Sometimes the best days just happen. We had nothing planned for Cadiz, just step off the ship and wander. We loved what we saw from our balcony as we docked and wanted to see it up close. It was Sunday, and we figured things would be closed in the early morning so we didn’t get off the ship until about 10:30. When we got off we ran into folks who had gotten off at the crack of 8. They told us the town wasn’t worth much, no shopping, the shops were closed. We smiled and wandered into the maze of narrow streets.

At first it was quiet, a few people walking dogs, but as we wandered into the square commemorating the 1812 constitution, shops and cafes were opening. San Francisco Square was filling up as folks left its church. We sat at a café, I had my morning macchiato and we people watched. Then we wandered some more. At the market square a Sunday flea market was setting up outside the municipal market’s locked gates. Vendors spread blankets beneath a display of public art that looked at Holy Week from different perspectives.

By the time we got to the beach families had already started colonizing their spaces with umbrellas and towels. From the beach a plunge, not into the water but again into the narrow streets, discovering a few more squares and their inevitable churches. A right turn and a left turn and we found ourselves on the corniche wandering toward the Cathedral. At Cathedral square buskers and puppeteers entertained folks leaving the church. Many of those leaving lined up at a pastry shop. We sat in a café for our early afternoon glass of wine and a plate of Spanish ham and olives. Then back into the streets and squares toward the ship.

The pace of this cruise has been brisk and intensely social, so we enjoyed this leisurely Sunday, taking time to wander, discover, and over coffee and wine flirt a bit with each other. It reminded me of when we first started traveling together, the two of us with wide eyes and something new around every bend. Sitting over wine we saw knots of people following a shepherd with a flag talking about this building, that square, and always, this church. It was nice to break away from the flock soaking in the vibe of a lovely city.