Visiting Vejer de la Frontera

 

Vejer de la Frontera is another ancient white village (pueblo blanco) perched on the top of a hill, about 1 hour South of Rota. It was a settlement during Phoenician and Roman times, then taken over by the Moors in the 8^th century, and remained in their control until the reign of the Christian kings in the 13^th century. Then Vejer became a frontier town for the war between the Christians and Moors, which is why it still has the title “de la Frontera.” The city walls, several churches, the old castle, and the beautiful fountain in the Plaza de España all show examples of Moorish architecture. From the highest points you can enjoy beautiful views of the ocean and the surrounding valleys stretching for miles in all directions. You can even see Morocco on a clear day! Much of the ancient city walls and gates are still intact, so this is a wonderful city to just wander through and soak up the history and culture of this region. Be prepared for lots of narrow streets and uphill walking. A large parking lot is available at the lower end of the town off the N-340 road. (GPS Coordinates:  36°15'21.9"N 5°58'03.2"W.) The tourist information center is located next to this parking lot. There is also a clearly-marked parking garage 1 block from the downtown Plaza d'Espana.

            Vejer is also well known for its running of the bulls, which takes place every year on Easter Sunday. There is no bullfight, but there are usually two runnings. One bull at a time is released into the streets on this day. Barricades are set up to protect onlookers, but anyone running in the streets will have to climb windows or run for cover when the bull charges through! Military personnel are not permitted to run with the bull, but they may watch the event, which has its own unique festival atmosphere.   

 

There are many great restaurant choices in Vejer, but the most popular and well-known is the Moroccan style restaurant beneath the hotel off the Plaza de España, called El Jardin del Califa. The building itself is a historic monument dating from the 1500’s, and the stone courtyard is an exotic location to relax and enjoy a great meal. The restaurant serves amazing selections of Moroccan dishes like tagine, kabobs, falafel, cous cous, barbequed meat, and salads.  Advance reservations can be done through their website, and are recommended, as this restaurant is very popular! It has been listed in the Michelin guide for the past few years.

           

Finally, there are several important landmarks to note nearby. The Roman city of Baelo Claudia is in the nearby town of Bolonia, and both cities can easily be visited in the same day. In addition, the famous naval Battle of Trafalgar was fought in the waters just off the coast of Vejer. During this battle in 1805, the British Admiral Lord Nelson achieved a crushing victory over the combined Spanish-French fleet, and did not lose a single ship from the British Navy. This is not a fond memory for the Spanish, since it marks the end of Spanish maritime superiority. However, there is a tall monument commemorating the battle on the top of Cape Trafalgar. 

(Text is mine from the book 'Welcome to Rota.' Photos are mine, except for photos from the Jardins de Califa website.)