Cadiz
 

Having just spent two days in Cadiz I vote it the most dog friendly Spanish city I have visited.


There is DOG SHIT everywhere.:thumbdown:

Re: Cadiz
 

It's the only Spanish city I've visited so far that I didn't like. Couldn't wait to get out of the place.

Re: Cadiz
 

Cádiz is one of my favourite places, wouldn't like to live there but love it for a visit:) great for fish lovers, lots of restaurants with no menu, just what has come in on the boats. local crab cakes...yummy:thumbup:

Re: Cadiz
 

How can you say that Jackie. It is the most beautiful city surrounded by sea and wonderful beaches. The new city isn´t anything to write home about but the old part is one of the lovliest Spanish cities there is. Far superior to Marbella and a hell of a lot cheaper. Can´t comment about the dog shit unfortunately the Spanish haven´t heard about picking up.

Re: Cadiz
 

Sorry Jackie, I meant Lynn!

Re: Cadiz
 

How can I say what:confused: I said it was one of my favourite places

Re: Cadiz
 

Oh. I wondered what I had said:rofl:

Re: Cadiz
 

I might have liked it better had we booked a shorter stay - we were there for 3 nights and as we found we could walk from one end of the old city to the other, both lengthways and across, within about 2 hours it was far too long. Also we were there in November and were unlucky with the weather, it was cold, wet and windy - unlike Sevilla where we've been several times at that time of year and it has always been lovely. Beaches don't interest me anyway. As for being beautiful, I don't think it compares favourably with places like Toledo or Segovia, or Sevilla for that matter. I thought the architecture in Jerez was much more interesting too. For a seaside place, San Sebastian knocks Cadiz into a cocked hat.

We really struggled to find decent places to eat which catered for my vegetarian OH (even more than usual for Spain) - had he eaten fish it might have been much easier.

I was shocked and saddened by the number of homeless people living on the streets - bedding down in shop doorways and parks, and many of them were people who looked to be in their 60s and 70s, not younger people with drug, alcohol or mental health issues. I know every city has rough sleepers, but I saw far more evidence of it in Cadiz than anywhere else I've been in Spain.

Re: Cadiz
 

yes there are downsides as there are with any City. We stayed in the Parador once and from our balcony we were watching drug dealing carried out openly in the park next door!

Re: Cadiz
 

:rofl:

Re: Cadiz
 

I was last here ( still here not leaving until tomorrow ) in 92 and stayed only one night in the Parador, this time in a different hotel, anyway today we went back to see what the newly built Parador was like.

Well we sat on the terrace having a coffee surrounded by rusty iron and wriggly tin, I can only compare it with sitting in a dilapidated container port, not impressed and will not be booking it in the future.

Re: Cadiz
 

Didn't see anything special there myself apart from endless Semana Santa processions banging away outside the bedroom window, the girl friend got herself mugged and finally we went on a tourist bus thinking there must surely be something of interest here..........

........ only to have to listen to the Spanish tourist guide ranting on about how the Brits had raided the town and stole the church bells as well all their gold. :confused:

That didn't last too long either once I asked her how they managed to aquire the stuff in the first place. :cool:

Re: Cadiz
 

We stayed at the Hotel Argantonio when we were there, it was actually the best thing about our stay (although nobody goes on holiday to sit in the hotel, do they?). Only small, but very convenient location and charming.


http://www.hotelargantonio.es/

Re: Cadiz
 

Well those of us that live here love Cadiz and as for not finding anywhere to eat well you certainly weren't going to the right places, even for vegetarians there are excellent restaurants ie Soprani's, Balandro, El Faro, el Veedor, a Siete and Aljibe to name just a few. Please dont knock our lovely city any city in the cold and wet is not a pleasant place to be.

Re: Cadiz
 

Keeps you on your toes Fred.

Re: Cadiz
 

I had a look at the menus of some of the restaurants you mention online (those which have websites). There isn't a single vegetarian option on the El Faro menu. Balandro has 2 starters and 1 main course (vegetarian lasagne which is the classic copout vegetarian dish offered by restaurants which really can't be bothered, my OH hates it), Barrasiete (if that's the a Siete you meant) has a couple of tapas, you couldn't really make a meal out of those.

I'm sure lots of people have visited Cadiz and enjoyed it, but if I've been somewhere and not liked it I am not going to say I did just to avoid offending the residents' delicate sensibilities! I don't go to places just to find fault with them, as you'll see from my previous post I've visited quite a few different cities in Spain (and intend to go on doing so, the huge range of places to go and see is one of the reasons I like living here) and enjoyed them very much.

I didn't like Barcelona very much either, though, if it makes you feel any better - although many people rave about it.

