So, back on the train again at Madrid Atocha station, but this time we saw a different area of the station as we were getting on one of the Spanish fast trains. These trains go from a separate area of the station and you have to go through X-ray security, even though you are staying within Spain. Still, we’ve got nothing to hide, so after a bit of a wait we got on the midday train to Cadiz. The views were classic Andalucia – partly olive growing, but also extensive rice paddies. The train route takes you though the Guadalquivir Marshes, a natural region of marshlands on the lower estuary of the River Guadalquivir. Rice farming in this region produces 40% of Spain’s crop and produces a rice called Bomba rice (high in amylose pectin) particularly good for Paella.
Though a little late in Cádiz we had a good run and once in wandered about 20 minutes into the town, past the cathedral to the hotel. The hotel is in what is called the Old Town, but putting a date on this is complicated with a town like Cadiz, whose history spans from the Phoenicians to the Carthaginian empire, past the Romans, through the Moors with a little diversion to the Portugese and the English to eventually becoming Spanish. All these various occupiers and invaders have left their mark.
The first of the ‘marks’ we visited was the Roman theatre. This was only re-discovered in 1980 when excavations took place and it has since been partly excavated and preserved. It was clearly impressive and in its time would have taken around 10,000 spectators. However, it was abandoned in the 4th century and, then in the 13th century, to add insult to injury, a fortress was built on its ruins.
From the Roman theatre we then started wandering around the edge of the city and out to the Castle of San Sebastián. This is a fortress at the end of La Caleta beach which was originally on a separate island, though it was joined to the mainland in 1860. The fortress’s origins are said to date back to 1457 when a Venetian boat crew recovering from the plague were wrecked there, but historically, it is also thought that there might be a Roman temple there as well. The main fortress there was built in 1706 and this gave it much of its current form, so long as you ignore the more modern iron lighthouse (1908) and watch tower!
From there we walked past the beach – the Playa de la Caleta and round to the next castle – the Castle of Santa Catalina. This was built in 1598, a couple of years after the English sacked Cádiz and is actually the oldest military construction in Cádiz. It changed role and then became a prison in 1769 until 1991. It has a lovely small chapel with a wooden altar piece, though it was being used to house an art installation about plastic. The beach and town between the two fortresses apparently resembles parts of Havana in Cuba and so was used as a set for some of the opening Cuban sequences in the James Bond film, Die Another Day.
The next stop was the gardens of the Parque Genoves and then cutting back through the old town, past various squares to the Museum to find out ore about the history of Cádiz from Phoenician times through to post-Roman. The Phoenicians (coming from Tyre on the eastern Mediterranean) called the city Gadir or Agadir and it became an important trading hub, ideally located with good access to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It is thought that the original Phoenician port was established in the 7th Century BCE. It was originally two islands with a very sheltered canal between them, but this gradually silted up and by the post-Roman period there was no evidence left of it. The only evidence of its existence is a sign acknowledging the work of the academic – Francisco Ponce Cordones – who discovered definitive proof of its location. The museum was a good way to put the history of the city in its historical perspective, but with typical immaculate timing, most of it was closed for renovation, so anything post-Roman we couldn’t find out anything about!
Our wanderings then took us past a quirky part of the city’s history – the Oratorio de la Santa Cueva. This is a church composed of two oratories, one on top of the other. The whole thing is next to the Holy Rosary church in Cádiz. The Oratory was restored by the Veracruz-born priest, Don José Sáenz de Santa María when he came into some money and as part of his mission, he commissioned paintings by Goyaand also a piece of music from Haydn called The Seven Last Words of Christ. This was specifically to be performed in the lower chapel.
To keep the religious theme going our final stop was at the cathedral. This was built between 1722 and 1838 using money from the trade between Spain and America. The 18th century was a golden age for Spanish trade and this is reflected in the grandeur of the cathedral. The extended build period also meant that the cathedral went through various building styles and what started out as a Baroque design, then had Rococo elements added and ended up as a neo-classical edifice overall.
Cádiz has been something of a revelation. Not one which we have ever thought about much before, but definitely one with a varied and fascinating history. The mix of architecture and historical styles makes it an intriguing city to just wander around.