3rd February 2015

By the time we stirred from our slumber, we had already arrived and docked in Cádiz. Quite a few passengers had already made a swift exit, either heading off into town or piling onto their tour buses like well-behaved tourists. We, however, had managed to scoff down our first meal of the day, thrown on our finest ‘stepping out’ attire, and successfully navigated the disembarkation process. By 9 am, we were standing at the port exit, waving off eager taxi drivers and tour reps, as if we’d just emerged from some sort of covert operation, mission accomplished!

After picking up a city guide from a rather charming customer service operative, she explained that the roads had coloured lines painted on them that matched those on our map, making navigating the city a breeze. She recommended the purple route in the morning and the orange one in the afternoon, a simple plan that sounded foolproof, and as it turned out, it was. It’s such a lovely idea that all popular tourist destinations should consider implementing it, providing the road surface is well-maintained.

However, despite the simple concept of just following the line on the pavement, popping into shops, squares, and churches as you fancy, and then returning to your spot to pick up the line where you left off, some people had difficulty. More than once, we were approached by fellow cruisers who, having recognised us, asked where they were and which way to go. It seems the line wasn’t as foolproof as it appeared!

Just as we were nearing the end of our purple adventure, we encountered a road sweeper spraying the pavement with water and scrubbing away the surface, effectively erasing most of the purple line. I reckon one more scrub and it’ll be gone for good. I do hope the authorities have a regular painting schedule.

Our morning stroll through the narrow streets of Cadiz was delightful, though a tad chilly at times, especially when standing in squares where the breeze had free rein. I lost count of the number of churches and shops we wandered through, but in one particularly charming square, we came across a flower market. Sue, always one to appreciate a good bouquet, stopped for a while and picked up a little present. The cleanliness and tidiness of the city was striking, what a contrast to the untidy chaos of Agadir!

We returned to the ship precisely at midday, just in time for lunch in the Plaza. This time, I strayed from my usual salad and opted for a Thai Green Curry, followed by some fiery fajitas, so good that I went back for seconds!

By 1 pm, we were back dockside, this time following the orange line that circumnavigates the city. We’d been told it would take about an hour and a half to complete, but with seven and a half hours to spare, we were in no rush and planned to take our time, wandering and exploring as we went.

This time, we decided to give the churches a miss (you can only admire so many altars, after all!) and focused on the views, as the sea stayed firmly to our right. We wandered through some charming parks, one of which had a small mountain feature that was particularly delightful. It was clearly a popular route with photographers, too, as we passed several, all crouching and snapping away, each trying to capture their own unique shot.

At one point, near a beach section, we were caught by a sudden shower, so we made a quick dash into a cosy café. I, ever the adventurer, decided to practise my sadly deteriorating Spanish and managed to order us a chocolate and tea: “Chocolate y té y leche, por favor”. It did the trick, and we sipped our drinks while watching the rain sputter its way across the city, leaving behind calm, clear blue skies. We weren’t in a hurry, though, as we were quite taken with the paintings adorning the café walls. We had fun trying to guess which ones were done by the same artist, though we never really found out. It was a bit of a mystery, but it made for a pleasant distraction.

We carried on with our adventure, deciding to brave the causeway leading to Castillo San Sebastián, which we had been eyeing from the comfort of our rain shelter. We had expected the narrow, castellated roadway to be chilly and exposed, having observed only a handful of brave souls crossing it during the 40 minutes we’d been watching. But to our surprise, the sun had decided to make an appearance, warming things up nicely. We took our time crossing, snapping photos as we went, enjoying the views in the pleasant weather.

The Castillo itself, however, was a bit of a letdown. While undoubtedly of great strategic importance in its day, it had clearly suffered from years of neglect and was looking rather dilapidated. That said, there was some renovation work underway, with a few workers (in true Spanish fashion, moving at a leisurely pace) tidying up the battlements and buildings. I imagine that in a year or two, tourists will be asked to cough up a few Euros at the entrance to the causeway to help fund the restoration efforts.

As we made our way back to the mainland, we were greeted by a lone Welshman from the ship, who, rather unexpectedly, asked if we had been sleeping well on board. Apparently, he had a bit of a habit of overindulging in the evenings, which led to numerous midnight trips to the loo. He seemed somewhat disappointed when we told him we hadn’t experienced the same issue. I resisted the urge to offer any advice; some things are better left unsaid!

We carried on along the orange brick road (a rather charming way to navigate, I must say) until we arrived at the Cathedral we had passed earlier on the purple route. From there, we decided to take a shortcut back to the ship, having completed about three-quarters of the route. The rest of the city can wait for another visit; we were so impressed with Cadiz that we’re already considering a return trip.

Back on board by 6 pm, I took the opportunity to have a much-needed nap while Sue busied herself with some needlework. When I awoke, I found her sound asleep, so I ventured out onto the deck to snap a few photos of the city from the ship. Later, I went back up to the top deck for the sunset shots, though the perfect photograph would have been taken with the sun setting just behind the Cathedral, which would have made for a spectacular shot. Unfortunately, the ship was in the wrong place for that. I briefly considered asking the captain to move the boat, but quickly dismissed the idea. By the time the manoeuvre was complete, I’d have missed the moment anyway.

We changed into informal attire and made our way to the restaurant for dinner. Tom and Jerry were absent, though we’d met Tom earlier during lunch. He mentioned that Jerry wasn’t feeling well and might not make it to dinner, and she didn’t.