Farewell Granada and Hello Cadiz

Saturday March 8 was another sunny, blue sky day.  Not a cloud in sight.  While cool in the morning, it was 26C by mid afternoon.  This was our last full day in Granada.  We planned to chill out on our last day.  We did some laundry, as the apartment has both a washer and dryer, and then headed to the market to get some food for the train ride.

I took some photos of the obsequious pomegranate street divider which separates the roadway from the pedestrian path on the narrowest streets.  Pomegranates are the symbol of Granada.

Pomegranate street divider

Alano is on the road part of the street

We saw giant gorgeous looking tomatoes at one vendor just outside the market.

Very large tomatoes

We bought ham to make sandwiches for the train.  The purveyor delicately cuts each piece from the leg we chose.  We also bought some manchego cheese from this stall.

Our favourite ham stall

Cutting ham for our lunch

We were going to try some tapas from another recommended restaurant.  However, it appeared that everyone in Granada was out having tapas.  The street has a number of restaurants and was just packed.  Folks poured out of the restaurants with their wine and beer.  This was at about 2:00 in the afternoon and when we later headed back through the street at around 4:00 p.m. it was almost as packed.  The place we wanted to go was so packed, one couldn't even get inside.  WOW!

Everyone eating tapas

There were also some people in costumes wandering about.   Saturday is a big family day, and outside cafes and restaurants were full of families having large meals in the mid-afternoon.

Colourful red hats

 We saw this statue in a square near the market-- this square was packed as well.

We ended up getting a cone of pescaito frito (fried fish) and a glass of white wine, from the take out place we had been to earlier in the week.  While busy, we were able to get served.

We continued our wander, spending time sitting at Plaza Neuva in the sun and people-watching.  Later in the afternoon, we wandered down to the boardwalk near our apartment, where Alano had run.  There was a very large outdoor cafe, where we stopped for a drink.  It was about 5:00 p.m. and people were still finishing their large lunches.  There were lots of kids and family and friends gathered.

With white wine

Alano chillin'

We walked to the other side of the cafe which faces one of the rivers that cuts through Granada.  The other river is nearer Plaza Neuva and the Albaicin.

Lovely walk behind cafe 

We stopped back at the apartment and at about 7:45 p.m. went to Bodegas Castenada for a tapas dinner.  We had walked past the restaurant at lunch time and it was overflowing.  We thought that by going early, we might get a seat.  En route we passed a guy selling colourful balloons.  The streets were packed with people-- so different from the rest of the week.

Balloon man and crowds

Bodegas Castenada was hopping.  We didn't get a seat, but secured a place at the bar.  I ordered the house's vermut (vermouth) and Alano had a glass of red wine.

The free tapa that came with our first drink was a lovely shrimp salad.

Free tapas- shrimp salad

I ordered a second vermouth and we got another small tapa with a piece of ham and cheese.

With my vermut

I had forgotten to take a picture of the tortilla espanola and the lovely bacalao macerado we also ordered-- pieces of cod on bread.  We also had boquerones, which are white anchovies.  The couple next to us who spoke a bit of English told us what they were.

Boquerones- white anchovies

We ended the meal with a plate of manchego cheese served with salted almonds

Manchego and almonds

While there were a number of tourists  earlier in the week when we were there, on Saturday night, the restaurant was filled with 90% locals.

On Sunday March 8, we were picked up at the apartment by Benito, an acquaintance of Eva, the owner.  He took us to the train station, where we caught the 11:24 train en route to Cadiz.  We had to change trains at Dos Hermandas.  We arrived at Cadiz at 4:15 p.m.  The trains were very clean and on time.  We had brought food and had our e-readers, so the trip went quickly.  We passed by many olive groves and some wind turbines.

Olive groves

Wind Turbines

We were able to walk from the train station to our apartment, where we were treated by Trini, the owner.  She was very helpful in orienting us to Cadiz.  The apartment is very large, with two bedrooms, and all the amenities, even a dishwasher.  All for 55 euros a day.

Outside of apartment building

Tile and stairway in apartment building

Main bedroom

View of dining area and kitchen

Looking at living room from kitchen

We partially unpacked and then decided to explore the city.  In a nearby street we passed a statue of Conchita Aranda Fosa (born 1931) a flamenco dancer from Cadiz.  There was also a plaque at the house she was born in.

Statue of Conchita Aranda Fosa b.1931

We passed by the Land Gate dating from the 15-17th centuries, which lead to the old medieval quarter.

Gate to medieval city

We also walked behind the imposing Cathedral of Cadiz.

 Back of Cathedral

We walked to the seafront (Malecon) that goes around the old city.  It looks like the Malecon in Havana, Cuba, which we have also visited.  It was used during the 2002 filming of the James Bond movie, Die Another Day as stand-in for the Malecon in Cuba.  Apparently, a lot of unemployed people in Cadiz were used as extras in the film.

Boardwalk on the Atlantic Ocean

We walked down to the Public Market, which was closed on Sunday.  It is quite large and had public murals on all sides.  We will return on Monday, to shop for our dinner.

 Public Market

                                                                   Murals at Public Market

We stopped at Le Poeme, Artisan Patissier de France, on the Market square.  I had a chocolate drink, which was very rich but amazing.  There was a whole page in the menu of chocolate drinks.  Alano had some of the chocolate in addition to his cortado.

Alano in front of chocolate drink

We walked back to the front of the Cathedral, which was the last great cathedral erected in Spain financed by the riches from the New World.  Construction started in 1772, but was not completed until 1838.

                                                                                Catedral de Cadiz

We saw some lovely yellow painted buildings on a narrow street.

We then walked over to Plaza Candeleria, which had some lovely buildings around its perimeter.  There was a very old coffee house on one corner, which our landlady has recommended.  We will return.

Emilio Castelar (1832-1899), a President of the First Spanish Republic 1873-74, born in Cadiz

Interesting building on Plaza

Orange Tree on Plaza

We walked back to the boardwalk to take a few pictures of the gorgeous red sky.  It is a very popular place for a paseo (promenade) in Cadiz.

Beautiful red sky (looking west)

Looking east

We finally went to dinner at about 8:30 p.m.  We sat outside (how great is that!) at one of the few restaurants open on Sunday.  Freiduria Las Flores in Plaza de las Flores had been recommended and we had a few plates of typical "pescaito frito" (fried fish).  The spicy mackerel and the gambas were especially tasty.

Outside of restaurant

Squid

Gambas (shrimp)

Spicy mackerel

After dinner, we walked back to the apartment, taking a different route.  We had a late tea and some anise cookies we had brought from Granada.  I worked on the blog, which ran into some technical problems, thus the late posting.  We are really looking forward to exploring Granada on Monday March 9.