Travel in the Time of COVID – Europe 2021: Spain V

Communidad de Andalucia: Jerez and Cadiz

I will have to say that the drive from Granada to Jerez was the most beautiful countryside we have seen. Miles of olive and orange groves, with the occasional town or small city (the town of Olvera looked especially beautiful- a glowing town literally arising in the middle of nowhere). Luckily, Alan doesn’t mind driving (well, to put it correctly – he hates being a passenger, so is resigned to driving), this allows the rest of us to relax and enjoy the ride. 

We decided to use Jerez as a base for the region, since roundtrip trains were an hour each way to Cadiz and Seville, for less than 20E each round trip, and the hotels were a third of the cost of those in Seville. 

Jerez itself is well worth a visit as the heart of Spanish sherry. The most famous of which is Tio Pepi – a very dry sherry that is almost clear – a “fino” type . The symbol for that sherry is a bottle topped with a Flamenco hat and jacket, sometimes accompanied by a guitar, and is displayed throughout the region.

Gonzalez-Byass distillers make this variety as well as a number of V.O.R.S. – Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum (or in English – Very Old Rare Sherry) that are aged for 30 or more years in oak barrels. Liam is a big fan of Tio Pepi and dryer sherries, so we all went for a tasting. We splurged for the V.O.R.S. tasting (36Epp), where after a tour of the facility, we sampled 4 aged sherries (Del Duche, Apostoles, Matusalem, and Noe) along with the Tio Pepi. My personal favorite was “Apostoles”, which was sweet, but not overwhelming, and well balanced.

Since it cost 72E per bottle, we resisted purchasing any. 

The city also has a beautiful cathedral,

surrounded by shops, tapas and sherry bars, which we discovered on our last evening and explained why other parts of the town seemed “so quiet” other nights. The requisite Irish Pub was across from our hotel. 

The train station was beautiful, covered in tiles and created as a place to welcome visitors and welcome home locals. We joined many of those locals on their daily commute to Cadiz. 

For just over 8E round trip, the train runs every 20-30 minutes through most of the day for the just under 1 hour ride to the community on the small island of Cadiz. As we approached the town, we saw several cruise ships in port, including the Queen Elizabeth. It’s just a few blocks from the train station into town. A large plaza lined with shops and cafes welcomed us, one of which advertised a regional favorite – hot chocolate and churros. With glee, Liam and Alan ordered them for breakfast, and John followed suit. The churros are similar to the ones we would have in San Antonio, a little narrower, slightly denser and covered in sugar (no cinnamon), and held up well in the thick hot chocolate. 

We took some photos of the impressive cathedral,

then strolled to the waterside. A seawall surrounds the old city offering a great place to enjoy a walk in the sea air, enjoy the views, places to fish and access to a couple of small beaches, and the roughly 3K walk allowed us to work off some of our breakfast.

Cadiz was initially settled by the Phoenicians, and is one of the earliest human settlements in Europe, with archeological evidence dating back to 1100 B.C. In the 16^th century, it was the main port for Spanish explorers, and the import site of goods coming back from the Americas, making it extremely wealthy, and a target for pirates and foreign invaders – including the Earls of Essex and Nottingham, who along with the Dutch, looted and burned the city in 1596. Which is why they have 2 forts (one of which is still in use as an observation station on the Atlantic).

Its fortunes have changed off and on through the years, and now is a naval base, shipyard, and the aforementioned cruise ship port. 

The next post will be about our day trip to Seville!