Re: Cadiz
 

Well, judging a Spanish city on the basis of its vegetarian dishes is a bit like judging a British city based on how nice the mosques are

I only spent 2 hours and a lunch in Cádiz, but it seemed pretty nice to me, but then there are dozens of lovely cities in Spain. Yes by my experience San Sebastian is the nicest, but it is also the most expensive by far

Re: Cadiz
 

I spent a week in Seville but found it cold, windy and not worthy of the hype.
The so-called historical parts seemed to be small and not worthy, although the cathedral was mega-impressive it seemed to be dark and dingy and needed light
But then perhaps I stayed in an hotel in the wrong part, didn't go to the right places.
And what does a guiri know about anything anyway
;)

Re: Cadiz
 

The best way to experience a city is through someone who lives there, even better if they were brought up there, otherwise any city can seem a bit lonely and underwhelming, especially the bigger Spanish cities where you need a bit of guidance on where to go

Re: Cadiz
 

sounds like a good business enterprise to get the unemployed working in the holiday industry, taking in foreign visitors, giving them the full experience of life in foreign lands.
Bet the hotels and restaurants will complain,

lets not tell the taxman just yet
:rofl:

Re: Cadiz
 

Exactly - I was due to be there 4 days but the old city is so small that everything can be seen quite easily in half a day, so after that there really wasn't much to do. We went to El Puerto de Santa Maria and came back by boat across the bay which was quite nice, but again only took half a day in total. We spent a day in Jerez to pass some time, although we'd been there previously for a few days (and liked it), and we left Cadiz immediately after breakfast on our final day, got the train as far as Sevilla and left our bags there and spent the day there instead of staying in Cadiz as originally planned.

The vegetarian food thing was only a small part of it, had everything else been great that would not have been of huge significance. But to say that there are many restaurants in Cadiz which cater (well) for vegetarians simply isn't true.

And how can Cman form a reliable opinion of the place based on being there for "2 hours and a lunch" but I can't after 4 days?

Re: Cadiz
 

There you are, then - you didn't like Sevilla very much whereas I love it and am happy to go back there any time. It is just a personal impression based on each individual's tastes and preferences, what one person likes will not appeal to everyone else. Doesn't make it any less valid to the individual concerned, whichever way.

Re: Cadiz
 

Lynn, it was the experience based on probably a rose tinted ideal as to what was there. We got out of the city went on one of Stevies trains and visited a couple of towns which we found more fun and interesting.

The impression I got was one of a city that had reached and passed its BBE date. Probably no dirtier than Granada, but the grafitti was appalling. The old Expo 92 site deserted and falling apart. The Isla Magica was non-existant.
The Torre del Oro far smaller than anticipated.
As said previously the cathedral did impress, the piles of gold and silver, the monuments etc etc, it deserves its place. But lack of lighting.
The royal gardens worth the time, but smaller than anticipated.

Perhaps it was our fault for going end Oct/early Nov, it was enjoyable but not a place I would want to visit again unless my arm was up my back.
I am really sorry about this because I enjoy history, I enjoy architecture, I normally enjoy the whole panoply of what should have been on offer. Just felt it wasnt there. Perhaps Seville lives off its past too much without thinking how it is promoting that into the future.

Must get to Cadiz, even if its just to see why Drake "liked" the place so much, it has the history and also is one of the places that has been the capital of Spain.
;)

Re: Cadiz
 

The old city is very small and you can walk round it very easily in two hours.
The cathedral is nice but lacks colour. however the crypt is fascinating both in it's construction and due to the ECHO.

The Camera Obscura is worth a visit ( I like them ).
We didn't go to the museum on this visit but it is well worth seeing all the Roman and Phonecian bits they found in the Bay of GIBRALTAR.

Also the narrow city street are a hive of small shops that seem to be managing OK possibly due to the lack of supermarket competition.
The market was bustling with many small traders and a wide variety of produce at very keen prices.
We found ( used it to park ) a Lidl a good 5 kms from the centre, and checking online there is a Mercadona about 4 kms out.
Closer to the City there is an El Corte Ingles which is quite large, I suppose it has a Hipercore in it but we didn't notice. We went in looking for a particular product without exploring the whole store.

Restaurants, well there's hundreds of them.

Re: Cadiz
 

Ifyou actuallygo into any of the restaurants they do have many other options, dont just look on the web, that never gives you the true menu , probably hasnt been updated for many years. We have a vegetarian friend and she has never found any problems there. Not so keen on Barcelona either.

Re: Cadiz
 

Cue everybody who lives in or near Barcelona to say we are both wrong and it is marvellous, then!:lol:

Re: Cadiz
 

Oh, dear. We spent a day in Cadiz a few weeks ago and didn't think much of it. :( We actually preferred Algeciras.:eek:

A lot of it depends upon; why/when you're there, who you're with, what you're expecting, lots of factors which aren't necessarily the fault of the place...

Re: Cadiz
 

Hi

I live in the Cádiz region but dread my vegetarian kids coming in some ways. Spain is not yet geared up to vegetarians in the same way as the UK is. I can locally get a non meat tapa for one euro, and a meat tapa for 1-20€.

