Cadiz Calling

01 Nov 2011

For centuries one of Europe’s most illustrious cities, the ancient seaport of Cadiz beckons with its lively culture, culinary traditions, heartwarming spirits and age-old architecture. By NORMAN MILLER

The charming mediaeval quarter of El Populo with its historic buildings, watchtowers and cathedrals.

Europe’s oldest city stirs all the senses. Walking through Cadiz’s old fishermen’s quarter Barrio de la Vina, an open shutter reveals a flamenco class, women smiling through each twirl and flourish – urged on by enthusiastic cries from their veteran teacher. Walls worn out by centuries of sea breezes glow with pastel hues in the evening sun, warming my face. And such delicious cooking smells waft from one house down a cobbled lane that I had to resist the urge to knock on the door and ask if they might feed an enchanted passerby.

Cadiz has had a long time to work on its magic. Founded by the Phoenicians over 3,000 years ago as the port of Gadir (locals are still known as Gaditanos), the city’s creation, according to Greek legend, has also been credited to Hercules, immortalised in the coat of arms adorning the magnificent Town Hall on Plaza de San Juan de Dios. The municipal hall is set back from the very harbour from which Christopher Columbus sailed on his voyages of discovery.

The port city squeezes onto the tip of a slender peninsula, spread out like an open palm extending into the Bay of Cadiz. The high walls and 18th century portals of the old city entrance mark a narrow strip separating old Cadiz from the boulevards of a modern quarter fringed by Playa Victoria, twice voted Europe’s best city beach. Many, though, prefer Playa de la Caleta beach, a half-moon of golden sand bookended by 300-year-old forts where Barrio de la Vina meets the sea.

The picturesque Playa de la Caleta beach features regularly in Cadiz’s Carnival songs.

Cadiz’s tangle of mediaeval lanes may appear daunting at first but helpful landmarks soon emerge in a compact old town where the ocean is never more than a few hundred metres away – the pedestrian-only shopping street of Calle Ancha, gourmet lodestone of the Central Market, seafront gardens of Parque Genoves, and the lovely Plaza de Mina, shaded by trees said to have been brought back from the New World by Columbus. Unmissable stony guides include the 1st century Roman seafront theatre a stone’s throw from the twin-steepled Baroque-styled Cadiz Cathedral.

Churros is a popular street snack.

Cadiz is a city famed for its humour and love for life. Every February, it celebrates Spain’s largest and most famous Carnival, a practice that’s been in place since the 16th century, even when Spanish general Francisco Franco tried to ban it in 1937 during his four decades of rule. The Carnival here incorporates a unique musical element in the shape of chirigotas – street groups who vie to outdo each other with satirical songs targeting public figures. “Maybe we’ll have something next year about your Will and Kate,” a local says with a smile as we sip the best coffee in town at Bar Brim (Calle Compania 3, Tel: 34 956 22 1963) as UK’s Prince William and Kate Middleton flash across a TV screen in the corner.