Cadiz

SPAIN DIRECT TRAVEL SERVICES S.A.

Cadiz

The sea has always played an important role in the history of Cadiz. Cadiz is one of the oldest cities in the west, where trading between the Phoenician ports of Tyre and Sidon took place. The Phoenician Gadir became Carthaginian and then Roman Gades. It later fell to the Arab invaders after the battle of Guadalete in 711 and was finally conquered by Alfonso X in 1262.

Today Cadiz is a great transatlantic port, with ships sailing regularly to Barcelona, the Canary Islands and South America. It is a social and cultural city with important tourist resources around the actual city and province.

There are not many ancient relics to see in the city of Cadiz itself, as many were destroyed in wars. We have to go to Archaeological Museum to see some native Turdatanos, Phoenician and Carthaginian relics.

However Cadiz has never been excavated systematically and many new remains are discovered when building new structures. The cities best artistic treasures are to be found in the Museum of Fine Arts which is one of the richest and most interesting art galleries in the Andalucian region.

Despite its lack of monuments in its capital, the province of Cadiz has much more to offer.....

The hills of Cádiz should not be overlooked. The - Ruta de Los Pueblos Blancos - Route of the White Villages is a surprising journey through an amazing world with places like Arcos de la Frontera, Bornos, Grazalema, Ubrique (specialized in leather craftsmanship), El Bosque, Olvera, Vejer de la Frontera and Zahara ... There are abundant marshy terrains and only stand out at the horizon the salt pyramids of the San Fernanado and the Puertos salt mines, the white country houses and the villages.

Beyond the moutains, the verdant countryside opens out into a wide chequerboard of plains, golden with wheat and sunflowers.

Jerez de la Frontera

Just 20km inland from the coast, Jerez de la Frontera is another Andalusian village characterised by its own special myth. While in Ronda it is bullfighting, here it is the famous Carthusian horses and its famous sherry. The two go hand in hand: wealthy wine growers who have lived in the area for generations set up vast country estates and were quick to adopt country persuits like breeding throrough breds to match their lifestyle. Jerez horses and wine society is notorious among Andalucians for its airs and graces.

Over 200 sherry bodegas (wine cellars) are located here and visitors can tour the cool, musty cellars of the famous producers. Twice a year, the whole town turns out for events which have reached international acclaim: the Jerez Horse Fair and the Wine Harvest. In May stock farmers bring out their very best for a week of haute ecole dressage displays, vaquera (the unique Andalucian dressage), jumping, carriage driving and thorough bred showing, accompanied by the usual consumption of jerez and tapas, bullfighting and flamenco dancing. In September, the wine harvest takes place, with similar celebration as the grapes are crushed. Its art entwines intself around Andalucian mythology. Its magnificent Colegiate church acts as the setting for the popular annual wine-harvest festivals. The monastery is only a few kilometres away from the centre, with its Gothic cloister; it is where the famous Carthusian horses were kept, and is where the annual fair is held.

Many of the bodegas close down in August but for the rest of the year tours can be arranged on most days. Booking is essential. Each bodega has a tradition of celebrity autographs on its dusty old barrels and visitors to Gonzalez Byass, for example, will spot the signatures of General Franco and Orson Wells.

The tours demonstrate the sherry and brandy making process and end with a tasting, based in the saying "if you dont have one copa (glass) by eleven, you must have eleven by one". The wine is aerated by pouring it with a flourish from heights of one metre or more into tiny glasses called copitas.

The Royal Andalucian School of Equestrian Art is located next to a 19th century palace in a beautiful park, and is regarded as one of the top dressage schools in the world. The Spanish thorough bred is a brave, intelligent breed with graceful movements and a characteristically long and flowing main and tail and is ideally suited to the intricate movements of haute ecole, or High School dressage. The spectacular Sinfonia Caballo, which the Spanish describe as a horse ballet, takes place every thursday at 12 noon and needs to be booked well in advance. Alternatively, visitors may be able to watch the horses in training on other weekdays and tour the stables and tack room.

In the town of Jerez most of the major sights are within walking distance of the Plaza de Arenal, the towns main square.

Like most towns in Andalucía, Jerez was once occupied by the Moors and boasts an Alcazar. East of the Plaza de Arenal, the San Salvador or La Colegiata Church is a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles and has a seperate bell tower. Facing the church is theBarrio de Santiago, a fascinating maze of narrow streets that was once the gypsy quarter of the city, hemmed in by the remnants of the old city wall. As well as the location of several interesting Gothic churches and a small archelogical museum, this is also the location of the Andalusian Flamenco Foundation, housed in an 18th century mansion. Concerts and exhibitions are staged here throughout the year and an audio visual presentation takes place on the hour on weekday mornings explaining the history and art of flamenco. Further north, close to the School of Equestrian Art is the Museo de Relojes, (watch museum) of Jerez. Here one can find a collection of over 300 antique clocks and watches, all functioning and said to be one of Europes most important collections.

One of the pleasures of travelling to the town of Jerez is the countryside that we pass on the way there. Known as the Route Of The Bull, one can see the brave fighting specimens in their natural habitat. This is where many famous breeders raise their bulls, preparing them for the bull ring.

Many of the towns in this wild country have the suffix "de la Frontera", or "of the Frontier", which explains their sometimes unlikely positions. The frontier in question was the edge of Moorish Andalucía in the almost 800 yearsof Moorish rule here and these tiny tiny towns, each dominated by a fortified castle, formed the first line of defence between the Moors and the Christian lands beyond. Each town has a typical Moorish configuration - a tangle of narrow streets and alleyways below the castle and small, white washed houses opening inwards to shady patios.