Cadiz...I see why it´s the city of smiles :)

We exited the train after a scenic ride through the Andalusian countryside to Cadiz, welcomed by the cool breeze--the ocean´s sweet gift to us. It was a much appreciated change in climate after sweating twice our bodyweight in Seville and Lisbon. Bags strapped to our backs, we made our way out of the station and called a cab for the hostel. The driver dropped us off at some random street and pointed uphill at the endless maze of small allyways, and mumbled something about our hostel being over there. With such great directions, we began our stroll through the streets of Cadiz earlier than we expected, backpacks and all. After a few minutes and with the help of some lovely locals, we finally found our hostel Casa Caracol (¨Snail House¨). It definitely had a completely different vibe then our previous hostels. It was a four story building, whose front desk and kitchen area had no ceiling, just a big skylight covering the area four stories above. It made it seem like the entire area was outdoors, like in a small courtyard. We climbed the steps lined with decorated tiles up to our rooms, surrounded by white and blue walls, colorful door frames, large, open windows and beds blanketed in a wide assortment of colors and materials. On the roof there was even a terrace with hammocks. It was the total ¨beach hangout¨hostel, full of character. I´m not so sure that my traveling companions were as impressed, but I was loving it. The reception didn´t even open until 10 am because they said ¨we like to sleep here¨(these Europeans know how to live!).

After dropping off our stuff, we meandered through the tiny streets toward the beach. As soon as the buildings parted, we were once again welcomed by an incredibly blue ocean, its mesmerizing waves lapping the shore and rocks surrounding the city, creating yet another amazing view. Katie spent the afternoon at a cafe overlooking the water, enjoying her book. Madison and I decided to indulge in the ocean´s beauty by spending our afternoon at the beach. It was a crowded Sunday, but we found a spot to lay out before testing the water. The water, along with the fact that we were perhaps the only tourists on the beach, was very refreshing. Madison and I swam over and under the waves, while observing the adorable half-naked children running around us. Our view also often included these children´s half-naked mothers, and we laughed thinking of how Katie would react :). Missing our dear friend, we said goodbye to the beautiful setting and made our way to the cafe, where we joined Katie for a late lunch. The three of us then made our way to the hostel to relax, get settled, and clean up.

Later that evening we headed out and explored the ¨smiling city,¨once again rarely coming across other tourists. We stopped for a drink/treat at this adorable ice cream shop where we relaxed and observed the small market-festival event in the square nearby. We then walked toward the shore and rested on the branches of this enormous tree as we watched the fading sunlight dance among the waves, dodging the tiny, weathered row boats staggered between the incoming swells of water. We then enjoyed another great tapas-sangria dinner. While the tapas were not as good as our meal in Seville, we still enjoyed a lovely evening in the square before heading back to our hostel. There, we hung out on the terrace for a little while, swaying back in forth in the lovely hammocks. Realizing we had ot get up at 5:30 am for our train to Cordoba, we said goodbye to Cadiz and hit the sack. Overall, it was a pleasant and relaxing day--a great refresher before the weeks ahead.

Ciao! -Aleksa

P.S. Hard to believe, but we´re becoming less white and more tan...even Katie!