Trafalgar Lighthouse Beach, in Barbate (Cádiz).
We all dream of a summer in Cádiz. Yes all.
Why Cadiz It is, above all, the beach paradise par excellence, And isn't that what we all yearn for these days?
We hopelessly fantasize about this southern land bathed by the waters of a sea and also an ocean, where the skin tastes of salt, hair looks matted at all hours, afternoons at the beach bar are sacred and the sunsets in front of the lit horizon, unique.
And once in our Andalusian corner, sheltered by that special light that here, south of the south, shines like nowhere else, we jumped headlong to enjoy it in a thousand and one ways. Because the beaches of Cádiz are also siestas under the umbrella in the paradisiacal Zahora —of those that rejuvenate years—, restorative baths on the Mediterranean coast and strokes to infinity in the immense Atlantic. They are early walks along the Victoria beach, in the capital: that really is welcoming a new day in the best of ways.
Zahora beach, Cadiz.
But above all, and above all, the beaches of Cádiz are LIFE. The one that infects our soul with energy, the one that fills us with happiness every inch of our being: she motivates us to eat the world, fills us with the desire to share it with those we love. It makes us want to stop time at the very moment our feet land on the warm sands. of Zahara de los Atunes —in its icy waters, why not, too—. At the moment in which we give a good account of a cartridge of fried fish sitting in the very Caleta.
Here the pleasure is in feeling. And what a pleasure.
And it is that both kilometers of Cadiz beaches —up to 138 spread over 260 kilometers of coastline, which is saying something— like its hidden coves, give off the essence of authenticity, that I don't know what that makes an avalanche of emotions catches us like a tsunami when we step on them. And, from time to time, everything transforms, acquires an unusual image, showing us other faces that captivate us without control: where the beaches end, dunes, marshes, fishing corrals, cliffs and even pine forests begin. Landscapes that move, like the freshwater springs that sprout on the beach of Caños de Meca, a hippie paradise par excellence, letting himself die in the sea.
Disconnect now in Zahara de los Atunes.
And so, focused on highlighting its benefits, we embrace happiness upon reaching the treasure of sand and sea that is Los Lances, in Tarifa; by alternating between the round and round and the soaking on duty in El Palmar, in Vejer de la Frontera: go two playgrounds in which to pose without complexes.
A holiday on the beaches of Cadiz translates into a handful of good memories to take with us in our suitcase: the after-dinner conversation in that beach bar in Conil, the breath held when observing the Perseids next to the highest lighthouse in Spain, in Chipiona. They are nostalgia for what happened and what we know will continue to happen. Because we will always need to return to them: we will always want to let you rock by their waves again.
From Cala Sardina to Bajo de Guía, or what is the same, from San Roque to Sanlúcar, Cádiz —its beaches— offers unique prints with which to daydream. Whether in Torreguadiaro, sheltered by its fine, golden sands, dotted with rocks everywhere; or surrounded by the glamor and exclusivity of Sotogrande's beach clubs —Trocadero, El Octagono…—: life, here, is something else.
The Palmar.
in Algeciras, It doesn't matter if it's in El Rinconcillo or Getares, Sundays with the family, in confidence, come first: in them you continue to enjoy the beach as you have done all your life, with chairs, table, refrigerator and tortilla —and if necessary, even a watermelon buried on the shore, listen—. Also with the imposing rock of Gibraltar watching us in the distance: nothing would be the same without it. **While we live them —their beaches—, the perennial murmur of the waves, the energetic ones and the more timid ones, rock us and put on the **most beautiful soundtrack to the experience.
There are few things that surpass the intense blue horizon of its waters. Waters guarded by two continents —there, on the other side, is the silhouette of Africa— and hardened in a thousand battles. Because Phoenicians, Carthaginians or Romans walked through them. The Arabs also took possession of them. Legends that speak of Hercules; Battles like Trafalgar who wrote history.
And who knows if those who fought and fought in its waters also enjoyed those sunrises from the majestic dune of Punta Paloma. for which today we would give everything. Or a sunset from Zahara de los Atunes, where the sky explodes in all its splendor every time the sun says goodbye. Nearby, on the Alemanes beach or the Cañuelo beach, many spread out their towels to find their peace. Others do it in the Calas de Roche, in Conil: both embrace and give shelter when the Levante does its thing.
Conil de la Frontera: the Coast of light.
The same raise that in the Strait becomes the king. And we want to go south to try our luck, cry out to its winds and fly with them in Tarifa. Hypnotize us with dozens of kites in their attempt to conquer the skies of Valdevaqueros. We share the shore with the best companions, those brown cows from Bologna —hello, how are you?— who know very well what they do. There, along with them, Cádiz also shows off its roots, those of the ruins of Baelo Claudia. Meanwhile, on the beaches of Sanlúcar, it is the horses that challenge each other to conquer them every summer: Few more beautiful scenes can be seen in the South than that of their traditional careers.
We would give our soul for a good plate of almadraba tuna on the beach in Barbate "Where else?" For a walk there, where the coast turns rebellious and separates the sands for a while: on the cliffs of La Breña they give us that other view of the south. We would give everything for an eternal day in La Barrosa that would end up recalling stories of ancient fishermen among murals, back in the old town of Sancti Petri. For a dance of those from before —of those who will be again— in a lively beach bar in Rota —Las Dunas, perhaps?—: live music, in Cádiz, sounds like flamenco and chill out.
Our Lady of Carmen Beach, Barbate.
Because here art is not only music, it is a way of life, and they also know that on the beach: listen to the street vendors who walk the shores of Puerto de Santa María or San Fernando with their carts announcing loudly your genre, be it beers or shrimp —In Chipiona we stayed with the snack cakes, announced with a bell— It brings us the biggest of smiles.
And it is that the beaches of Cádiz are the place to get lost, to find yourself. Where the castles in the sand are built in front of the real ones, like the one in Sancti Petri or the one in Santa Catalina. The last minute dips, the intense days in search of the perfect golden skin and the nights in front of the sea, those in which the sea breeze gives us the pleasure of putting on our cardigan. That: that is also Cadiz.
Wild or familiar, urban or perfect to show off: the list is long and our desire to enjoy them, immense. But it's time to do it, it's already summer, so let's stop dreaming to fill our pockets again with sand; to cool down once again in the crystal clear waters of its beaches. those of the south; those of Cadiz.
magical. **Unique. And all of them wonderful. **