Spain

The city of Cadiz Spain

We went to the city of Cadiz Spain which is in the south of Spain. Cadiz is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Spain and one of the oldest in western Europe. The Spanish navy has been stationed in Cadiz since the 18th century.

We decided to walk through the old section of Cadiz exploring the narrow streets and admiring the historic buildings.

img_20161018_142835714_hdr
Narrow streets in old quarter of Cadiz Spain
img_20161018_143225150_hdr
Typical historic building of Cadiz

We came to a large central plaza where people were enjoying the day at the cafes and pubs.

img_20161018_143521947
Main Plaza in old quarter of Cadiz Spain

We walked through the plaza enjoying the hustle and bustle of people. We came to the Cathedral in the plaza which was quite nice.

img_20161018_145950760_hdr
Cathedral in Cadiz Spain

We walked along the streets until we came across the ruins of a Roman Theater which was partially excavated. It is believed that the theater was built in the 1st century BC and one of the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It could hold more than 20,000 people and was mentioned in Roman writings.

img_20161018_151334536
Roman Theater wall from 1st century BC in Cadiz
img_20161018_152100073_hdr
Roman Theater remains in Cadiz Spain
img_20161018_152440827
Roman Theater the view of the seating area

We went into the Roman Theater and explored the site. It was truly amazing to see the ruins knowing that they were built in the first century BC. We were able to enter underground and see parts of the Theater from below.

img_20161018_152539516
Archway to below grade of the theater
img_20161018_152638313_hdr
inside the underground passageways of the theater

Inside the passageways, we could see the walls which were pitted and worn over the years.

img_20161018_152211314
The walls of the underground passageways

After exploring the underground passageways, we went into the museum section of the Theater.

img_20161018_152109553
Shelley in the museum section of the Roman Theater

We read about the history of the theater as well as to the discovery of the ruins after being excavated in 1980.

Afterward, we headed to the walkway along the edge of the city. The  views along the walkway were beautiful. We could see the entire coastal area of Cadiz.

img_20161018_150500669
Walkway along the coast of Cadiz Spain

We stopped to admire the views and enjoy the beautiful sunshine.

img_20161018_150422178
Louise and Bard on the coast of Cadiz Spain
img_20161018_150428035
Shelley at the coast of Cadiz Spain

We walked along the waterfront for a while then headed to the park before heading back home. The park area was nicely groomed and was a relaxing walk.

img_20161018_154440102

There were statues and nice shaded areas to sit and relax.

img_20161018_154352051_hdr
Blaz De Lezo Statue in the park in Cadiz

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Visit to Gonzalez Byass Bodega in Jerez, Spain

We went to the world renown Gonzalez Byass Bodega (winery) for a tour in Jerez Spain. The bodega is well-known for its sherry and it’s brand Tio Pepe. Its origins began in 1835 and was founded by Manuel María González Angel. Later a partnership with Robert Blake Byass created the Gonzalez Byass name. The winery is located on a large property which is beautifully landscaped.

img_20161018_112041441_hdr
A view of the Gonzalez Byass Winery property in Jerez

The entrance to the main building is decorated with historic pictures of the winery which began in 1835.

img_20161018_101500319
Entrance area of main building in the Gonzalez Byass Winery

When we finished exploring the historic photos in the main entrance, we were met by our guide. He was very enlightening and had a great sense of humor. We began our tour in a circular style  reception area which was very unique.

img_20161018_103337904_hdr
Reception area of the winery

The guide explained to us the design of the reception area was mirrored similar to Saint Peter’s Square in Rome. The building was constructed this way to impress the visiting royal family of Spain.

We walked throughout the reception area looking at the different symbols of countries. The symbols on each barrel represented each country that Gonzalez Byass Winery exported their products to.

img_20161018_102202213
Different countries Gonzalez Byass Winery exports their products to.

We walked around until we located Canada on one of the Barrels.

img_20161018_102247008
The Canada Barrel at the Gonzalez Byass Winery

We then headed into another area of the winery which had a display of the equipment used to create wine over the years.

img_20161018_103630380_hdr
An exhibit of some of the wine making equipment

The guide provided us with the history of the Bodega and how it is known for their sherry. We then entered into the area of the Bodega where the sherry barrels are kept.

img_20161018_104907181
Sherry barrels in Bodega

The barrels are painted black to make it easy to locate leaks. The wine will leave a shiny streak on the barrel making it very easy to find the leak.

Each aisle contains four rows of matte black barrels which contain wine from four different years. The wine in each barrel is  replaced and mixed with another barrel to make the sherry. There is an intricate and scientific process for making the perfect sherry.

img_20161018_105114204
There are different sherries in selected aisles.

We walked throughout the aisles looking at the different barrels of sherry.

img_20161018_104606267
Shelley in the Bodega barrel area

There is also a special section in the barrel storage area for the royal sherry. The Queen of Spain attended the Bodega and had grapes crushed and put into a specially made barrel.

img_20161018_105522630
Royal barrel with our tour guide

We then headed to taste some samples of sherry made by the Bodega. The tasting area was set up similar to a restaurant.

img_20161018_111620271-1
Tasting area at the bodega

We tried several different types of sherry including their best-known  sherry “Tio Pepe”. We could see their logo throughout the bodega of Tio Pepe.

img_20161018_105412283-1
Tio Pepe logo on display with flowers in the Bodega.

