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Cádiz 2024, Spain
  • Gina Steiner
April 2024

Cádiz 2024, Spain

A 14-day adventure by Gina Read more
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  • Trip start
    April 14, 2024
  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Hamburg airport

    April 14, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Once more I am amazed by our small, manageable, central and easily accessible airport.

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Madrid airport

    April 14, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Madrid airport is a pleasant airport. The café is delicious, my headphones protect me from the noise and I've already gotten rid of my pants and sweater ☀️☀️☀️. My flight 🛫 to Jerez leaves in an hour.

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Jerez airport

    April 14, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Waiting for the train to Càdiz - phew - fortunately I brought a big bottle of water, it's pretty hot here 😊.

    Jerez airport is very small, cozy and sleepy. The distances are very short and there are hardly any people on the way. Instant vacation feeling so to say...Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Arrived in Càdiz

    April 14, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    The Spanish train is really calm & slow. The departure time is more for orientation and every now and then you feel like you can run alongside it. A perfect speed for a vacation.

    I arrived shortly before 5 p.m. and was able to get a first impression on the way to the hostel. Everything seems very relaxed and manageable here. My hostel is in the middle of the old town with a small balcony overlooking the inner courtyard. I have a single room with a bathroom and a shared kitchen. The hostel is exclusively for language school students.

    I will start my Spanish course tomorrow. It usually starts at 9 a.m. and goes until just after 3 p.m. But I have to be there a little earlier tomorrow because of the paperwork. I will do the whole thing for 2 weeks and see how my Spanish goes afterwards. If it goes well, I will probably do it again - maybe in Cuba?!?

    After school tomorrow I will borrow a bike for the 2 weeks because I saw the long sandy beach from the train with a small path running along it - that looks like my home base.

    So now I'm sitting on the roof terrace of the hostel, I've already stuffed the fridge full of goodies and taken some of it straight up to the roof terrace 😋.

    Life is good 🥰.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Freedom

    April 15, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Now I'm independent because today after language school I picked up my bike 🚲. I'll keep it all the time so it can take me anywhere.

    The bike shop opened at 5 p. m. and I was already at the door waiting 🤣.

    Of course I drove along the sea 🌊 around the city to the headland to jump into the water 🏊. There are so few people there at this time of year that you can swim naked. Besides me, I saw two more of our kind. Wonderful!

    Then I drove back through the middle of the city, next time I will ride along the other coast of the city. It was the best idea to rent a bike for the whole time to be independent 😊.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Feria de Abril de Sevilla

    April 16, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    Today I went to Seville for the Feria, I'll explain exactly what that is later on.

    I thought for a long time whether I should go or not. My language school planned to leave right after class at 3 p.m. and we planned to be back at 11 p.m.

    Why did I think about going or not? Because, exactly as I thought, it is a mixture of Cologne Carnival, Hamburg Dom and Oktoberfest. However, my language teacher said that I couldn't miss out on this piece of Spanish culture. So I went along and I'm glad it's over 🤣.

    One thing is really interesting... later on I will explain what happens exactly but in short: the horses, single and with carriges, which run in circles all day, also shit all day. To avoid horse droppings lying around everywhere that you step in, small street sweepers drive around between the carriages. They spray huge amounts of water on everything and brush it thoroughly. This way, all the liquid shit is massaged deep into the cobblestones. The Spanish women in their flamenco dresses then sweep over this soup when they stroll and soak up some of it. Luckily there are also the amazonas on their horses as counterweight regarding emancipation 🤣. Culture is really something interesting.

    Besides this funny culture thing, all in all: too crowded, too loud, too bad music, too many drunk people, too bad food and a bad drink called rebujito, a mix of manzanilla sherry, sprite and ice cubes. But also some nice costumes and great sevillanas (the dance) and I definitely love the amazonas on their horses ❤️. But have a look yourself and now I can have a say 🤪.

    Like the name suggests, everything happens in Sevilla, the Andalusian capital. The fair generally begins two weeks after the Semana Santa, or Easter Holy Week.

    It officially begins at midnight on Saturday, and runs seven days, ending on the following Saturday. Each day it begins with the parade of carriages and riders, at midday, carrying Seville's leading citizens which make their way to the bullring, La Real Maestranza, where the bullfighters and breeders meet.

