Jerez
Seaduced
John & Jane Craven
Mon 6 Sep 2010 16:34
After doing jobs and generally pottering about doing 'stuff' we decided to visit Jerez.
Jerez is the last place in the sherry triangle and about 10 minutes away from Puerto Santa Maria by train, so it seemed a shame to miss it out. Jerez is a very old, elegant town with a long tradition of sherry and brandy making within it's bodegas. The most famous bodegas here are Tio Pepe & Sandeman. Once we got off the train and armed with our map we set off to explore. The central area is largely pedestrianised, and there are beautiful squares, churches and buildings everywhere, and a rather strange statue of a horse and carriage where the horses bridles are hung with bunches of grapes!
The main thing we wanted to see in Jerez was the Alcazar. This was built in the 12th century and is a group of buildings, surrounded by walls which were used both as a fortress and castle. As Jerez was a very important city in 12th century Andalucia, the Alcazar was built in grand style, and is one of the few remaining examples of this type of architecture in this area. There are two gates into the Alcazar, one from the city and one from the countryside. Both entrances are narrow and winding to allow a better defence.
The last mosque in Jerez is also in the Alcazar, which was later consecrated for christian worship. Also within the walls is an enormous olive press as Jerez was also known for it's olive production until the 19th Century.
Following a lunch stop, we spent the late afternoon and early evening wandering round Jerez and exploring the streets and squares and stopping off for a spot of people watching on the way round.
On our return into Puerto Santa Maria we decided to call in for a drink or two in the old town area where we had been walking the day before. This was full of people and had a really lively atmosphere.