The last week of my month in Europe was spent exploring Spain – my first time in this beautiful country!

Now, normally, the average person would probably hit up the bigger cities on their first visit to a new country. For Spain, the cities of Madrid and Barcelona come to mind. There is no doubt in my mind that I do want to visit these cities one day, but if I am being honest, they were not at the top of my Spain bucket list, for a couple of reasons. First, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I typically gravitate toward medium-sized cities when I travel – those that warrant at least two to three days of visiting and still have a wealth of history, culture, and cuisine to offer. Secondly, I think that I would get more out of my experience in a large city like Barcelona by sharing my visit with someone. Metropolitan cities are packed with sights and activities, and I think that to see and do them with a fellow traveler would bring me so much more enjoyment versus doing it alone.

With all of that said, I took it upon myself to explore a couple of Spain’s smaller cities, the first of which was Cádiz, a formerly walled, peninsular city on the southwest coast of the country.

The Basics

Length of Stay: Three nights, four-ish days

Accommodation: Residencia Universitaria Cádiz. Honestly, if you are traveling to Cádiz on a budget, look no further. I found this listing via HostelWorld, and initially, I don’t know why I had it in my head that I was going to be sharing my room with three other people. Imagine my complete surprise when I walked up to my room to find out that it was a single! I was beyond ecstatic. Point being, if you are a solo traveler, then single rooms are available should you want one. Bathrooms and shower rooms (toilets are separate from showers) are available throughout the hall and are used communally, and they are cleaned every day by the housekeeping staff. Air conditioning was not provided, but for a security deposit of 8€, I rented a boxed fan which, along with my slightly-open window at night, was perfectly adequate for providing airflow. Another plus was the free breakfast! Lastly, the location could not have been more ideal, and apparently I must have scored a great room, because check out this view from my balcony!

Day One

Afternoon: After a very early morning flight from Malta that landed me in Seville, followed by a bus from the airport to the main train station, then a two-hour train ride, and lastly a twenty-minute walk, I finally arrived at my hostel in Cadiz. I noticed that as I arrived, pedestrians in the city were starting to clear out for their afternoon siesta, so I decided to follow suit, given that I was exhausted and had some laundry to do.

Evening: Around 5pm, I decided to set out for the main sights of the city. I grabbed a bocadillo de jamón Serrano (Iberian ham sandwich) and hit the town. With no concrete sightseeing plan in mind, other than a list of the main attractions in Cádiz, I started wandering the colorful streets and alleyways, stopping about every ten seconds to take a photo.

The first major sight I happened upon was the Cádiz Cathedral, where a particularly powerful silent demonstration was taking place that expressed solidarity with migrants and refugees. As someone who worked with refugees for five years, this experience resonated with me on a deep level, so I was happy that I made the choice to stick around and participate.

Following this event, I continued my walk and almost immediately landed myself at the Plaza de San Juan de Díos, one of the many plazas of Cádiz.

From the plaza, I walked through some more back streets before arriving at the other end of the Atlantic Ocean! It was here that I caught a splendid sunset just after 9:15pm.

This was by far one of the best meanders that I have been on, in all of my travels. As I had eluded to before, because I was more interested in seeing Spain’s smaller cities, it also meant that mega tourist attractions were not prioritized. I was more focused on wandering through colorful streets, admiring southern Iberian architecture, sampling tapas on tapas, and meeting some wonderful, local people. The main historical and cultural sights in Cádiz are the Torre Tavira, a former observation tower built in the 1700s that provides panoramic views of the whitewashed city, the Cádiz Cathedral, a magnificent Baroque-style Roman Catholic Church that is the seat of the Diocese of Cádiz and Ceuta, and lastly, the Museum of Cádiz, which recounts the history and culture of the city through displays of archaeological and fine arts exhibits.

Dinner: La Isleta de la Viña (Little Wine Island). My first true Spanish meal! And I was not disappointed. As is customary in Spain, the dinner hour starts around 9pm, at least for the locals. Most restaurants may not even open until 8pm, so bear this in mind should you visit Spain. To start, I ordered an olive and cheese spread as my tapa platter, both of which were extremely fresh and delicious. Rather than having my whole meal be tapas-based, I decided to opt for a main entree instead. I ordered the “Carrillada de Ibérico,” a local beef dish prepared in a chunky tomato sauce, the tomatoes of which are cooked in wine from the nearby city of Jerez. The side dish was a portion of creamy potatoes, which just completely melted in my mouth when paired with the beef. 10/10 would recommend this restaurant to anyone!

