I can’t say that we were over impressed with Jerez. Sadly, because I had built up a fairly high impression of what it would be like, I was quite disappointed. I expected a gentility that simply wasn’t there (imho).
Jerez de la Frontera is:
- Home to the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, which, according to Wikipedia, is one of the four greatest schools of horsemanship in the world.
- Host to an International Grand Prix circuit, used for MotoGP, F1, F2 and World Superbike championships.
- Home for most of the world’s sherry producers and the spiritual home to one of the biggest producers, Gonzalez Byass.
Yet, despite all this, it appeared to me to be run down and dirty.
I accept that Jerez is a very old city, with a rich and varied history, but, despite the prestige and money those international events/producers bring into the city, along with tourists, it wears an air of neglect. We have visited several old cities in Spain with equally rich and varied histories but they have been cleaner and their buildings have, to a large extent, been or are being maintained. I’m thinking here of Salamanca, Avila, Toledo, Cordoba and Segovia – none have the aforementioned air of neglect and yet, all have similarly long and unique histories.
unpleasant tapas
The old town’s main square and streets off it, house the restaurants and bars that provide food and drink for tourists and locals alike. Certainly, the town comes alive at night with tables popping up where none were to be seen at lunchtime. We chose badly at lunchtime; presented with what were probably the worst tapas we’ve ever eaten: Over vinegared Ensalada Rusa (why vinegar? Why?), Queso that began to sweat in the heat, tab-end sized Croquetas (with soggy fries for garnish) and a fairly tasty piece of ‘Lomo’ in sherry sauce – covered with soggy fries again.
Our evening meal was better.
Sharon had spent a bit of time on Trip Advisor and had come up with a number of options for us to dine at. I put the first one (top of the list) into MapsDotMe and off we went. Sharon saw something on the menu that she liked and I knew I would find something, so we stopped there – there was no point dragging ourselves around the town. Bar Juanito looked to be a nice place, and it was – see my review on Trip Advisor.
Before eating lunch, we’d decided to take the tourist bus-trip (City Sightseeing Jerez) which for €17 also includes a tour of the Bodegas Tio Pepe, the home of Gonzalez Byass in Jerez. The bus trip itself was interesting enough, and explained much of Jerez’s history. One fact that stuck with me was that many years ago (perhaps hundreds?) the city fathers allowed people to erect buildings alongside the more ancient city walls. The idea being that this would help to preserve and protect those walls. However, as we were driven past, I noticed that the buildings that had been erected are also falling into disrepair. It’s sad that a city of this note and with this heritage cannot be better looked after.
Our trip around Bodegas Tio Pepe was interesting and by far the more entertaining time of our trip. It is followed by a tasting of Tio Pepe itself and of Croft Original.
Our hotel had been chosen for its position, its price and its description on Booking dotcom. Although we’d booked and paid to visit the Jeys Catedral Jerez, the hotel seemed to be called Hotel Belles Artes (as well?) – see my review on Trip Advisor.
For the first few weeks since returning from Spain at the very end of June, life was a bit hectic. The first event of no small note was the birth of Betony (and Josh)’s baby – Chester Jax. He was born on July 3rd (and weighed just 5lbs – such a tiny thing). Chester is my step-Grandson (??), although I guess I will be Grandad to him or abuelo, if Josh speaks Spanish to/with him.
Saturday Walks 