    For the duration of the fair, the fairgrounds and a vast area on the far bank of the Guadalquivir River are totally covered in rows of casetas (individual decorated marquee tents which are temporarily built on the fairground). These casetas usually belong to prominent families of Seville, groups of friends, clubs, trade associations and political parties. There are also public ones.

    From around nine at night until six or seven the following morning, at first in the streets and later only within each caseta, there are crowds partying and dancing sevillanas, drinking sherry, manzanilla or rebujito, and eating tapas. This fair also has an amusement park that comes with it and has many games to play along with roller coasters to ride.

    I think what happens in Sevilla, stays in Sevilla...    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler
    2

    Dunes

    April 17, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today in the morning break I went to the panaderia and had two bocadillos made. I ate one during my lunch break and took the other to the beach after the language school.

    About 20 minutes by bike from the language school there are dunes on the beach where you can't find anyone. I went there after school, lay down in the dunes, ate my second bocadillo and went swimming. It was wonderfully quiet around me. Just wind and waves.

    On the way back I stopped at a beach bar and let the day come to an end.

    In my opinion: that's how it's done!    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Jardines de Alameda Apodaca

    April 18, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Cádiz has a population of just over 100,000 and is located on a headland that juts out into the Bay of Cádiz. This is a small part of the Gulf of Cádiz. Cádiz is surrounded by water on all sides.

    There is therefore a morning side and an evening side. You can cycle all the way around and I cycle to school on the morning side at sunrise and back from swimming on the evening side at sunset. I live on the morning side in the old town.

    The old town, with its barrios El Pópulo, La Viña and Santa María, is at the front of the headland and stands in strong contrast to the high-rise buildings of the modern new town. On the evening side you will of course find the endless promenade with its countless bars and the hustle and bustle at sunset. On the morning side everything is a little more leisurely and that is where the parks are.

    Unbelievable but true, the cityscape of Cádiz is not only characterized by many small squares, but despite the limited space there are these cosy parks. People sit there and play guitar or read, and the adjacent bars have placed tables in the park around the various fountains.

    Everywhere is smells awesome and I met good old flower friends everywhere 😍.

    The Gaditanos, as the inhabitants of Cádiz are called, stand on the pier and fish for squid. My language school colleagues like to go drinking in the old town, I prefer to stroll through the park and watch the Gaditanos.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Castello de San Sebastián

    April 19, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    After the market I didn't take the bike into the dunes because it was very windy. Instead I visited at a few things that I had noticed on the way around the city.

    The Castello de San Sebastián is a fortress located at the end of La Caleta beach on a small island separated from the main city of Cádiz. According to the classical tradition of the location of the fortress, there was a Temple of Kronos, a Titan of the Greek gods, the father of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Hera.

    In 1457, a chapel on the island was raised by a Venetian boat crew recovering from the plague.
    In 1706, a castle was constructed, which resulted in a fortified enclosure of an irregular plane. It defended the northern flank of the city from attack. At the base of the lighthouse was a watchtower from the Muslim period.

    In 1811, the Maltese navy arrived with the famous rebel Junta of Buenos Aires, Juan Bautista Azopardo. He was housed in the fortress until 1815, when they suspected a leak and transferred him to the military prison in Ceuta.

    In 1860, a levee was built to serve as a link between the island and the city, this is nowadays called Puente Canal and Puente Hierro. When you enter the bridge you pass through the Puerte de la Caletta. To the left and right of the levee, towards the town, there are sandy beaches where you can swim wonderfully. Further towards the Castello there are small ladders to the rocks where you can sunbathe and jump into the water.

    The lighthouse has an iron structure designed by Rafael de la Cerda in 1908 and is the second electric-powered lighthouse in Spain. The tower rises to 41 meters above the sea.
    The Castillo de San Sebastian was declared a cultural landmark in 1985.

    I like this small island and bridge at the edge of Cádiz.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Centro de Arqueología Subacuática

    April 19, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    El Centro de Arqueología Subacuática de Andalucía is a specialized organization belonging to the Department of Culture of the Government of Andalusia, created in 1997 and integrated into the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage. It has its headquarters in the city of Cádiz, in the Balneario de Nuestra Señora de la Palma y del Real building, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

    The objectives of this center are the research, protection, conservation and dissemination of the underwater heritage of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, as well as the training of professionals in this discipline.

