June 12: Archeological Site, Roman Theater, Sailing

Today was sunny and 79 degrees with a cool breeze off the ocean. For a change of pace, students had their class outside for much of the morning. They visited the archaeological museum of Gadir, one of the oldest Phoenician settlements in the west. Students toured a “dig” of an ancient site first established by the Phoenicians around 2800 BCE, which was then built upon by the Romans several centuries later. After the archaeology portion of class, the students stayed in the historic district and explored the local market, where they participated in a scavenger hunt to become better acquainted with the area.  They then enjoyed a picnic lunch. We continued our journey into the ancient past in our first afternoon activity by visiting the Roman era theater discovered in 1980 after a fire destroyed a bronze-making factory that had concealed it from view. Seating 10,000 spectators, the Roman theater was a symbol of the extensive reach of Roman culture and power and was the second largest theater in all of Roman Spain. Students finished the afternoon with another scavenger hunt in the old Arab neighborhood. After a quick ice cream break, we headed to the port and boarded the two sailboats that ferried us the full length of Cadiz’s port on a two-hour trip. Another beautiful day in Cádiz!