Jerez is a very strong Catholic religious town. Lucky for us we also experienced a religious parade where I think the whole town was on the streets – all dressed up – from the elderly to families with young children. – it was like going back in time seeing little boys in rompers and girls in tiny dresses with matching shoes and socks. Everyone was on show waiting for the huge Madonna that was being carried by young men on their shoulders – they were huddled underneath a platform shuffling under the heavy weight. A band, an orchestra plus hundreds of people representing each church paraded before the clergy and finally the Madonna . They would have walked the streets for over 5 hours -before returning the Madonna back home to the cathedral.
Of course local life doesn’t exist without a local market and once again I was wowed – the seafood was incredible – dozens of stalls selling the freshest fish from Tuna, sea bass and lots of squid to prawns , clams and so much a had never seen before.
The fruit stalls were decorated with bunches of carrots, radishes and hanging onions which looked so beautiful amongst the neat piles of vegetables and fruit.
Outside old ladies were selling the produce from their gardens – chopping green leaves into bags, piles of garlic and fresh olives for preserving .
Churos are traditional here – Hannah, Georgia and I stood in awe watching the dough being skirted into hot oil and fried in big circles. When it was golden and crisp it was removed with two long prongs and cut into pieces with some scissors and wrapped in paper. You bought it by weight – our 250 grams cost 2 euros .
Freshly squeezed orange juice and hot coffee were perfect accompaniments to our delicious breakfast.