    To achieve its objectives, it has developed an exhaustive catalog of underwater archaeological sites, integrated into the Andalusian Historical Heritage Information System. In total, 81 sites are known, covering, chronologically, from protohistory to the Contemporary Age. Through this inventory, information has been obtained regarding 1250 historical shipwrecks in Andalusian waters.

    The centre is not open to visitors but the building itself, the Balneario de la Palma y del Real building, is definitely worth a visit. It is located on the Playa de la Caleta, on the western edge in the historical center of of Cádiz. There is a natural harbor by which Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans penetrated historically. Caleta beach is the smallest beach in the city, and is isolated from the others.

    The beach is perfect for enjoying the sunset and as it is right next to the old town it is very popular with the Gaditanos and they consider it one of the most emblematic places of their city, and use it as a recurrent song subject during Carnival.

    But what about this building?
    The Balneario de Nuestra Señora de la Palma y del Real building was inaugurated in 1926 and replaced the traditional Baños del Real, a wooden facility that already existed at the beginning of the 19th century, next to which were also located those of La Palma, with a similar structure, which were later unified under the name “Real y de la Palma”.

    The poor condition of the barracks led the Provincial Council to call a competition in 1924 to build a new spa. This project was intended to offer an alternative for leisure, beach and sea bathing to the population that lived in the old town, avoiding the inconvenience and expense of moving to the beach of the Reina Victoria Spa.

    A wonderful building, I love it and I love that so many locals hang around there to take a swim.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Mercado Central de Cádiz

    April 20, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    The Mercado Central de Cádiz is located on the Plaza de Abastos which was designed by Torcuato Benjumeda. It consists of a hall in the middle and a wall all around it. Shops or stalls can be found in the wall from the inside, with doric columns between the shops. Between the outer wall with the shops and the hall in the middle there is 4-5 meters of uncovered space, a kind of atrium.

    It is a lively market with stalls for fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, household items and more, as well as many standing tables for eating. The fish market is in the hall in the middle, and there are vegetable stalls at all four corners of the fish hall. Strange but true. Around the fish hall in the outside walls there are all kinds of food stalls and also many stalls with ready meals. There are standing tables in the atrium on two sides of the fish hall, the other two sides have no standing tables.

    There are also bar stools at the standing tables and if you manage to get hold of an empty standing table you can consider yourself lucky. The standing tables belong to each stall and you have to buy your drinks there. You can get the food from anywhere, only one person has to stay at the table at a time so that it doesn't get lost.

    There are all kinds of delicious things to eat. I was particularly impressed by the dry sherry, the salty chocolate cake and the fried cochos (squid strips) & croquetas (croquettes made from ham or stockfish) 😋.

    I was not impressed by the chicharrones (fried pork belly), which was nice and crispy but too salty 🤢.

    It is open every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. except of Sunday only from 12 to 5 p.m. and Friday and Saturday a hour longer in the evening.

    If you want to dive into market life or eat through the food specialities of Cádiz, go there!    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Sendero Tres Amigos - Rio Arillo

    April 21, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    When I cycled to Punta del Boquerón I took a longer way through Bahía de Cádiz Natural Park to get a closer look at the nature and the birds. In any case the way leads over the Arillo River, a channel which separates the island of León from the island of Cádiz, consequently separating the municipal areas of the cities of Cádiz and San Fernando. Due the detour I took me 1.5 hours to arrive.

    So Arillo River is part of the Bahía de Cádiz Natural Park, a protected natural area since 1989 that extends across 10,522 hectares. It extends through the municipalities of Cádiz, San Fernando, Puerto Real, Chiclana de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa María. It includes marshes, beaches, pine forests, sandy areas and scrub areas. Being located in a passage area for birds between Doñana and the Strait of Gibraltar, it serves as a habitat for certain unique species such as little terns, stilts and avocets.

    I went with the bike around the Río Arillo area which constitutes 25% of the humid system of the Bay of Cádiz .

