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Costa Europa
Mediterranean Cruise - March 2008
Page 4: 14th March: Cádiz
This page is one of a series showing a Mediterrainean cruise on
Costa Europa
in 2008. There is also a full history of
Costa Europa
.
Cruise Itinerary:-
Savona
-
Sea Day
-
Malaga
-
Cádiz
-
Lisbon
-
Gibraltar
-
Alicante
-
Barcelona
-
Savona
We had a full day in
Cádiz
. We took the circular bus tour on an old (ex-Nottingham?) right-hand-drive Leyalnd Atlantean. I then took the 1955 wooden ferry (
El Vapor de El Puerto
) across to the sherry town
El Puerto de Santa María
. Intending to return immediately, the place looked more interesting than expected and I spent a couple of hours exploring the church, castle, sherry bogegas and bullring. I was amazed to find the old Orkney Islands ferry
Orcadia
(now
Louisa
) in the port. I returned on the modern ferry, hoping to pass the old ferry on the way out. This did not happen since the old vessel was late, so I did a further quick return on the modern (faster) ferry to pass the old vessel.
Cádiz
, the oldest continuously-inhabited city in western Europe, has been a principal home port of the Spanish Navy since the accession of the Spanish Bourbons in the 18th century. Cádiz is on an island which is separated from the mainland by a larger island, the Isla de Léon; thus, to reach the mainland from
Cádiz
, it is necessary to cross a narrow channel to the low-lying Isla de Léon, before crossing another narrow channel to the mainland. The older part of
Cádiz
, within the remnants of the city walls, is commonly referred to as the Old City (in Spanish, Casco Antiguo). The Old City's street plan consists largely of narrow winding alleys connecting large plazas.
The city was originally founded as Gadir by the Phoenicians, who used it in their trade with Tartessos, a city-state believed by archæologists to be somewhere near the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, about thirty kilometres northwest of
Cádiz
. Later, the Greeks knew the city as Gadira or Gadeira. However, in 206 BC, the city fell to Roman forces under Scipio Africanus. The people of Cádiz welcomed the victors. Under the Romans, the city's Greek name was modified to Gades; it flourished as a Roman naval base. The fifth century overthrow of Roman power in Hispaniia Baetica by the Visigoths saw the destruction of the original city, of which there remain few remnants today. Under Moorish rule between 711 and 1262, the city was called Qadis, from which the modern Spanish name, Cádiz, was derived. The Moors were finally ousted by Alphonso X of Castile in 1262.
Christopher Columbus sailed from
Cádiz
on his second and fourth voyages, and the city later became the home port of the Spanish treasure fleet. Consequently, the city became a major target of Spain's enemies. The greater part of the old town was consumed in the conflagration of 1569. In April 1587 a raid by the Englishman Sir Francis Drake occupied the harbour for three days, capturing six ships and destroying 31 others as well as a large quantity of stores. The attack delayed the sailing of the Spanish Armada by a year. The city suffered another raid in 1596 by the Earl of Essex and Lord Charles Howard, who sacked part of the town but were unable to hold the city and port. In the Anglo-Spanish War Admiral Robert Blake blockaded Cádiz from 1655 to 1657. In the Battle of Cádiz (1702), the British attacked again under Sir George Rooke and James, Duke of Ormonde, but they were repelled after a costly siege.
In the eighteenth century, the sand bars of the river Guadalquivir forced the Spanish government to transfer the port monopolizing trade with Spanish America from upriver Seville to
Cádiz
with better access to the Atlantic. During this time, the city experienced a golden age during which three-quarters of all Spanish trade was with the Americas. It became one of Spain's greatest and most cosmopolitan cities and home to trading communities from many countries, among whom the richest was the Irish community. Many of today's historic buildings in the Old City date from this era. By the end of the century, however, the city suffered another series of attacks. The British blockade and siege of Cádiz between February 1797 and April 1798 was, by most standards, a costly failure. Nelson, returning from his defeat at Santa Cruz, bombarded the city in 1800. During Napoleon's conquest of Europe,
Cádiz
was one of the few cities in Spain that was able to resist the French invasion.
El Puerto de Santa María
(locally known as just
El Puerto
) is a city located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Spain. The town of
El Puerto de Santa María
is 10 km north east of Cádiz across the bay of Cádiz and is best known for its ferry
Adriano III
(
El Vapor de El Puerto
) which has been in operation for 76 years carrying passengers to and from Cádiz to El Puerto. Christopher Columbus's second expedition to the Americas set sail from
El Puerto
de Santa María. His pilot, Juan de la Cosa drew his world map (the first including the coast of New World) in
El Puerto
in 1500. Columbus visited
El Puerto
in 1480 and received encouragement for his travel plans. He also met Juan de la Cosa who issued the first world map in 1500.
Next Page...
Sections on this Page:-
Cádiz
Costa Europa
El Puerto de Santa María
El Vapor de El Puerto
Norwegian Jade
Ferries
Adriano III
Fes
Louisa
Patricia Olivia
Super-Fast Andalucia
Tor Anglia
Tugs
V.B.Cadiz
V.B.Jerez
Next Page...
Ships on this Page:-
Adriano III
- ferry to El Puerto
Costa Europa
Fes
- IMTC ro-ro ferry
Louisa
- ex-
Orcadia
of Orkney Isles Shipping
Norwegian Jade
Patricia Olivia
Buquebus
Super-Fast Andalucia
- Acciona ro-ro ferry
Tor Anglia
- DFDS-Tor Line ro-ro ferry
V.B.Cadiz
- Boluda Grupo tug
V.B.Jerez
- Boluda Grupo tug
Cruise Itinerary:-
Tue March 11th Savona
- Italy Depart 17:00
Wed March 12th Sea Day
Thu March 13th Malaga
- Spain Arr: 13:00 Dep: 20:00
Fri March 14th Cádiz
- Spain Arr: 07:00 Dep: 18:00
- this page
Sat March 15th Lisbon
- Portugal: 08:00 Dep: 18:00
Sun March 16th Gibraltar
- Arr: 14:00 Dep: 19:00
Mon March 17th Alicante
- Spain Arr: 12:30 Dep: 19:00
Tue March 18th Barcelona
- Spain Arr: 08:00 Dep: 13:00
Wed March 19th Savona
- Italy Arr: 09:00
Associated Pages:-
Costa Crociere
Home Lines
Holland America Line
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards
-
Recent Updates
Simplon Postcards
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Home Page
References:-
Click on images for details
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cádiz
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Puerto_de_Santa_Maria
Search Simplon Postcards:-
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Costa Europa
Mediterrainean Cruise - March 2008
Page 4: 14th March: Cádiz
Costa Europa
Costa Europa
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Costa Europa
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Costa Europa
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Costa Europa
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Costa Europa
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Costa Europa
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Costa Europa
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Costa Europa
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Costa Europa
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Costa Europa
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Costa Europa
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Cádiz
Cádiz - gate to old town
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Cádiz - gate to old town
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Cádiz - gate to old town
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Cádiz - beach and cathedral
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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El Puerto de Santa María
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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El Puerto de Santa María
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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El Puerto de Santa María - church doorway
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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El Puerto de Santa María - church doorway
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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El Puerto de Santa María - church doorway detail
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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El Puerto de Santa María - uncompleted church doorway
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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El Puerto de Santa María - castle
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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El Puerto de Santa María - bullring
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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El Vapor de El Puerto
Motonaves Adriano S.L.
Adriano III
Adriano III
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Adriano III
at Cádiz
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Adriano III
at Cádiz with
Costa Europa
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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Adriano III
at Cádiz passing
Costa Europa
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 14th March 2008
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