The sherry was very good and we decided to go to their sales area to take a look around. The store was very large with plenty of choices of sherry.

img_20161018_112321718
Store area in Gonzalez Byass Bodega

We walked around looking at the different displays including an area with their featured Tio Pepe Sherry.

img_20161018_112352133-1

We bought a bottle of sherry and took it home for a special occassion. It was a very interesting and enjoyable experience.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Christians and Moors Battle

We awoke early and took the Tram to El Campello, a city approximately 20 minutes away from Alicante.  We went early to attended the beginning of the Moors and Christian festival which started at 7 am. We arrived to find a large crowd of people already lined up along the beach.

img_20161012_074812918
Crowds of people lined up along the beach to watch the reenactment of the Battle

The festival which is held every year to observe the patron saint, the Mare de Déu dels Desemparats. The events are recreated to depict the history of the Moorish occupation of the area between 700 and 1400 AD.

img_20161012_074936592
Dawn with the reenactment of the Christian and Moor battle.

The beginning of the festival includes the reenacted of the arrival of the Moorish army by boat. As they approach the shore of El Campello in a flotilla of boats, torches are lit, cannons fire and musket shots rings out.

img_20161012_081510186_hdr
Reenactment of the Moors landing in Spain

When they arrived at the shore, the battle continued on the beach. They fought each other in a choreographed  battle with swords and on horseback. It was truly an exciting and amazing thing to watch.

img_20161012_075805286_hdr
Landing on the beach start of moors and Christian reenactment.

We watched the battle for approximately 45 minutes before the reenactment moved along the shoreline to the castle where the next leg of the reenactment begins.

img_20161012_100320069
The king in the reenactment

The Moors and Christians face off at the castle in a long speech in Spanish. Unfortunately, we could not understand what was being said, however, it was very interesting to watch.

img_20161012_095026647_hdr
Moor leader speaking to Christians

The reenactment was very well done and spectators would get dressed in the traditional dress to attend the festival.

img_20161012_092656982_hdr
A family dressed up for the festival
img_20161012_090825004
People dressed in traditional clothing
img_20161012_090653860
Dressed in traditional clothing for the fiesta

They even had real camels in the reenactment.

img_20161012_092021855_hdr
Ray with a camel in background from the Moor Christian festival
img_20161012_091952229_hdr
Camels in the Moor Christian Festival

We watched the entire reenactment which was very interesting and enjoyable.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Equestrian show in Jerez Spain

We stopped at the “Fundacion Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre” located in Jerez Spain. The equestrian School is known around the world for its “Andalusian Horse Dance” which is an amazing display of  horsemanship and horse skills. The equestrian school has been visited by the king of Spain and is considered the royal equestrian school of Spain.

img_20161018_132715357
Fundacion Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre in Jerez, Spain

We arrived and entered the arena which is fairly large. The arena is well designed and every seat is excellent for viewing the show. We settled into our seats and awaited the show.

img_20161018_115932818
View from our seats in the arena

The show started with an explanation of the  history of the horse and the interaction with man. Then there were eight horseback riders that entered the arena and began a routine with the horses.

The display of horsemanship and abilities was amazing. The horses were spectacular and very well trained completing intricate routines in perfect timing.

img_20161018_132505676
View of the horses from our seats
horse3-copy
Part of the routine of the “dancing horses”

The rider and horse did routines that had the horses “dancing” with exaggerated steps ad jumps by the horses. After the Dancing horse routine, they did a routine with unmounted horses.

horse-dance-copy
Horse on hind legs doing a hop
horse-show-2-copy
Part of the man and horse display with jumps and bucking part of the show

There was also a horse and buggy routine which demonstrated the precision handling of horse and buggy.

horse-and-buggy-copy
Wagon section of the show

We enjoyed the show which was approximately 1 1/2 hours long. The show was unique and well worth te time to go and see.

“adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

A walk along the river in Cuenca

We took a walk down the old streets in Cuenca and found ourselves along a pathway which brought us down towards a river.

img_5318-1
Pathway downwards toward the river

The path brought us to the river’s edge where a trail followed the riverbank throughout the city. We took the path and enjoyed a nice walk along the Júcar and Huécar rivers.

img_5321
Path along the river in Cuenca, Spain

We headed down the trail and admired the different views. Stopping along the way to take photos and enjoy the moment.

img_5178
Louise taking a moment to take a photo and enjoy the view
img_5145
Trail along the river edge in Cuenca, Spain
img_20161006_160218466
Buildings along the edge of the cliffs of Cuenca

As we walked along the path we came across some of the buildings perched precariously on the cliffs. It is amazing that these buildings have withstood the test of time.

img_5195-2
Building on the edge of the cliff in Cuenca
img_5215
View of building on edge of cliff from the river bank in Cuenca
img_5156
Shelley, Louise, and Brad on the path in Cuenca Spain

We walked approximately 3 hours all along the walkway. We saw some beautiful scenery and amazing buildings perched precariously on the cliffs of Cuenca.

img_5142
View along the walkway in Cuenca
img_5161
Buildings on the edge of the cliffs in Cuenca

We came across some buildings which had sewer pipes exposed down the side of the cliffs which connected with the main sewer system.

img_5155
sewer plumbing exposed on the outside of the cliffs of Cuenca

Along the way, we enjoyed the sights and sounds which almost made you forget that you were in the heart of the City of Cuenca.

img_5169
View along the walkway in Cuenca

The walk along the pathway was very enjoyable, the sights and sounds were amazing and we had a wonderful time.

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

 

Life is too short to wait for adventure!