Why Cádiz?
I have a theory that some countries have a kind of centre of gravity - a certain corner, perhaps not always the most visited, where many iconic themes of the national culture were either born or took root. If, for Italy, this is Sicily, then for Spain it is Cádiz. It is the most ancient surviving city in western Europe at more than 3,000 years old, was supposedly founded by Hercules, and is close to one of the supposed sites for Atlantis. Indeed, there is a theory that the name the invading Moorish forces gave the Iberian Peninsula - Al-Andalus - derives from a mispronunciation of this legendary civilisation.
Then there's the Moorish influence itself - the first decisive battle against the Visigoths, after which the Islamic armies quickly took over the country, happened just a short distance away, near Medina Sidonia. In addition, Cádiz and the surrounding area is one of the birthplaces of flamenco music, of modern bullfighting, of Spanish democracy and the main launch pad for the Spanish conquests of the New World. In fact, take away this small port city, jutting out into the Atlantic on what is virtually an island, and much of what we think of as "Spanish" would disappear. So, to know Spain, a trip here is essential.
A comfortable bed
Cádiz is known for many things but, in the past, the general standard of its hotels wasn't high on the list. Thankfully, that is now changing: a luxurious, brand-new parador (state-run hotel), with excellent views out over the Atlantic, offering spectacular sunsets, is due to open in spring next year in time for the new season (www.parador.es/es/parador-de-cadiz; 00 34 902 547979).
If you're looking for something more traditional, set right in the heart of the labyrinthine city streets, then the best option is the Hospedería Las Cortes de Cádiz on Calle San Francisco (www.hotellascortes.com; 00 34 956 220 489). The rather grand building dates from the 19th century and has been decorated to commemorate the Cortes de Cádiz, the Spanish democratic movement of 1812. There is also a small gym, roof terrace and jacuzzi. Prices for double rooms start from €85 (Dh450) including taxes.
Outside the city, an excellent option is the picturesque whitewashed town of Vejer de la Frontera, where the Hotel La Casa del Califa has been done up in Moorish style (www.lacasadelcalifa.com; 00 34 956 447 730). A double rooms costs from €82 (Dh430), including taxes.
Find your feet
Cádiz is a place to wander and get lost in, which is quite easy because the streets are so narrow and winding. That said, it's almost completely surrounded by water, so if ever you do get stuck, simply keep going straight (or as straight as you can) until you reach the sea and take your bearings from there.
The cathedral is a good place to start and is supposedly where Hercules himself is buried. The square in front (Plaza de la Catedral) is one of the city's major gathering points. If you come at Easter, colourful processions of worshippers with tall, conical hats pass through carrying devotional icons.
From here you can go in any direction you choose in search of some of the quiet, pretty squares that seem to appear from nowhere as you meander down the alleyways. Try to look for the Plaza Candelaria, with its cool gardens; the Plaza de San Antonio, home of the Baroque church of the same name and the city casino; and the Plaza Falla, site of the theatre named after one of Cádiz's most celebrated sons, the composer Manuel de Falla.
Meet the locals
They spent a long time doing it up, but now the central market place, with its classical columns and built on the site of a former convent, is up and running again and is a great place to soak up the local atmosphere. Gaditanos, as the people of Cádiz are called, have a distinctive sing-song accent, which is at once innocent, jokey and street-smart. Listen out for the much-used word picha or pisha - essentially mate, or pal - which tends to prefix most utterances.
Shopper's paradise
Near the market, the Calle Columela is one of the main shopping streets, with many of the high-street clothing chains and plenty of cafes to stop off at for a rest in-between purchases. Likewise the Calle Ancha, traditionally viewed as Cádiz's high street, is packed with all kinds of shops, from touristy places selling "I love Cádiz" T-shirts, to furniture, books and almost anything you can think of. Look out for the Salón Italianos ice-cream parlour for a good place for a break mid-shopping.
Meanwhile, if you're feeling romantic, or simply want some colour in your life, the Plaza de las Flores is filled with boutique stalls selling all manner of seasonal blooms. Even if you're not going to buy, it's worth visiting just to breath in the wonderful aromas.
What to avoid
Stay in the old part of the city and you can't go far wrong. Some of the streets are less picturesque than others, and a large part of the city's charm comes from a sense of genteel decay. But whatever you do don't visit the suburbs. Few Spanish cities have outskirts of note, but Cádiz's are among the worst.
Don't miss
Cádiz is home to Spain's most spectacular Carnival fiesta. During the dictatorship, Franco successfully banned these raucous, colourful midwinter celebrations in all Spanish cities… except Cádiz. A 10-day riot of fancy dress, eating and dancing is not to be missed, although you may need a week to recover afterwards.
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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%3Cp%3EAsked%20to%20rate%20Boris%20Johnson's%20leadership%20out%20of%2010%2C%20Mr%20Sunak%20awarded%20a%20full%2010%20for%20delivering%20Brexit%20%E2%80%94%20remarks%20that%20earned%20him%20his%20biggest%20round%20of%20applause%20of%20the%20night.%20%22My%20views%20are%20clear%2C%20when%20he%20was%20great%20he%20was%20great%20and%20it%20got%20to%20a%20point%20where%20we%20need%20to%20move%20forward.%20In%20delivering%20a%20solution%20to%20Brexit%20and%20winning%20an%20election%20that's%20a%2010%2F10%20-%20you've%20got%20to%20give%20the%20guy%20credit%20for%20that%2C%20no-one%20else%20could%20probably%20have%20done%20that.%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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Five expert hiking tips
- Always check the weather forecast before setting off
- Make sure you have plenty of water
- Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
- Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
- Take your litter home with you
'Young girls thinking of big ideas'
Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.
“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”
In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.
“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”
Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.
“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Result
Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2
Man City: Jesus (39), David Silva (41)
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- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets