 IT'S
THE oldest city in Europe, but standing on the beach in
Cadiz, with the sun glinting off the gold dome of the cathedral
and the neighbouring brightly coloured houses in the distance, Latin
music drifting in on the breeze from a local bar, you could be
forgiven for thinking you've been transported to the Caribbean -
Cuba, to be precise.
You wouldn't be the only one; Cadiz had a starring role as the
Cuban capital of Havana in the James Bond film Die Another Day. The
similarities hint at Cadiz's place in history as the 16th-century
gateway to the Americas, when homesick gaditanos, as the citizens
are known, recreated their city in the New World.
Cadiz lies on a peninsula in the south-west of Spain -
on the
Costa de la Luz, the gentle, quiet and relatively unknown
stretch of coastline that stretches from the noisy, brash
Costa del Sol to the Spanish border with
Portugal. Its
name means the coast of light, after the bright, golden sunlight
that bathes the area. It's a more tourist-friendly name than the
alternative: the windy coast. A light wind hits the area all year,
providing refreshing relief from the summer temperatures while
providing perfect conditions for surfers and other lovers of
wind-powered sports from around the world.
Surfers aside, Cadiz is hardly known as a tourist spot outside of
Spain, and boy, are people missing out. As one of the most southern
cities in Europe, it has a beautiful climate. Temperatures rise to
the mid-30s in the summer and the thermometer rarely falls below
14C, no matter what the month. With the arrival of several low-cost
airlines to nearby
Jerez airport, it's the perfect place to escape the grey winter
skies of Scotland. In fact, for some people, it's the only time to
go to Cadiz - because that's when Carnaval is.
Most cities in Spain celebrate some form of carnival at the
beginning of Lent. None is as vibrant, exuberant and sleep-depriving
as Cadiz's. From the weekend before Shrove Tuesday to the weekend
after, the normally sleepy city wakes up and parties.
In the old fishermen's quarter of La Viña, the bars and
restaurants fling open their doors (they have to; there are too many
people to fit inside) and the streets overflow with celebrating
gaditanos, all eating the fried fish that Cadiz is so famous for and
slugging from bottles of sharp, dry sherry or salty manzanilla from
the nearby bodegas. Groups of troubadours wander the crowds, many
wearing costumes reminiscent of 16th-century Venice, a city with
which Cadiz traded and from which Cadiz copied the carnival.
The chirgotas are there for the Concurso del Falla, a contest of
topical, satirical songs taking the mickey out of celebrities,
politicians and anyone in the public eye. Away from the official
contest, the city sways in time to music from around the world;
African and Caribbean rhythms mix with flamenco and samba beats, all
brought back by the crews of Spanish galleons from the city's golden
era in the 18th century.
When the party finishes at night, the gaditanos prepare for the
processions next day, while the local women battle it out to be
carnival queen - and not only the women. Cadiz has long been one of
the most liberal cities in Spain, from the days when gays were sent
there for deportation to the New World but refused to go. Now drag
queens, gay couples and transsexuals wander freely around without
any fear of prejudice. The carnival drag queen contest is as
fiercely contested as the main one. It says something about Cadiz
that it kept Carnaval going during the Franco years, when the
celebration was banned throughout Spain. This is, after all, the
city in which the first Spanish constitution was signed.
When you've had enough of the carnival (and believe me, it takes
a lot of stamina to keep up with the Spanish), Cadiz has plenty more
to offer. A visit to the city's museum takes you back to the early
days of Europe, to 1100BC, when Cadiz was founded by the Phoenicians
(although legend says Hercules had a hand in it) to become Europe's
oldest inhabited city. Pride of place goes to a pair of Phoenician
sarcophagi on which are carved the figures of a Phoenician woman
clutching a drinking vessel, and a Phoenician man. Discovered in
1887, the male sarcophagus dates back to 400BC. There is also a
fascinating collection of rare Phoenician jewellery and Roman
statues, while the fine-art section contains work by the Sevillian
artist Murillo as well as Alonso Cano. The most popular exhibits are
Zurbaran's series of angels, painted when the Spanish master was at
his peak. Spanish art can also be found at the Oratorio de Santa
Cruz, where the upper-floor contains some wonderful Goya paintings:
The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, The Guest at the Wedding and
The Last Supper.
Not all the beauty is to be found in museums, though. Surrounded
on three sides by water, you're never more than a mile away from the
sea. It's the ideal place for an evening paseo, joining the hundreds
of gaditanos who wander from tapas bar to tapas bar watching the
setting sun. As it falls, it warms the golden-tiled cupula of the
baroque Cathedral Nueva, founded in the 18th century by newly rich
merchants benefiting from the city's boom as the port to America,
and the mansions painted in soft pinks, greens and blues which
neighbour the cathedral and once housed those same merchants. The
whole seafront is bathed in a gentle rose-red light. A beautiful
sight.
During the day, head for La Caleta, Cadiz's much-loved beach -
although, sorry boys, Halle Berry emerging from the sea to meet
Pierce Brosnan is not a regular sight. It lies between two castles,
San Sebastian and Santa Catalina, and is a favourite topic for the
chirgotas who delight their local audience by singing its praises.
Along with the neighbouring Playa de la Victoria, La Caleta is
recognised as one of the most beautiful beaches in the country.
You can't help but fall in love with Cadiz, an old-fashioned,
serene and slightly rundown city whose working-class citizens know
how to enjoy themselves. It is not a tourist hotspot - there are no
high-rise hotels or compartamented beachfronts - but tourists are
warmly welcomed. When we came to leave our small, family-run hotel,
the landlady hugged us and wished us a hasty return.
The streets have an air of faded chic, bringing back memories of
a time when the city was great. Sitting on the seafront, America to
the west, Africa to the south and the whole of Europe behind you,
surrounded by gigantic trees more than 1,000 years old, you feel
you're on the edge of the world. This must have been how the
conquistadors felt, or what Columbus saw as he left Cadiz for the
Indies. It's the same feeling that drove those lonely travellers to
recreate their beautiful homeland in the New World.
How to get there
You can fly from Glasgow to Jerez de la Frontera, via London
Stansted, with Ryanair. Prices start from £100 return. Visit
www.ryanair.com
A taxi from the airport to the city centre will cost about £30,
or you can take the train for £10. Tel: 00 34 902 24 34 02, or visit
www.renfe.es
Where to stay
Top hotels are thin on the ground in Cadiz, but the four-star
Parador de Cadiz offers luxury and stunning views over the bay.
Other accommodations:
Hotels Cadiz
Last Minute Hotels Cadiz
Holiday apartments, holiday villas and holiday
houses Costa de la Luz
And there's more
The best tapas bar in town is El Faro de Cadiz, in the old
fishermen's district, where traditional recipes are given a modern
twist. Don't miss the chance to try out the fish in salt - sea bass
baked beneath a layer of salt. Tel: 00 34 956 21 10 68.
If you're a fan of fino, then spend time in the "sherry triangle"
of Puerto de Santa Maria, Sanlucar de Barrameda or Jerez itself.
Famous producers based there include Harveys, Osborne, Sandeman and
Gonzalez Byass. For trips to Gonzalez Byass, home of Tio Pepe, tel:
00 34 956 35 70 16 .
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