We set off yesterday on a round tour of western Andalusia heading down through Marbella, Algeciras (bypassing Gibraltar), over even more mountain roads (Los Barrios) and up the coast arriving in Cadiz just in time for lunch. Cadiz is an amazing old city port, one of the oldest cities in Europe actually, resting at the edge of a thin peninsular with a lot of character and very friendly locals. Cadizians, if you can call them that, descend from an amazing mixture of previous folk including the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Visigoths, the Romans, the Moors as well as the current Andalusian Spanish. The city may be old but it is also very clean unlike some new cities I have visited recently!! We were blown away by the old harbour walls built in the 15th century. The cut stones contained fossils of a previous era which were truly amazing.
We had lunch at La Cepa Gallega, one of the most famous tapas wine bars in Cadiz if not the modern world! It has been labeled a wine museum and a ship's stores but one thing is certain, Félix Fernández Verdejo and his son give you a right warm welcome on arrival and recommend some great wines, hams, fishes and cheeses to the hungry and curious visitor. We settled for the Coto de Imaz 2007 which was delightful particularly with the Manchego Cheese served simply on paper. There are no pretension here simply great food and wine served simply and with pleasure! Lunch for two was only 12 euros! Sadly we had to take our leave after lunch but we both agreed we would be back in Cadiz soon to explore this beautiful city in much more detail. We headed off up the coast towards Jerez de la Frontera (the home of sherry - another visit pending) and on to Rhonda (another amazing historical city built on top of a mountain ridge!) and finally over snow clad mountains (Sierra de la Nieves) and home to Fuengirola for a cold pint!!!
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