dancing in the streets
by willy_wonka
there was a real vibe in the air of cadiz - a vibe of joy, friendliness and overall happiness. the people here seemed very nice, and it had an overall 'feel good' vibe to the city. this was definitely evident when a street performer was playing music in the main square, and a couple began dancing. it was a beautiful experience, to listen to the music and watch the dancers, sitting down in a cafe, enjoying time with friends. a small but poignant memory of cadiz.
tip dedicated to my dancing girls jen, winnie and kay :)
City tour buses.
by Beach_dog
I did not take a tour because I had an excellent guide (Carmela71) and because the city itself is quite small, we managed to walk most of it in a day. If you are visiting and pushed for time, I mention the tour buses just in case.
In the picture just behind the bus you can see two of the giant fig trees, mentioned in the previous tip.
P's and Q's in Cádiz.
by blint
The Spanish do not make a habit of saying please and thank you very much. It is a cultural thing so don't think them of being too rude if you come from a culture where you say these words a lot.
Though don't expect speed and a smile in cafes and restaurants. Customer service is NOT a main priority in Spain (especially in the south). In my opinion I often can't blame them because they are on really bad contracts and get paid very little; plus the fact tipping is not necessarily the done thing here and if they are given are often just small change. If there is no incentive to be efficient people generally aren't going to be!
This is particularly true in the province of Cádiz! The poorest province in Spain.
Spanish question forms sound way ruder than they do in English, but it’s how the language works. For example 'Could I have.....' is 'give me... (Dame)' in Spanish.
Don’t use quisirera (I would like) this will sound really funny to the Spanish; instead you can simply use Quiero (I want). What ever you do don't translate: "Can/could I have..." or "Can/could you.." literally. This would sound like VERY strange! You would not be asking FOR something, but asking about ability! Some may even forget any form of question and just ask for what they want!!! It gets too hot to speak in summer!
Even though it may go against your principles of politeness you have to take my word on this! Don't trust phrase books all the time either. They tend to translate literally and the pronunciation guides are sometimes wrong!
It's hot, but there is also the wind chill
by annase
Cadiz has a mixed climate which is partly Mediterranean and partly Atlantic, with temperatures not usually rising above +34Cº in summer. Winter temperatures are usually quite moderate too, with the average yearly temperature of around 18ºC. It has moderate rainfall and it NEVER snows!!!! I love this bit!! The average yearly temperature of the sea-water is around 17ºC.
Since the city is located at the Atlantic coast, it can often be very windy. Take a light cardigan with you, although you will not probably need it before the sun goes down or very early in the morning in summer. You will not need a jacket or coat in summer :-)
There are about 300 sunny days per year in Cadiz. However, even though you went there in summer, make sure you have smartish looking clothes for the purpose of going to the town or during the day and to the restaurants in the evening. Skimpy clothes are fine for the beaches, but if you wear them in town, you are likely to stand out from the crowd and attract wrong kind of attention.
WHALE WATCHING AT TARIFANot...
by SirRichard
Not far from Cadiz (about 100 km), in Tarifa, you can go on a boat for whale watching, to see (well, to try at least) whales, dolphins, sperm whales...
They offer daily excursions on the strait of Gibraltar, from where you can see the african coast too.
Glass bottom boats.
another important excavation
The village of Vejer up in the mountain
Solid and tidy rooms
Coastal Walls
