CADIZ, SPAIN
«23 March 2024»

Walkabout & Procession

Photos © Ruud Leeuw


 
Looking for some early sunshine, escaping our wet & gloomy climate, we flew to Sevilla on March 22nd.
The next day we decided to visit Cádiz, where indeed we found the weather we were looking for. Only a few days later we found adversity (weather) on our path, soon followed by a traumatic event.
But for now we enjoy a report on our walks through the streets of Cádiz and bear witness to the procession!

PAGE ONE CÁDIZ | PAGE TWO CARMONA | PAGE 3 SEVILLA_#1| PAGE 4 SEVILLA_#2 | CLOSING PAGE

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The open tourbus, an option we considered but did not go for. I like to be able to move around for my photography.
Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
We parked in the underground carpark and surfaced on the boulevard, very convenient.

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
A boulevard to be proud of

Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, was founded by the Phoenicians as a trading post. In the 18th century, the Port in the Bay of Cádiz consolidated as the main harbour of mainland Spain, enjoying the virtual monopoly of trade with the Americas until 1778. It is also the site of the University of Cádiz.

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
A short walk to the Catedral de la Santa Cruz de Cádiz


 

Inside the imposing cathedral.
Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
Cathedral featuring baroque, rococo & neoclassical styles with a bell-tower climb to dramatic views.

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

'The Cathedral of the Holy Cross over the Waters (Spanish: Catedral de Santa Cruz sobre las Aguas) is a Catholic cathedral in Cádiz, southern Spain, and the seat of the Diocese of Cadiz y Ceuta.
It was built between 1722 and 1838. The cathedral was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1931.'

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

The Plaza de la Catedral houses both the Cathedral and the Baroque Santiago church, building commenced in c.1635.

The church was known as 'The Cathedral of The Americas' because it was built with money from the trade between Spain and America.
The 18th century was a golden age for Cádiz, and the other cathedral that the city had got, Santa Cruz, was very small for this new moment of Cádiz.
The new cathedral was built from 1722 to 1838. The first person who designed the church was architect Vicente Acero, who had also built the Granada Cathedral. Acero left the project and was succeeded by several other architects. [¬ Wikipedia]

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

'This largely baroque-style cathedral was built over a period of 116 years, and, due to this drawn-out period of construction, the cathedral underwent several major changes to its original design.
Though the cathedral was originally intended to be a baroque edifice, it contains rococo elements, and was finally completed in the neoclassical style.
Its chapels have many paintings and relics from the old cathedral and monasteries from throughout Spain.'

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

'In the crypt are buried the composer Manuel de Falla and the poet and playwright José María Pemán, both born in Cádiz.'

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Levante Tower, one of the towers of Cádiz Cathedral, is open to the public and shows panoramas of the city from on high. But there was quite a line and I did not care to venture on the small stairs with a lot of people.


 

Back onto the streets, I always like to photograph musicians and artists!
Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Other 'moments in the public domain'
Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
Breastfeeding her child, and here's me trying to be discreet.
"A good photograph is knowing where to stand." - Ansel Adams (1902 -1984)

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

 

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
Remarkable trees, they remind me off Angkor Wat (My Angkor report 2013)

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
Plaza de Mina

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
Trying to score a plastic bottle into the waste container...

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
More football

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
Now on the subject of dogs...
Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
#_OnReading

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
This modest stall was closed but even so I doubt if they had English books for sale.


 

The route for the procession marked out
Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
Some architecture, wandering the streets of Old Town Cadiz

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

 

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
More 'walkabout'

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
I love the tiles! And those exotic trees!

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Situated on a narrow slice of land surrounded by the sea‚ Cádiz is, in most respects, a typically Andalusian city with well-preserved historical landmarks.
The older part of Cádiz, within the remnants of the city walls, is commonly referred to as the Old Town (Spanish: Casco Antiguo), and represents a large area of the total size of the city. It is characterized by the antiquity of its various quarters (barrios), among them El Pópulo, La Viña, and Santa María, which present a marked contrast to the newer areas of town.
While the Old City's street plan consists of narrow winding alleys connecting large plazas, newer areas of Cádiz typically have wide avenues and more modern buildings.
In addition, the city is dotted with numerous parks where exotic plants flourish, including giant trees supposedly brought to the Iberian Peninsula from the New World. [¬ Wikipedia]

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

 

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
When one has few belongings, one needs to be extra careful in the public domain

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
Going for a minor URBEX adventure

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
I noticed someone (a homeless person?) creeping through a hole in a fence, maybe he had sleeped rough. So I went in...

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
It's a fenced off park which includes a botanical garden with remarkable trees

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
This is part of Parque Genovés, the boulevard and part along the road is accessable.

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
This theatre seems uncompleted before it was all fenced off (for whatever reason)

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
'Ruta Botanica Por El Parque Genovés'


 

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
Exploring the box of macarons, which one will be next..

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24
A nice break for ice cream, resting our feet. We had time to kill as we had intended to visit here only in the morning
and go to Sevilla for the processions in the afternoon. Until we found that they would have a precession here too.
But the prcession would only start at 17:00.

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

Visit to Cadiz, 23Mar24

 

PROCESSION

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024
I love these religious events, respect their culture and tradition.
The Seville Carnival is an annual event held during Lent and for one week before Easter. It's called
'La Semana Santa' (Holy Week) by locals and occurs every year from Thursday before Palm Sunday until
Holy Saturday, or Good Friday.

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024
The headgear needed a hold because the wind could easily take them off.

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024
This is the celebration of Easter's 'Holy Week', it is a Spaniard tradition that dates back to 16th century.
The processions are organized by hermandades and cofradías, religious brotherhoods. Members precede the
pasos dressed in penitential robes with capirotes, tall, pointed hoods with eye-holes. The capirotes were
designed so the faithful could repent in anonymity, without being recognised as self-confessed sinners.

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024
Nazarenos play and important role in the holy week processions. More is explained on my Sevilla pages.

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024
The Guarda officer, below right, is trying to signal me his disapproval for me climbing into a lantern post!

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024
Underneath the weighty structure some 35 porters are hidden and carry the float slowly through the streets.

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024
Passing the City Hall of Cádiz. The pasos (floats) are explained on my Sevilla pages.

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024
The big stalls in front of the cathedral. The event would continue into the evening but we took our leave.

PROCESSION CADIZ 3-2024


 

 


Created 13-May-2024 | Updated 24/5/24