We took a trip into the “big city” of Cádiz to visit the main cathedral and to see some of the other historic sites of this ancient port.
Our trip into Cádiz gave us a chance for an up close view of the magnificent bridge that we can clearly see from Rota. This is the Puente De La Constitución De 1812 and was completed in 2015. It wasn’t completed in time to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Spanish constitution (which was drafted in Cádiz).
There is written evidence of Phoenicians using this land for a port as long ago as 1100 BC. During the Age of Discovery, Columbus sailed from Cádiz on his second and fourth trips to the New World.
Cádiz had military and strategic value to the Spanish empire but as a commercial port it was not ideal. It sat on an island in the Bay of Cádiz. It was Seville which became the key Spanish port receiving the riches from the Americas. Traders preferred sailing up the Guadalquivir River to Seville where the goods from Asia and the Americas could disperse throughout the Iberian peninsula.
The Catedral de Cadiz was completed in 1838 after a whopping 112 years of construction. The city had undergone a number of major changes during this time. Cádiz regained its role as Spain’s primary shipping port after sandbars made the Guadalquivir River delta below Seville unnavigable. Interestingly enough the architectural style of the cathedral doesn’t suffer from the various generations involved in the patronage, design and construction of the building.
We took advantage of the audio-tour which provided us with a number of interesting details regarding the cathedral. In the 18th century, the wealthy patrons of the cathedral commissioned a silver monstrance built using New World ore.
After marveling at the marble interior, we climbed a circular ramp up 45 meters (140 feet) for a panoramic view of the old city.
We could see our apartment building in Rota as a tiny speck on the horizon but it was there.
Before leaving Cádiz we wanted to get a photo of all 5 Adventurers together because it seemed like it has been awhile since we grouped up for one. We chose the Old City gate as the bacground.
In summary, our Adventures today took us to see a new marvel (the suspension bridge), an old marvel (city wall and gates), and a marble-faced marvel (la Catedral). We also had lunch at a Marvel-influenced restaurant today but that’s not important. Cheers!
5 Adventures Together 