Today, (October 10, 2017) we boarded the Hop-on-Hop Off tour bus and rode it three times around the city, with audio tour guides in our ears.  It was pretty amazing, aside from being the stereotypical tourist thing to do.  But, come on, how else are we going to get an idea of where to go and what to see without walking our feet down to bones?! [Today, I only climbed 6 floors, walked 11,895 steps and walked 5.4 miles.  See how valuable a tour bus can be?  And, apparently, there is one in every city we’ve visited, but we just didn’t realize it.  Head-desk…]

So, today, we took the tour bus (in fact, we road it about 3 times around the circuit) and saw the outside of the Cadiz Cathedral, the beautiful beaches (Caleta in the Old Town, Victoria and Santa Maria beaches), 3 fortresses, the Plaza de Espana, some wonderful waterside parks, some of the 126 watchtowers that are still standing all over Cadiz.  And, we stopped at El Catamaran ticket office and bought our tickets for crossing the bay to Rota on Thursday (10/12) for our next AirBnb apartment.

The entrance to the old city of Cadiz.  These two arches were widened in the 19th century after an accidental explosion.

Near Victoria and Santa Maria beaches in the new city.

Archaeological site discovered when this spot next to the cathedral was excavated for construction. It’s over 2500 years old!

Ironic.  Look close, the upper inscription says “eloquence” on a statue proposed by a Cadiz mayor.  But, a seagull is sitting on top of the statue’s head looking more regal then the statue.

Cadiz Cathedral

A smaller chapel next to one of two cathedral towers (the one that you can climb; we made it half way up the tower, don’t judge)

I love the way this narrow street suddenly opens up to brilliant sun and the view of the cathedral.

Cadiz Cathedral (Roman Catholic)

The Crypt

The oldest of two pipe organs mounted above the gated choir area

The alter and pulpits

One pulpit and ceiling

There were many small side chapels, funded by various families.  This was one of them.

Plaza de San Antonio

The roofs of Cadiz

Also, though we have not see any political/Catalan rallies or demonstrations here in Cadiz, we felt a little trepidation waiting for the Catalan leader, Mr. Puigdemont, to announce his decision to the Catalan parliament.  It was widely expected that he would ask the parliament to vote on Catalan independence within 48 hours and, if the vote was yes, independence would be declared.  Our feeling was, “oh, boy, are we glad we are we will be right next to a U.S. Navy Base.”

Puigdemont says, although his people voted for independence, he will ask Madrid for a negotiated solution, stating that he wants to “de-escalate” the tensions and reassure people on all sides who were worried about what would happen next.  Frankly, I felt reassured.  This seemed so much like what happened in Cyprus in the 50s, which ended up in an all out revolution against the Greek and British governments.  That would be scary.

The next day (today, October 11, 2017) there was no other disturbing news about Catalonia.  So, I’m hoping this will be resolved amicably.

We walked among the two large parks along the waterfront, which were very like a botanical garden, and then took the bus to the cathedral to see inside.  The photos from the cathedral are above with the outside views of the cathedral.  Here, below, is what we saw in the parks.

Beautiful Bird of Paradise tree.

Gorgeous red hibiscus, at least 10 bushes of them.

A beautiful walk beside the Bay of Cadiz

Fountain with boy holding fish which is spraying water

Another of those extremely old trees said to have been brought back by Columbus

You have to look close to see the figure with water coming down on her in the fountain.

Tomorrow (October 12, 2017) is the Spanish holiday Fiesta Nacional de Espana or Dia de la Hispanidad.  It commemorates the the day Columbus first set foot in the New World, October 12, 1492.  There will be a big parade in Madrid, with speeches by the Prime Minister and the King and participation by representatives of all the autonomous regions of Spain.  I wonder if Catalonia will be participating this year.  There will be celebrations all over Spain, too.