126. No plan survives contact

Cádiz

Infamous as we are for being late, without the external discipline of living in a community and the impact it has on others we are feeling its full effect. We have been wanting to visit the restored Roman village of Baelo Claudia, an hour down the road for a week now. Yesterday we agreed that we would make every effort to go in good time as they close at three thirty in the afternoon. We drove out the gate at one thirty meaning that we would only have an hour once we arrived so yet again we had to abandon our plans - nuff said.

Castle of Santa Catalina parade ground

Gun embrasure view of Cádiz

Relics of the turbulent
past abound.

Instead we headed for Cádiz to have a look around. Old Cádiz had the most appeal so we drove around a little in the town then parked in the same carpark as I had with my Mum and visited the local fortifications dating from the sixteenth century, the Castle of Santa Catalina next to the carpark.

It is exquisitely beautiful, with, as we discovered, a dark past. Being a weekday we pretty much had the place to ourself except for a startled artist in what we discovered are artist rooms after Roman burst in. 

We very much enjoyed rambling about exploring on such a beautiful day. There were a number of exhibitions and we were welcomed into what turned out to be a tribute to Spanish pacifists particularly the thousand Jehovah's Witness many of whom were imprisoned here during the rule of General Franco from 1950–1970, sobering. I scanned the provided information which can be viewed here.

There was also a good exhibition of the Cádiz local police over the last two hundred years.

Local pharmacy only he three flu vaccinations in stock so maybe tomorrow?