    The canal can be accessed through a path that starts from the Camposoto highway. Within the natural park of the Bay of Cádiz , it is surrounded by marshes and lagoons. Some bird viewpoints stand out along the way.

    An awesome area for bird observation 😍.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Punta del Boquerón

    April 21, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    Punta del Boquerón is a sandy cape on the Andalusian Atlantic coast, located at the southern end of the municipality of San Fernando, forming the southern shore of Camposoto beach, also known as Playa del Castillo. From Cádiz it's between 1 and 1.5 hours depending on the route you take. I took the longer way through the Sendero Tres Amigos - Rio Arillo.

    Punta del Boquerón is an appropriate place for coastal hiking, due in part to the climate, which allows hiking throughout the year, and in part to the diversity of flora, both in the marshes and in the dune system, and fauna. There is a signposted path, which has a route of 2.5 kilometers, which begins at the last entrance to Camposoto Beach and ends at Punta del Boquerón, on a route parallel to the Caño de Sancti Petri and the dunes of the beach.

    The point is flanked by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west, and by the Sancti Petri channel, the arm of the sea that separates the sandy tombolo formed by San Fernando and Cádiz from the Iberian Peninsula.

    On October 7, 2003, the Andalusian Government declared the area as a natural monument.

    It was a wonderful bike tour and if I would stay longer, I would do it once more.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Tinto de verrano

    April 21, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After cycling 🚴 for 1.5 hours to almost the tip of the headland, swimming 🏊 and cycling the same time back, I went back to my favorite beach 🏖️ bar🍹: Chiringuito Nahubeach. There I ate and enjoyed my current favorite summer drink: Tinto de verano 🍷.

    Tinto de verano (summer red wine) is a mixture of red wine and gaseosa (lemonade) and is considered a summer wine.

    It is often drunk with meals. In restaurants, red wine and gaseosa are also served in bottles so that the diners can mix the drink according to their own preferences. It is served with ice cubes. The name summer red wine comes from the fact that the drink is particularly refreshing on hot days and easier to digest than undiluted red wine.
    I always order it with orange slices 🍊.

    Just to be complete: there was also fried tuna with marinated onions and coriander and a mediterranean salad with tuna, olives and egg. Very tasty - of course this is my favorite beach bar 😊.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Spain, country of the Patio

    April 22, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Cádiz is full of patios. Almost every house in the old town has one. Since the front doors are usually open, you can walk up to the wrought iron gates and look into the patios.

    In Spanish architecture, patio refers to a (rectangular) inner courtyard of a residential building, which can be partly covered and partly uncovered. There is often a fountain in the middle of this characteristic courtyard.

    They are great places to spend time, especially in the hot summer when it is too sunny and too hot outside.

    As my plans move towards staying 6 months abroad and 6 months in Germany and rent a flat somewhere for 6 months I want to rent a flat with a patio one day here in the Costa de la Luz.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    World traveling hammock

    April 23, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    My language school is over for today and my favorite beach bar is closed.

    A wonderful opportunity to hang up my world traveling hammock there.

    I also have a bocadillo con tortilla from my favorite panaderia with me, my audio books and my headphones. Well, nothing can go wrong then 🥰.Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Catedral de Santa Cruz sobre las Aguas

    April 24, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The "Cathedral of the Holy Cross over the Waters" is the Catholic cathedral in Cádiz, and the seat of the Diocese of Cadiz y Ceuta. It was built between 1722 and 1838. The cathedral was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1931.

    The church was known as "The Cathedral of The Americas" because it was built with money from the trade between Spain and America. The 18th century was a golden age for Cádiz, and the other cathedral that the city had got, Santa Cruz, was very small for this new moment of Cádiz.

    The first person who designed the church was architect Vicente Acero, who had also built the Granada Cathedral. Acero left the project and was succeeded by several other architects. As a result, this largely baroque-style cathedral was built over a period of 116 years, and, due to this drawn-out period of construction, the cathedral underwent several major changes to its original design.

    Though the cathedral was originally intended to be a baroque edifice, it contains rococo elements, and was finally completed in the neoclassical style.

    Levante Tower, one of the towers of Cádiz Cathedral, is open to the public and shows panoramas of the city from on high.