Day Two

Breakfast: Hostel. The spread was simple, but delicious! I made myself a sandwich with some cheese and tomato, and had some yogurt as a side. And, of course, café con leche!

Day: I spent the entire, cloudless day at one of the two main beaches of Cádiz: Playa La Caleta. The date was August 15, which happens to be the Feast of the Assumption and is a Catholic holy day of observation. For many European countries, particularly those where Catholicism is the most-observed religion, this day has become a national holiday. Such was the case in Spain, so the beach was flooded with locals who were taking advantage of the beautiful day. This, however, left me with the predicament of choosing a safe space to set up camp for myself, and ensure that I could maintain an eye on my belongings while enjoying a swim.

Walking up and down the beach, I will admit that as a solo traveler, I did not feel comfortable leaving my belongings amongst a crowd of people. I didn’t necessarily see anyone that looked shady, but it was more an issue about being further out in the water and thus not having a keen eye on my personal items. Luckily, I noticed that there was a pedestrian causeway that led out to a large fortress, on either side of which were giant, flat rocks. There were many people that were using the rocks as their base by setting up with beach chairs and towels, and then just diving into the water from there. I decided to settle for a spot on the rocks as well, and it ended up being perfect. The only downside to the beach day was that the water, being the Atlantic Ocean, was much colder than the waters of the Mediterranean that I had just swam in a mere few days prior, so I did retire earlier than I had initially planned. However, nothing compares to the frigid waters of the Northeast Atlantic, so I will take anything that is even slightly better!

Dinner: Los Napolitanos. Okay, don’t judge me here, but I was really craving some Neapolitan-style pizza because I was having some Italy withdrawals. A quick Google search led me to this incredible pizzeria that is run by an Italian family from Formia who decided to bring their business to Cádiz. The pizza “Tricolore DOC” left my tastebuds dancing, and I enjoyed great conversation with the wonderfully kind and welcoming family that owns the restaurant. The whole experience was so familiar and comforting, that I decided to return there the next night as well!

Day Three

Day Trip: Arcos de la Frontera

Throughout the region of Andalusia in southern Spain, you will find small mountainside towns known as the pueblos blancos, or white villages. Some of villages are Arcos de la Frontera, Grazalema, Olvera, Ronda, Setenil de la Frontera, and Vejer de la Frontera. As the name would imply, these towns are known for being entirely whitewashed, and for that reason alone are incredibly picturesque.

I decided to take a day trip to Arcos de la Frontera, as it is accessible by bus from Cádiz, with a one-way ride taking about an hour. I arrived in Arcos around 1pm, and decided that once I arrived, it would be best to grab lunch before everything closed for the afternoon.

Lunch: Restaurante Alevante. I knew nothing about this restaurant beforehand, I just popped into the first place I saw, so this bar/restaurant is located at the bottom of town. I sat at the bar and ended up eating what was honestly one of the most enjoyable meals of my time in Spain. The restaurant was pretty empty, and, as a matter of fact, the town of Arcos appeared void of human activity as well. I get the feeling that many of the locals were at the beach, given that mid-August is a big vacation period in Europe. Anyway, an empty restaurant meant that I had the chance to engage in great conversation with the restaurant owners, a wonderful couple from Barcelona that moved to Arcos to start their business. I ordered two dishes, the croquetas (croquettes) and lágrimas de pollo (chicken tenders, though literally translated into “chicken tears”).

If you ever find yourself in Arcos, I would happily recommend this establishment!

Afternoon: I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the town of Arcos. As I previously mentioned, there were hardly any people around, so that just means I got some great photos without anyone blocking my angle!

Walking through old mountainside towns is one of my favorite ways to pass a day. I always get so caught up in the beauty and charm of these villages, and find myself snapping a photo with every corner I turn. Though I love seeing a street or alley lined with multicolored homes or structures, the whitewashed streetscape was a breathtakingly beautiful change of scenery. The other best part about mountainside towns? The lookouts.

Seeing the clusters of other white villages among the mountains bore a completely new experience to my eyes. Though there was not much to do in Arcos other than walk around, the mere beauty of the whole town makes me want to take a day or two to explore the rest of the white villages among the Andalusian mountains.

Evening: I had another late dinner at Los Napolitanos upon return to Cádiz, followed by one last evening stroll in this small fortified city on the ocean that stole my heart.

Thank you, Cádiz for such a great welcome to Spain! Next stop, Sevilla!