed in the neoclassical style. We climbed the dizzying concrete spiral ramp of the catedral's western tower for a 360º aerial view of the city. From here, we could really appreciate the differences in the air as well as the vista: it felt humid & breezy, & there was a distinct smell of salt. After the torre, our guide led us on a seemingly endless tour of old city streets, oceanside promenades & plazas. We all knew that both the beach & our 4 hours of "tiempo libre" were tantalizingly close, & even I found it hard to concentrate on photographing the sights.

Finally, we stopped in front of a beach & were released for the afternoon. Some friends & I spent our time swimming, laying out, tossing a frisbee & rediscovering that there's a reason the ocean is described as "briny." All in all, both an educational & entertaining excursion.

Photos here.

Nos vemos, Le <3.