A stop at Cadiz was our introduction to Andalusia in southern Spain, where our excursion focused on flamenco music and dance, the production of sherry, and architectural styles that reflect the region’s history.
First stop: the nearby city of Jerez, home of Tio Pepe sherry. There must be a financial arrangement between that company and Viking, as we spent way too much time there. The grounds of the bodega are lovely, however.
The rest of Jerez was beautiful and inviting; I would have enjoyed having more time there.
Our last stop was for lunch at a restaurant that featured Flamenco music and dance in addition to local culinary specialties. No photo could ever convey the feeling of a Flamenco performance: the guitar player’s fingers fly quickly up, down, and across the strings; the singer’s voice explodes from deep within; and the passion in the dancer’s face changes as fast as the rhythmic pounding of her feet upon the stage. The whole performance left us all breathless.
We returned to the port with twenty minutes to spare, so our guide and driver took us on a windshield tour of Old Cadiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe. Founded by the Phoenicians in 1100 BC, Cadiz sits at the end of an isthmus, surrounded on three sides by water. The variety of its architectural styles reflects the highs and lows of its 3000-plus year history.
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