My Walk in Jerez de la Frontera - Spain

Hello friends. Today I am going to share with you my last walk in Jerez. This place is in Andalusia, the southernmost province of Spain. And it is famous for its magnificent drink that is absolutely like nothing else. We started our walk from Del Arenal square. This is the main central square of Jerez. And in this square there is a monument to Miguel Primo de Rivera. If you are not very familiar with Spanish history. He is a military general who staged a coup in 1923. The presence of this monument in the central square is considered quite controversial. So why is it here? Because he was born here. In other words his fellow townsfolk erected a monument to him, in a way. As for the monument itself, I was very impressed by the unusual patina on it. I mean, besides that traditional greenish rust color, there are also purple tones here. And overall the patina of these bronze figures has very interesting color shades.

Right next to it is Calle Larga the main walking street. It is a very charming street. But the only flaw is that everywhere is closed off with claret red special barriers. The reason for this is various events and parades that will start next week. It wil probably be very beautiful, because Andalusian culture is very beautiful. By the way one of Andalusia's most important equestrian schools is located here. And of course, Flamenco... Moreover, right here in Jerez flamenco has its own unique, deeper and more spiritual style, as the locals call it. Also the culinary culture is not to be outdone. At least you can see the fresh ingredients at the core of the business in the Abastos market, which is also very close to here. The market turned 140 years old this year, which makes it quite old. But of course, it is not Spain's oldest market. It is probably not considered the most photogenic market either, but it is an extremely lively place. And this is a very important feature of Jerez. Even though everyone has heard its name, you can't say there are that many tourists here, not many people visit. This is definitely a big plus because here you can fully immerse yourself in the local culture.

As in every Spanish city, the most important historical landmark is the Alcázar. The Alcázar of Jerez. This fortress was built by the Moors, back when these places were still in the hands of Muslims. In fact it is worth reminding that the full and correct name of this city is Jerez de la Frontera. Meaning, back in the day during the events of the Reconquista, the border used to pass through here, so it means Jerez on the frontier. But initiall the Moors were here and they built this fortress. In fact it must be said that the fortress walls surrounded the entire city. And whatever survived to this day is what is left. And as always this fortress was rebuilt over time, seeing additions. You can clearly see the intertwining of eras and cultures here. Because here there is naturally a mosque built by the Moors and later converted into a church. But while being converted into a church, it completely preserved those horseshoe arches and unique structural features of Muslim architecture or rather Moorish architecture. The Alcázar was like a selfsufficient compound of sorts. Inside there is even an oil mill where olive oil was produced and it is in quite good condition, preserved to this day. The main mechanisms and equipment used for olive oil production are also still in place. I was particularly impressed by the press machine. I had previously been to an olive oil museum in Portugal. There too, it was shown and explained in detail how this production process was done in ancient and modern periods. There was a press there too, but the one here is something massive.

Naturally there was also a bathhouse in the Moorish fortress. An Arabic bath. Actually as a culture these were Roman baths at first, here they were called Arabic baths. But afterwards, they turned into the Turkish bath we know, that is the hammam. The baths are quite well preserved, but they are not as big or grand as the ones we have seen before. Generally, the process is the same: the first room is cooler, the next one is hotter. And then on the path in these health and well-being spaces, comes the cooling down process again through these venues. I have always loved the star-shaped skylights in the baths, they add very aesthetic light plays to the interior. As for the heating system, the system here is almost the same as all other eastern baths we have seen before. Meaning the heating was done from below, the floor was heated. And people would sit, sweat and enjoy themselves.

What else is left from the Moors? A Royal Pavilion. This is the only residential area that survived to this day from the period of the first Alcázar in the tenth century. Moorish nobles used to host their guests here, so it's a kind of mini throne room. Of course, we have seen larger halls too. And behind this pavilion is the octagonal tower, which is perhaps the most aesthetic tower of the walls. Underneath it, there is a small vegetable patch and a garden. In short a very pleasant and lovely corner where history and aesthetic landscape merge. Running waters and small fountains also add to the atmospher of this wonderful place.

