Weekend Explorations

February 8, 2025

Bought most of the ingredients for Eggplant Parmesan

We shopped for fresh produce and cheeses at the market. I was going to make a lentil salad, but struggled to find kale. Bought a huge bunch of leafy greens that look like kale although I was told it was something else. Guess we’ll find out if it can substitute in the recipe. it’s so great having a kitchen with a stove top and oven. Not overwhelmed with the kitchenware, but can make do. At least the knives are sharp, a big plus.

Oodles of seafood; squid, octopus, fish, mussels, oysters and clams.

We were thinking of eating our mid-day meal at the market, but it was so crowded there was standing room only. We decided to find somewhere close by where we could sit and enjoy ourselves.

Pete had Pork on French Fries with a sort of Chimichurri sauce.

Our lunches were delicious. The starter Tomato, garlic and Olive Oil salad was the perfect accompaniment.

Tiny little plaza filled with flower stalls.

Most of the flower stalls are closed for the winter, but there were a couple open. We bought a bunch of tulips on the way home.

February 9, 2025

Sunday morning and we have just a few more items to buy at the Supermercado. Things we couldn’t find at the central market. Mozzarella is called Italian cheese and I was able to find shredded, but not fresh. Other ingredients that were not available, fresh herbs. The only fresh herb seems to be parsley. I did find a dried herb stall at the central market and was able to get chili flakes, thyme, basil and cumin.

We started out to The Supermercado at shortly after 9 am when it opened. It was almost totally deserted out. No cars and motorcycles, with only a few pedestrians on Sunday morning. All the streets were clean and wet. We spotted this mini street sweeper spraying and scrubbing on our way to the store.

They were still stocking the store when we arrived. We were able to get everything we wanted, although a few ingredient compromises had to be made. Unlike the USA, items out of season don’t seem to be imported. It has been a little sad that there is no basil pesto, only pistachio pesto. It has been explained that basil is finished.

After unloading and putting everything away, Pete suggested going out to breakfast. There’s a little spot on the Plaza de Mina near our apartment, so off we went. My vegetarian scrambled egg plate came with canned baked beans and a fresh white cheese, the best I can describe it is cheese jello with an very mild flavor. Pete loved his breakfast which included great looking bacon.

We decided to stroll around after breakfast and saw some new sites.

The Plaza de Mina that our restaurant is on and where they were shooting Young Sherlock.

This gentleman was feeding the birds, parakeets, pigeons and doves. (bird photos courtesy of Pete)

There appeared to be Rose wing and Monk parakeets

We wandered into familiar territory at the Monument of the Constitution of 1812. We were here last year with a tour guide off our ship. Sure enough, we spied a cruise ship off in the distance.

One of the many sculptures on the monument.

Off the Monument plaza we found the Murallas De San Carlos or Walls of San Carlos, defensive fortifications from the 18th century when Cádiz was a major shipping port to the West Indies. The shipping rivalry between Seville and Cádiz was settled in 1717 when the Casa de Contratación or House of Trade was transferred to Cádiz. This was a golden era for the city, which amassed great wealth and prestige.