Jan 1, ’66 – Having wished all a happy New Year, we took breakfast and went upon deck where we found the sails all set and that we were rapidly approaching Cape St. Vincent. We have seen several sea gulls and now can see the light house and the land and hope tomorrow morning to be safely landed in the harbor of Cadiz.

Jan. 2nd – Vain was the hope of yesterday. We awoke this morning and found that we were still some distance from Cadiz and soon after such a heavy fog arose that the vessel stopped altogether, and we did not cast anchor until about half past twelve, when we did not get to the hotel until nearly three o’clock, as we had to depend on the Spanish boats. It was a busy scene to watch from the sides of the vessel the eagerness of the boatmen to get passengers and the passengers and baggage going down to the boat. We finally took one and were rowed to the shore, which I suppose was more than a mile. We are now at the Hotel de Londree, where we have two very good rooms, two meals a day which are also satisfactory. Our greatest trouble is that none of the servants speak English. We make ourselves understood in French and there are three gentlemen at the table who speak English. We are agreeably disappointed with Cadiz. It is a very clean city, with very narrow streets, the sidewalks wide enough for one person to walk. Some of the streets are so narrow that four or five abreast would fill the street and sidewalk. In some streets it is impossible for vehicles to pass each other. All the houses are white, generally four stories in height; all have a double window and a balcony looking out upon the street. They have courts in the rear of the house as in Havana. Everyone appears to sweep the dirt to the middle of the street where it is taken up by men and put in carts or in the panniers carried by donkeys. They seem to have very good sewerage here. All around the city is a high wall, on which is a promenade, where we have a full view of the sea. We have walked upon it several times and met several ladies and gentlemen. I suppose it must be a great resort in summer. The ladies here are much handsomer than in Havana; the gentlemen far more manly in bearing. They do not stare at you nearly so much. This being a colder climate in winter than Havana, everybody nearly is obliged to walk, so that they have rosy complexions and look much stronger. These who are wealthy enough to own carriages you will see riding on fete and visiting days, with liveried coach and footmen. Cadiz is a painfully quiet city, with the exception of street vendors, the bells of the mules and a carriage or two, you hear little or no noise. The first morning we went to market, where we saw sweet and Irish potatoes, lettuce, onions, radishes, peas, cauliflower, cabbage, peppers, celery, pie plant or rhubarb, cuttle fish, fish _____, the first I ever saw game, kids, rabbits, fish, bladders of lard, orange color and white, a small quantity of which you will see sold in a paper. Kids seem to be much thought of and goats’ milk is used altogether. They have very fat pork in the markets.

Yesterday we went to the Cathedral, which is beyond description. It is the finest and largest one I ever saw, the floors, altars, columns, ceilings, steps, indeed, everything is made of marble, in the construction of which it can be used. There are two organs, facing each other, about fifty feet apart, one of which we heard play. Each of them had perpendicular and horizontal pipes. It certainly must be very imposing to hear a choir full enough to require two organs to accompany it. Last night we walked almost entirely around the city, on the wall. It was clear moonlight and many times we looked out upon the sea, listened to its roar and watched the surf breaking against the wall. We got lost and it was some time before we found our way back to the hotel.