There are also a few interesting points in the Baroque Palace, which took its current appearance in the late 18th century, during the period of Governor Villavicencio. These are the ballrooms. Quite elegant but just as provincial spaces, there is nothing super extraordinary. But the real interesting thing is the historical pharmacy that has been brought back to life. The thing is, the city administration started to care about public health and opened hospitals and pharmacies were established within these hospitals. These pharmacies used to distribute medicines for free. This pharmacy, on the other hand was reconstructed true to its original form with furniture taken from a pharmacy on that Calle Larga street I mentioned earlier. Medicine jars, bottles, potions and all sorts of other details are available there. Also the laboratory section where these medicines were produced is located there, it's realy very interesting. And on the top floor, there is a Camera Obscura, but for some reason, it was closed that day.

Rising right across from the Alcázar is the Jerez cathedral. A quite interesting cathedral. There are cathedrals in every city, but this place has some unique details of its own. Firstly this cathedral was built in place of the previous church after its dome collapsed. It must be said that the cathedral was built quite fast. It was constructed in 83 years. It has a structure with five naves, which alone is quite an unusual situation. Made entirely of stone, the cathedral embodies the aesthetics of different styles together. Above all the Baroque style catches the eye. As is known, it was a very popular style in those centuries. However, while the structure inside is Gothic, the ornaments and decoration partly carry Neoclassical elements. There are even Rococo elements. This makes it, technically the last Gothic cathedral built in Spain. Its dome is quite interesting, it has an octagonal structure. And on these pendants, there are reliefs exactly in the Rococo style. There are no independent chapels, that is small shrines. This situation again stems from the structure of the side naves. Meaning, the altars are placed inside these side naves. It must be said that overall it looks quite majestic. Another interesting fact is that this place received its cathedral status fairly recently. The famous Catholic Roman Pope Pope John Paul II gave it this status. In short it is definitely worth a look here, moreover, its location is also quite aesthetic. It is situated directly on these terraces rising up to the Alcázar.

Interestingly right next to it is Jerez's most famous bodega or wine cellar. This is González Byass. Or rather we know this place more by the name of Tío Pepe, the sherry brand produced here. And you have probably all seen its logo and you have definitely heard the name Tío Pepe. Tío Pepe means Uncle Pepe. Uncle Pepe was the biological uncle of González Byass, who worked on the development of this wine house, especially the Jerez Fino style. Today I won't go into all the technical details of sherry, it is a very interesting drink. There are two main things that form its taste: the first is its maturation in casks under a layer of mold or fungus-like film. And the second is the blending of wines from different years with each other in fractional casks called Solera. The wine is transfered from the upper fractions towards the lower fractions, which gives the drink a more balanced and consistent taste. So here, it doesn't matter much which year's product the sherry is. Because the goal here is to ensure that the product of that brand or that wine house is always of the same, predictable quality and always gives the same pleasure. Already this entire bodega is almost like a city within a city. Because there are cellars here, there are hotels, there are quite lovely restaurants. They even have their own streets inside, so it is definitely worth a visit because it is a very nice place even just visually.

We ended our Jerez walk in Asunción square, that is the Square of the Assumption of Our Lady. And here stands a statue of the Virgin Mary. Also located here is the Church of San Dionisio. A quite interesting structure with sharp geometric lines, containing Gothic elements. And of course, it carries layers of history again. Also here is the old town hall. Overall, this whole square definitely looks very lovely. If it weren't for these claret red stands, maybe it could look even lovelier. But it seems that a week later, these places will be very lively.

If you are going to vacation in Andalusia. After visiting Granada, Cordoba and Malaga, you can definitely drop by here too. The city is very compact, very easy to tour. Everything is very close to each other, it has a great cuisine. As for the drinks, there is nothing left to say anyway. And when you go up to high points, for example, those fortress walls, you see all those wonderful vineyards growing here with your own eyes. Yes, by the way grapes grow very well here and feel very good for two reasons. The first is the special soil of this place and the second is the special microclimate of this place. Because here, the wind coming from the Atlantic ocean and the wind coming from the mountains intersect. But that is completely another story. I am sure that when you come here, you will definitely be included in this story. I hope it has caught your interest and I was able to arouse curiosity in you. The cities in this country, especially the small cities, arouse great interest and show a very huge diversity according to regions.