Saturday 15 August 2009

Vejer de la Frontera

After a pretty awful week, it was time to get back into the groove and I was thankful that our good friend Gerry had suggested a visit to Vejer de la Frontera to find an english bookshop.

Vejer is a "pueblo blanco" about 10 kms from the Atlantic coast, south of Cadiz heading towards Gibraltar and about 170 kms west of Olvera, a steady two hour drive.
Arriving at about 11 am, we parked the car near to the Parque Los Remedios and walked the short distance to the tourist office.
As always, the assistants were extremely helpful, providing us with maps and directions to the bookshop.



After a short walk uphill through narrow, very clean streets we found the shop with a large selection of books and a very helpful guy, presumably the owner.

We left the shop and headed further uphill towards the old part of town, contained within the walled arabic castle, originally built in the 10th and 11th centuries.




The Casa de la Cultura.

















Part of the wall surrounding the old town.



We stopped at a very pleasant bodeguita for refreshments before passing through the arch into the old town.



The Iglesia del Divina Salvador, built on the site of an ancient mosque.


There were so many little alleyways, balconies and patios to see and it was so tempting just to stop and poke your head into someone's entrance hallway and have a look....which of course we did many times.

An alleyway next to the Convento de las Concepcionistas.





























A small patio area, overlooking the Plaza de España.










While Gerry was looking around a shop, I came across these guys dressed in period costume who were happy to pose for a picture.















The Arco de la Villa, the eastern entrance to the old town leads out to the Plaza de España.

Looking down upon the Plaza, shaded by tall palm tree's, being prepared for the local Feria.










One of the many bars and restaurants around the Plaza.

The ceramic fountain is very impressive and said to be one of the most beautiful in Andalucia.



















Time was getting on so we headed back to the car walking past the very impressive and well restored old walls of the town.

This old cannon, no doubt once part of the fortifications, now formed part of the attraction.
































We left Vejer at about 1.30, both commenting that it was one of the prettiest places that either of us had been too.

There was no doubt so much more to see, well worth another visit.

No comments: