Much of our France & Spain trip was planned in a hurry. For various reasons, we couldn’t really commit to it well in advance, so we had to scramble to make a lot of last-minute accommodations. We didn’t expect this to be an issue, since for the most part, April isn’t an especially busy travel time in most of Europe. What we didn’t realize until we’d already made all of our France and Barcelona reservations was that the week before Easter — Semana Santa — is a MAJOR week of religious festivities in Spain, and it’s especially big in Andalucía, which happens to be the home of our last two stops on the trip: Cádiz and Sevilla.
For a while we thought we’d be shut out of Cádiz since train fares there were apparently a hot ticket, but we found relatively cheap airfare there and made it happen. Not as cheap or relaxed as the train would’ve been, but it got us there, and that was enough.
Cádiz is a small city located on the southwestern coast of Spain and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, founded by the Phoenicians around 1104 BC. We had only one full day and a couple partial days there, so we tried to make the most of it.
After settling into our Airbnb, we walked over to the town square, where a crowd was beginning to coalesce for the upcoming holy week procession. We got a table at a nearby cafe to observe it all. Vendors were set up all about the square, peddling candied apples, toy instruments, and all sorts of treats and trinkets for the children. Emilia latched on to a group of local girls of various ages, who took her around to play games and show her what the festival was all about. It’s crazy and wonderful watching how young kids just seem to bond over their shared kid-ness, language be damned.
Before long, the festivities began. A slow parade of individuals in robes and pointed hoods began making its way along the cordoned-off path; I say pointed hoods, but what I’m tiptoeing around is that they looked like Klansmen. I assumed the KKK appropriated the costumes from the marchers in the Semana Santa processions (called Nazarenos) at some point, but from what I’ve been able to find, there’s no established link. The Nazarenos pre-date the KKK though, so it’s definitely not the other way around. Regardless, it’s a pretty surreal experience to see folks running around town in what looks like a different-colored array of KKK get-ups, and it never got not-weird after several days of celebrations in both Cádiz and Sevilla. Regardless, that was my hangup to get over, and in spite of it, it was a unique and fun experience to watch how another culture celebrates that which is important to them.
Traveling with the Nazarenos were various members of the clergy, intricately designed floats (“pasos”) featuring scenes of Jesus or Mary, and the poor suckers who had to tote the pasos around. It had a small-town parade feel, in that it felt like the whole town showed up to watch, but the production value was definitely higher than your average American local parade. I’ll discuss Semana Santa more when I get to covering Sevilla though; that was a whole other beast.
The gorgeous weather that greeted us the first day decided to make its own greener pastures elsewhere, so some of the Semana Santa festivities were nixed — intricate floats, cloth robes, and candles on scepters don’t play so nicely with rain. We were a bit Santa’ed-out anyway. A potpourri of influences, from Phoenician and Roman, to Moorish and Spanish, plus a seaside location, gives Cádiz a unique flair. It’s quaint, but quirky. We wandered through town a bit to check out some of the varied architecture, and to get some grub.
Spanish cuisine agrees with me quite nicely, and Cádiz was a goldmine for great seafood. I did not have any problems keeping my stomach topped off. My favorite culinary introduction was tortillitas de camarones (Spanish shrimp fritters). They take tiny shrimp and deep fry them — shells, legs, eyes, and all — in a tasty batter. It reminded me much of the type of cuisine I’ve had in Singapore and Taiwan, which probably is why I didn’t bat an eye at eating a bunch of miniature shrimp eyes staring at me like so many tiny Han Solos frozen in carbonite. The gambas al ajillo, shrimp served in a sizzling bath of olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and parsley, were another favorite of mine. If you haven’t noticed, I can get rather Gumpy when it comes to shrimp.
After lunch, Erin and I parted ways so she and Emilia could have some downtime, while I played chicken with the looming rainclouds in the distance so I could check out a bit more of the city. We were taking off the following morning, and I felt like I hadn’t seen enough of Cádiz. The rain was mercifully light and short-lived, so I got to peruse the end of the peninsula Cádiz sits on, where several old fortresses occupy the points.
We took it easy the rest of the evening, and in the morning, departed for our final destination of the trip; Sevilla.
