Touring Cádiz

I'd been sharing details from my in-laws recent visit. The last time I posted about their trip, I mentioned going to the gypsy market in Cádiz. We did the gypsy market thing and then decided to stick around the city for a while and see the sights.

We'd asked our base tour guide where to pick up the ferry so we'd have transportation back to Rota since the group we were with would be leaving us. We wanted to purchase tickets in advance so we'd be assured a seat on the ferry. He gave us directions and said it was only about a 20-minute walk. The guy must walk incredibly fast as it was more like an hour-long walk for us.

We saw these ginormous cranes on our way to the ferry. The boys would have loved these as they looked like something out of Transformers.


We needed a break from walking and saw this tour bus, so we ended up getting tickets to ride it around the city. The bus naturally couldn't navigate the narrow streets, but the driver pointed out the main attractions. The ride was relaxing, cool and worth every euro spent... definitely the way to go!


Here are my in-laws on the bus. We rode on top so we could see better... you know, so we'd have optimum photo opportunities.


We passed by the famous Puertas de Tierra, which links the older and newer parts of the city. Cádiz is three thousand years old, which makes it the oldest city in Europe.


The beaches of Cádiz are beautiful! The city is almost completely surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.


Who wouldn't want to be lounging under one of these umbrellas, drinking something cold and refreshing? Of course it was late-September, therefore tourist season had pretty much come to an end in this area, which is why you don't see more people on the beach.


I'm not sure which beach this is, however, allow me to pass along a little piece of trivia to you... Playa de la Caleta in Cádiz was chosen to shoot some of the beach scenes for the James Bond movie "Die Another Day." I guess the most memorable scene of that movie was when Halle Berry comes out of the ocean and walks up the beach wearing an orange bikini equipped with a knife, looking SPECTACULAR. Ah, if we could all look like Halle Berry, right? It should be a sin to be that beautiful, but I digress.

Where was I? Oh yeah, back to our tour of Cádiz...

The golden-domed 18th century structure is the "Catedral Nueva" (New Cathedral), which took 116 years to complete. Another piece of trivia for ya.


This is the Hotel Playa Victoria, one of the newer, more contemporary hotels, located right on the beach.


You know me and my lighthouses... I had to have a photo! We can actually see this lighthouse and part of the coastline of Cádiz from our backyard.


This is Parque Genovés (Genoves Park), a beautiful garden area on the edge of the city. Squawking parrots are supposed to be plentiful here.


Wanted to show you one more photo from the park. You can see how large the trunk of this tree is by looking at the people standing to the right of it. I'm wondering just how old the tree is.


Every city has its fair share of statues, doesn't it? And of course I take photos of these works of art, only to later discover I have no idea the significance of them. This one is no different for me. Sorry. It's pretty though, isn't it?


I love the various architectural styles. Every building has a certain beauty.


Here's the cathedral from a different angle. It faces a big square with shops, bars and restaurants with outdoor dining tables.


This is one of the massive doors of the cathedral.


I thought this was a really pretty floral display.


Any guesses as to how old this door might be? I don't know either, but doesn't it look ancient?


I have no idea who this is, but I was totally intrigued by her look. I'm such a people watcher!


The ferry travels to both El Puerto de Santa Maria and Rota. We took the Rota ferry and we traveled past our housing area on the way home.


We spotted this gorgeous home during our ferry ride. I would love to get a closer look, wouldn't you? What a sweet location!


We approached the ferry landing and marina in Rota.


We're almost there! The lighthouse is very welcoming, isn't it?


Here's the last scene from our trip. I like looking at the boats in the marina.

We enjoyed our day very much and highly recommend the Cádiz bus tour. My next post will include a few photos taken on the final day of my in-laws' visit. Later...