 |
| Las Puertas de Tierra, Cádiz, Spain |
We were on a ferry from Morocco to Spain with our motorhome, Vanni. The ferry was late, and we didn’t get to our Tarifa campsite until well after midnight. Luckily, they let us in, and we stayed a few days there before driving on to Cádiz.
Our first view of Cádiz was Las Puertas de
Tierra, the impressive gates into the city.
Founded by the Phoenicians in 1104 BC, Cádiz is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, and we were looking forward to seeing it.
We had planned a few days in Cádiz, so found a camping ground in El Puerto De Santa Maria, just outside the old centre of Cádiz.
Founded by the Phoenicians in 1104 BC, Cádiz is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, and we were looking forward to seeing it.
We had planned a few days in Cádiz, so found a camping ground in El Puerto De Santa Maria, just outside the old centre of Cádiz.
 |
| Leigh in Cádiz, Spain |
A quick ferry ride the next morning, took us from
El Puerto to the Port of Cádiz. We took our bicycles on the ferry, and found it
easy to cycle into the old town and around its cobbled lovely streets.
We spent hours enjoying this attractive city and saw the Cathedral, market, several historic buildings and much more.
We spent hours enjoying this attractive city and saw the Cathedral, market, several historic buildings and much more.
At lunch time we enjoyed a seafood meal at a
little café in a pretty treed square, and topped it off with a jug of sangria –
delightful.
The next day we rode our bikes into the centre
of El Puerto De Santa Maria, a very quaint, old town with a maze of cobbled
streets and little shops.
 |
| El Puerto de Santa Maria bullring and Marg on her bike |
The town has lots of character, which includes the
oldest bullring in Spain.
We
really enjoyed El Puerto and Cádiz, then a few days later, we headed inland to
Seville.
We arrived at our camping ground in Seville
with the temperature in the 40’s and a very hot wind. We were
pretty overheated by the time we had finished setting up camp – thank goodness for
air-con.
The day we visited Seville city, we caught an
early morning bus in an attempt to beat the heat.
We were rewarded by seeing
this city’s amazing architecture before the large crowds of tour groups
arrived.
 |
| Leigh inside the Royal Alcázars (UNESCO), Seville, Spain |
What a stunning city. We especially enjoyed
wandering through the Royal Alcázars (UNESCO World Heritage Site), an ancient palace similar to Granada's Alhambra with its Moorish design.
Seville dates back to the 8th century, and has
had many rulers, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, and Castilians. The
various influences are evident in Seville’s wonderful architecture, making it a
very interesting place to sightsee.
We spent a few hours visiting the Cathedral,
the Archivo General de Indias (both UNESCO sites), the watchtower, city hall
and several palaces. Then we retired
to a café with fans that sprayed water to help the cooling process – great
invention.
 |
Marg at the Plaza de España, Seville, Spain
|
Then we spent a few more hours sightseeing,
with a highlight being the Plaza de España.
This huge Plaza, built in 1928 in the
Baroque, Renaissance, Moorish and Spanish Revivalist styles, is shaped in a
semi-circle around a moat. We found it quite beautiful.
After a nice long lunch and more sightseeing,
we survived the walk back to the bus stop, and congratulated ourselves on
having been out all day in the 43 degree heat.
Seville had surprised us with its vibrancy and architecture, but now we were on the road again, headed for the coast seeking the sea breezes to cool us off. On the way, we drove by the medieval town of Ayamonte.
 |
| Leigh in Ayamonte, Spain |
Stopping for a look around, we focussed on Ayamonte’s medieval quarter, which is quite lovely. It has narrow cobbled streets, lined with whitewashed houses and historic buildings.
We meandered through the town, enjoying the lack of tour
groups after the push and shove of Cádiz and Seville.
Ayamonte sits at the mouth of the Guadiana
River, which forms the border between the Spain and Portugal. It is the
southernmost land crossing between the two countries.
So when we left Ayamonte, we went via the very
modern cable bridge across the River to get into Portugal, which our next destination.