Jerez & Cadiz

So the blog has taken a bit of a back seat since I've been/continue to be on my holidays. Yes I know, arguably being in Madrid is one long holiday anyway, but what I mean is that I've been doing a lot of travelling.

Last week I visited Jerez, which is famous for being where sherry is produced. I only booked to stay there for the evening as, other than drinking lots of wine, there's not much else to see or do. I arrived at 5pm and checked into my hotel where I made the mistake of mentioning salsa to the hotel owner. Before I know it he's through the back putting on a salsa tune and grabbing me for a dance in the foyer. Wouldn't have minded so much were it not for the fact he was Colombian and a bit creepy.

I had a sherry tour and tasting booked at 6. It  was interesting to hear about the process, but they kept us waiting over an hour until we got to try anything so I was getting pretty impatient towards the end. I tried 4 different sherry wines, which were all perfectly pleasant and easy enough to drink, but I was happier when I hit the bars and got on the red wine. Sherry is too sweet for me! I went to a recommended bar called Tabanco el Pasaje where they have traditional flamenco every night. Nice to see some local tradition, but it's just a lot of stomping and clapping.

When I returned to my hotel, rather merry I'll be honest, I was greeted by my Colombian friend who insisted I join him in the back for more sherry. It would've been impolite to refuse so I had another couple of drinks and salsa dances, before starting to feel uncomfortable with he direction of chat. I think he was trying his luck, and even asked if I wanted to see his room! This was after he screened a call from someone called 'mi amor' (my love). I made my excuses and hot footed it to bed! 

The next day I took the train further south to Cadiz. It's a really nice place, with a labyrinth of little streets in which you could easily get lost. I spent the first day exploring the city and enjoying some nice food. In the evening I went to a very traditional bar called Taberna Casa Manteca. I waited an age to get served at the bar and when the barman went to serve the man beside me, the man kindly pointed to me first. It was at that point that I knew he was British, and we got to chatting. We ended up drinking the night away together. He was a really nice guy, 44 year old entrepreneur from Essex. We shared lots of our problems, and he gave me his business card should i ever need help when I decide what I want to do as a career. Wonder if he has a contact for professional skiver.