Among the marshes and History

 I have, sometime in the previous 1000 posts, mused on the nature of preconceptions being the spam of the mind. Thing is the universe is large and the brain capacity is small and while one is wondering if Sarah Biddulph did kidnap a mad woman in 1776 you don’t have space to know about every city in the world - and Cadiz, pronounced Cardiff - is one of them.


My knowledge of Cadiz is that Elizabethans got tetchy with the place and that it held out against Napoleon and his ilk. In a wonderfully constructed board game called War & Peace the French tended to sweep all before them, leaving Cadiz and the like holding out. The French slowly have to strip garrisons to defend supply lines until it gets critical and they have to abandon land to make field armies. What I didn’t realise was that Cadiz really is stuck out on a limb and that it has a bit of reputation for being relaxed and liberal.


I have included a satellite picture today so you get the idea that we are walking alongside a drained bit of marsh land which makes up the Bay of Cadiz natural park.  https://josecelestinomutis.cadiz.es/es/portfolio/parque-natural-bahia-de-cadiz/  It gets 4.1 stars from 99 people.  The key words seem to be flamingos, strolling and tidal marsh.  Five months ago Pablo was impressed.


‘A natural paradise that everyone should visit at least once. This natural park is a spectacular protected area with astonishing biodiversity. The landscapes of marshes, salt flats, and pristine beaches are simply breathtaking. It's ideal for birdwatching, especially during migration season, when you can see flamingos and many other species. The trails are well-marked and allow you to enjoy nature in its purest form. A perfect place to disconnect, hike, take nature photographs, or simply breathe fresh air. A must for ecotourism enthusiasts.’


We have a bit of time so let's do some early history about Cadiz.  Cadiz, occupying as it does a defendable place on the Atlantic Ocean was founded by those busy little travellers, the Phoenicians. 500 years later the Carthaginians took over and held it till 206BC, when the Romans, under Scipio Africanus took over.  By 200AD the city had a population of 20,000, As elsewhere the Visigoths took over in the 5th century and so it was, except for a 20 year period [551-572] when the Byzantine’s attempted a Roman Empire: West reboot. 

For 550 years - that is the space of time between now and the Battle of Bosworth, Cadiz was part of Moorish Spain. It was subject to attacks, such as that by a group of Frisians en route to the Holy Land, in 1217 but remained part of AL Andalucia until Alphonso X of Castile captured it in 1262. The granted the city tax benefits, a bishop and the monopoly of trade with Africa - which it kept till the 16th century.


Tomorrow we inch towards Cadiz.









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