    Normally I'm not so much into cathedrals but I see this one in the orange light of the evening every day when I cycle back from the beach. I ❤️ the view.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Corner protectors for carriages

    April 25, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    I found theses things all over the old town of Cádiz and was wondering what they are for. I had to do some research but finally found out...

    Cádiz is the oldest city in Spain and has profited from the conquistadors' insatiable greed for gold and silver: in 1717 their ships became too big and heavy to make it up the river and Seville had to hand over its overseas trade monopoly to Cádiz.

    The Gaditanos were never again as important or as rich as they were then.

    Misfortune always came from the sea: pirates plundered and burned, the most famous of which was Francis Drake. Yesterday I took a walk on the remains of the old fortifications. The forts were not useful in every attack: the coveted port city was destroyed several times in new wars, which is why there are hardly any ancient walls left, and most of the old house facades date from the 18th and 19th centuries.

    But the observation towers are still standing: merchants had them built on their houses so they could quickly find out who was sailing across the Atlantic. Almost 130 towers are still preserved today, some of which are apartments.

    You will also come across the old cannon barrels when walking through the old town. They were cut in half and placed at very narrow intersections: as iron corner protectors in case the carriage couldn't make it around the bend.

    So now you know what they are for and you also can see what happens if the corner does not have one.    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    The wind is blowing 🌬️

    April 25, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Hoy hace viento en la playa de Cádiz.

    So I went to my favorite beach bar right after class. Wonderful! The guy was removing the chairs from the terrace when I arrived, so they are not blown away.

    Today only the good kiters are in the water...

    Soon the clouds will be blown away and I will jump into the waves - yee-haw! 🌊🌊🌊❤️❤️❤️    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Tortilla de camarones

    April 26, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Tortillas de camarones are shrimp fritters and a speciality from Cádiz. They are made of wheat flour, chickpea flour, water, onions, chives, parsley, shrimp, salt and pepper. The batter is then fried on both sides in a pan with plenty of olive oil.

    Since I hadn't eaten them yet, I had to make up for it today on my last afternoon here. So I suggested to my Spanish teacher that instead of the afternoon lesson we go to the market together and learn (and eat) Spanish food and dishes.

    That worked very well, only when ordering the Andalusian beer I had to repeat 🤪.

    I actually thought that all tortillas were made with potatoes, but that's not the case. Tortillas de camarones are very thin and very crispy and don't resemble tortillas de patatas at all.

    100g shrimp
    100g wheat flour
    50g chickpea flour
    1.5 glass of water
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    chive
    fresh parsley
    onion
    olive oil to fry the tortillas

    Pour the two flours into a medium bowl. Chop the onion very finely and add it to the bowl. Chop the parsley and chive and add one or two tablespoons to the bowl.

    Finally add salt, pepper and water. Mix well with a fork, it should be a fairly liquid mixture.

    Take a large frying pan or better a paella pan. Fill it with olive oil (a finger's worth of oil) and heat it up.

    When the oil is very hot (but not smoking) add a ladle of the mixture. Let it cook on one side and then flip until golden brown on the other.
    As you take out the shrimp omelettes, place them on absorbent kitchen paper so that they absorb excess fat.

    ¡Me gustan! ❤️    Read more

  • Gina SteinerCádiz 2024, SpainTraveler

    Cycle paths all over

    April 26, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Cádiz has very well-developed cycle paths.

    A specially developed cycle path goes all the way around and another through the middle of the new town. Then of course there are a few more criss-crossing. You can of course cycle on all streets, but it's not quite as comfortable.

    There are therefore quite a lot of cyclists in Cádiz and also a lot of e-scooters. Unlike in Germany, these are also allowed to ride on the cycle paths. They whizz through the area quite quickly and are obviously very popular, especially with young people.

    The Eurovelo route number 8 starts here in Cádiz and leads all along the Mediterranean coast to Athens. I cycled part of it to San Fernando and thought about whether this might be a good project to cycle longer parts of it.

    If you ever visit Cádiz, take your bike with you or rent one, it's definitely worth it if you don't just want to shop in the old town and sit in bars and cafés but visit the long beaches, beach bars and natural parks.    Read more

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