Spring!

Spring has definitely come to southern Spain. We haven’t had rain in a few weeks (knock on wood), the temperature is in the 20s, and it stays light until about 8pm. It is absolutely wonderful. It is also strawberry season. So we had fresh Andalusian strawberries for Valentine’s day. And candy hearts that were sent with love from Emily’s friends at home.



Last week I went on a school field trip with a history class to Cadiz. Cadiz is a tiny peninsula on the southwest side coast of Spain and thought to be the oldest city in Europe. The city has two castles, a huge cathedral, beaches all around, an ancient wall completely surrounding it which protects the people from enemy cannon fire and invasion. Pretty much, this city has it all.

More impressive than the actual history of the city, was the fact that a group of high school students could take a 1 hour train ride to see centuries of history ‘in person’.


Castle Santa Catalina and fishing boats along the shore


The Cathedral in the old city center


The beach where a recent James Bond movie was filmed, the one with Halle Barry. The movie was set in Havanna, Cuba but parts were filmed in Cadiz. They say the two cities are very similar with the beach and the white building.


Old home of a trader in Cadiz. The traders always lived in the top apartments to be able to see the boats coming in on the bay.