Cadiz Favorites

Favorite thing: I visited Cadiz on a day in which the sky was impossibly blue and the city glistened in the sun's rays. It really gave me a great first impression of the twisting alleys and white walled buildings. There are some interesting architectural gems, mostly built in the 18th century when the city was at its height of power from the riches brought from the exploraton of the New World.

Favorite thing: The Atlantic Ocean splashes against the shore as dose the Bay of Cadiz. The water gives the city a cool breeze in the winter. I visited in December and the temperature was about 14 degrees Celsius (around 60 F) but it felt much colder with the wind.

Favorite thing: I picked this map up at a little tobacco shop just outside the train station and it was detailed enough to help me navigate the tight streets of Cadiz without any problems. You can also get a free map at the tourist office.

Favorite thing: The best thing about Cadiz for me was the fact that it was so walkable. The fact that the water virtually surrounds you helps to keep you oriented as you walk down the narrow streets. It's possible to see most of the main tourist sights in only a couple of hours, but be sure to take your time and notice the interesting details that surround you.

Favorite thing: Walk through the streets. Start with a stroll along the waterfront to see the well tended gardens and open squares. The city is surrounded on three sides by water and there are miles of paths and promenades at the edge of the harbor. Las Puertas de Tierra, the 17th century gates, still guard the landward entrance to Cádiz.

Favorite thing: If you can visit the city during the Carnavals, DO IT!
Everytime I have gone it has been even better than the last. The Carnavals are an explosion of incredible happiness.
Appart of the official events, the Carnavals take place in the streets of the city.

Fondest memory: More pictures (out VT)
Click here.

Favorite thing: Natural Park of Grazalema.The sierra of Grazalema was the first area to be declared a Natural Park in Andalucia (a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977), and is one of the most ecologically important areas of Spain.
The area is famous for its spectacular limestone cliffs and landscape of gullies, caverns and gorges, the most spectacular being La Verde, with rocky walls that rise almost vertically for 400 metres. It contains the highest point in the province of Cádiz, El Torreón, at 1,654 metres.
The diverse flora contrast with the production of cork from the area. Growth here is boosted by the high rainfall-the sierra de Grazalema gets more rain than any other part of Andalucia.
As for the fauna, the lion buzzard dominates the skies here, with one of the biggest breeding populations in Europe. It competes for airspace with six different species of eagle, as well as goshawks and Egyptian vultures.
The charming white village of Grazalema is set between two towering peaks, the Pico del Reloj and the Pico de San Cristóbal. The region is noted for its Mediterranean plant species, and the magnificent forest of Spanish fir found in the Sierra del Pinar. The abundant local fauna includes the griffon vulture, chamois, deer, roebuck, Egyptian mongoose, imperial and royal eagle, osprey and Egyptian vulture.
The region is sprinkled with picturesque villages well worth the visit, like Zahara de la Sierra, and there is an archaeological site of major importance at La Pileta, a cave with paintings from the Paleolithic period.
A basic industry here is leather items made from goatskin. There is a growing tourist infrastructure, with opportunities for hunting and fishing. Human activity here dates back to Palaeolithic times, as the cave paintings in the Cueva de la Pileta testify. The land is still maintained with a view to a healthy balance between productivity and conservation

Favorite thing: Los AlcornocalesThis vast nature park is named for its handsome, and beautifully kept cork tree grove, one of the world's largest. It is also home to wild olive trees, gall oak and holm oak. The far south of the region is crossed by very humid, narrow valleys called canutos, which provide an ideal habitat for sub-tropical forests of great ecological value, as well as animals such as the otter, Egyptian mongoose, imperial and royal eagle and royal owl. The area is rich in game, including boar, roebuck and deer.

These low hills, which are the prolongation of the Sierra de Grazalema as it descends towards the sea, are home to one of Andalucia's largest wooded areas. Cádiz province, in its mountainous eastern part, shares this natural park with Málaga province to the west. Basically a continuation of the sierra de Grazalema, it is one of the most important forest regions of Andalucia, and the best example of what the primeval Iberian forests may have been like. It contains groves of cork oak and gall oak, and the southern sector contains a botanical jewel, the rare fern Psilotum nudum, the only other examples of which occur in the southern hemisphere.

These woods are a paradise for birds. In them live some of Europe's greatest concentrations of lion buzzards, eagle owls and various eagles. Roe deer have been successfully introduced and are thriving. The oaks stretch to the strait of Gibraltar and to Tarifa and Algeciras.