Cadiz

Cádiz is a city and port in the region of Andalusia in southwestern Spain.

Cádiz, regarded by many as the oldest continuously inhabited city in Western Europe, with archaeological remains dating to 3100 years, was founded by the Phoenicians.  It has been a principal home port of the Spanish Navy since the accession of the Spanish Bourbons in the 18th century.

Situated on a narrow slice of land surrounded by the sea‚ Cádiz is, in most respects, a typically Andalusian city with a wealth of attractive vistas and well-preserved historical landmarks. The older part of Cádiz within the remnants of the city walls is commonly referred to as the Old Town where the street plan consists of narrow winding alleys connecting large plazas  In addition, the city is dotted with numerous parks where exotic plants flourish, including giant trees supposedly brought to Spain by Columbus from the New World.

It is a very fine place to spend some time and despite the number of cruise ships in port the day I visited it is possible to find some quite spots and of course some good places to stand to take advantage of the bright light.

Cadiz is filled with many fine architectural details from the ornate lampposts to the wrought iron balconies.

In common with many Spanish cities tiled plaques can be found either advertising local products or perhaps celebrating some past local notable event – here the tiled plaques were on the side of a pharmacy store.

The vast majority of buildings in cadiz have eloborate balconies, some are open many are rather unusually glazed.

As with many Spanish cities many of the buildings have shady central courtyards often accessed by an entrance hall that is decorated in elaborate tiles.

As always the backstreets and local life make for interesting subjects.