But the Spanish think that Tuna is acceptable (not meat) as is bacon and ham! We recently visited Granada for a couple of nights. Plenty of vegan restaurants; we disliked the first we chose but liked the second which actually did ONE meat meal as a token to non vegans!!!

But life is what you make it; it wouldn´t be for everyone to be the same. There are things I like and dislike and the small streets of Cádiz reminds me of the lanes of Brighton.

Davexf

Re: Cadiz
 

This is getting to be a worrying habit, I'm agreeing with you once again!

The first time we went to Seville was with our Spanish son-in-law along with his sister who lives there.
We were shown all of the interesting places and lots that the normal tourist never sees, it was an experience that I shall never forget, and one that has played out again and again across many towns and cities over the years since.

Local knowledge is invaluable if one really wants to discover more than just the surface of whats on offer!

Re: Cadiz
 

I loved Cadiz, and I'm a vegetarian. :)


Pontevedra was the worst place I was in in Spain for vegetarian food. I thought I was about to faint with hunger until I stumbled across a little street with 3 turkish cafes side by side.

(Later I found a pizza/pasta place whose name I can't remember but which is part of a chain up that way, but it was too late to rescue Pontevedra in my eyes.)

Re: Cadiz
 

The cathedral and the crypt echo gets a big write up in Sharpe's Fury by Richard Cornwell, along with the length of time it took to build and some comments about the town.

`

Re: Cadiz
 

Cádiz doesn't have a lot to see in the way of historical buildings but I just like wandering around the old part, narrow alleways etc. Reminds me of how Spain used to be. Had one of our best meals in Spain there. Wish I could remember the name...I could take you there:lol: Not cheap but it is compared to a good place on the CDS. Their famous crab fritters to start and real deserts like profiteroles to finish.

We had to check out of the Parador after 2 nights. Woke up on the third day with awful building noise. Opened the shutters and they were almost on our balcony, chipping the rendering off the walls:eek: They said they didn't have another room but not to worry it would be finished later that day. Went out for the day, returned about 5pm. there was about a metre deep building rubble on the balcony...so, we left. They had the cheek to try to charge our card for that night because we hadn't checked out at 12pm:thumbdown:

Re: Cadiz
 

Well if you don´t like Barcelona either there isn´t much to be said. We absolutely loved it. Regarding the beggars unfortunately this region is suffering dire times even Jerez was on the BBC news last night. But I can remember going to Dublin in the early seventies and was shocked at the amount of beggars around.

Re: Cadiz
 

I spent a year in Cadiz and its charms grow on you. The food, the historic buildings and the beaches are more obvious on a quick visit, but its biggest asset is the humour and vitality of its people. They are very friendly, always ready for a laugh, and Carnaval with its satirical songs and amazing costumes is quite unique. There are lots of great clubs for live music and comedy but they don't start till after midnight when most tourists have gone to bed!

As for the dog shit, I don't remember it being a problem, certainly no worse than other towns, but they do actually have bins and notices up in Cadiz old town and they do fine people.

Re: Cadiz
 

Worse place I have seen for dog shit is Paris, necessary to walk with your head down all the time:frown:

Re: Cadiz
 

I've not been there for many years - do they still have the pissoirs in the street (Amsterdam has them too), they really smell disgusting.

Re: Cadiz
 

Well I must concur at bad restaurants in Cadiz on this one occasion. Today we went for lunch and it was the most disgusting meal I think I have had. It was Presa Iberico. When it came it was four small slices of meat which resembled those dog chews you get and tasted like it. Served on a bed of white limp undercooked chips. It was dreadful.

My OH and a friend both had beefburgers which sounded delicious one was supposedly made with Aberdeen Angus and the other with Hereford beef. Both tasted exactly the same which they most likely were accompanied by some bits of iceberg lettuce and the same white limp chips.

Now why is it that when in the UK I am served a dreadful meal I will send it back but when I am in Spain I say nothing!!:frown:

Re: Cadiz
 

What a shame. I think the worst meal I've been served in Spain was in Antequera, it sounds a lot like the one you described. I'm sure there must be better restaurants there (and it's a lovely place to visit for a day) but we were certainly unlucky!

I am not the best at complaining in restaurants, unless I found something really disgusting in the food the most I would do is not leave a tip and vow never to go back, but my OH has no such scruples - no matter which country he's in. I suppose everyone should do it but traditionally it hasn't been the British way.

Re: Cadiz
 

Maybe because when they bring it back to your table or the next course, you would be wondering what unpleasant bodily substance may have been added.

Yes it does happen quite often and not only in Spain, so you need to have a lot of confidence in the kitchen staff before sending it back as they can often take it very personally or possibly even get a slap on the wrist from the head chef because of your actions.

Re: Cadiz
 

when arriving at a restaurant buying the Maitre D' and Chef a drink seems to smooth the way
:sneaky: