On Saturday, the group participated in its second Saturday excursion by venturing to Los Toriños for Biking and Kayaking. After a 20 minute bus ride from Cádiz, we put down our bags, put on our helmets, picked out our bikes and were quickly off on our ride. We leisurely biked down the dirt paths as we gazed out at the beautiful salt water river, salt marshes and Mediterranean shrubbery. At several points during the ride, the guide stopped to tell the group about the local plant and animal life. One stopping point featured a 30 foot tall tower that the more adventurous embers of the group ventured to climb to the top of. We pedaled back to the center, ate the delicious picnic lunches prepared for us by our Señoras and got ready to go kayaking.
The group set off kayaking on the salt water in large sea kayaks with two or three of us in each boat. After about a half mile of paddling, many of us decided to jump out of our boats and go for a swim while other paddled around in the swimming area. We splashed around the swimming area for about 45 minutes until it was finally time to go back to the dock. On the way back, the group made a stop at a mud beach along the side of the river. The beach’s mud was so soft that we all sank up to our ankles in it from merely stepping downwards! After some fun on the beach, we returned to the dock, dried off and got on the bus headed back for Cádiz. After an afternoon of rest at home, the group reconvened for a delicious Italian dinner and night of wandering the now-familiar streets of Cádiz.
Churros
Sunday morning, the group got together for its first group breakfast. We ate authentic Spanish churros and chocolate at a small outdoor café near the market. As we munched on our churros, we watched both tourists and locals make their way through the market on a Sunday morning.
Phonecian Ruins
After an afternoon of relaxing at home or on the beach, the group met up for a tour of preserved Phoenician ruins. As we marveled at the 3000 year old ruins, we all came to further appreciate what a truly historic city Cádiz is.