2 On the Road: Vejer de la Frontera and Cape Trafalgar

Double-click on photo to read what the Viking Daily had to say about this port of call.

We did the Vejer de la Frontera & Cape Trafalgar excursion. Here's how Viking described it. Guided Tour and Monument to Famous Naval Battle. Journey into the beautiful Andalusian countryside to learn more about the charming village of Vejer de la Frontera. Embark on a scenic drive from Cádiz to Vejer, located atop a rocky hill not far from the Atlantic Ocean. Take a guided walk through its cobblestone streets as you wander through a maze of secret corners, hidden patios and whitewashed homes. Pause underneath the shade of looming palm trees in Plaza de España, then enjoy free time to independently explore the nearby shops and cafés. Afterward, travel through the protected pine forest of La Breña y Marismas del Barbate National Park during a panoramic drive to Cape Trafalgar and its lighthouse, which marks the location of the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar. Here, your guide will briefly describe the battle that claimed the life of renowned British Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson before your return journey to your awaiting ship.

You can see our starting point of Cadiz at the top of the map. Cape Trafalgar is by where it says Los Canos de Meca at the bottom. By the way, citizens of southern Spain don't say "Ca deez" when saying the name of the town. The pronounce it without the "Z". Those from Cadiz pronounce it "Ki" dropping both the D and the Z.

Looking out at the harbor, I see this small ferry boat coming in.

Past the shipping containers, I can see the Puente De La Constitución De 1812 (Constitution Bridge of 1812), the newer of the two that cross to Cadiz from Puerto Real in the east. No, it didn't open in 1812, it opened in 2015 when the older bridge couldn't keep up with traffic.

Looking toward the SE off the bow of the ship, we could see La Plaza de Seville with a fountain and a flag. The building in the middle right is the Cadiz Conference Centre.

Above the roof of the Conference Centre, we could see the telecommunications tower on the left and, on the right, the tower on the Iglesia Conventual de Santo Domingo.

All I could find on this building is that it houses the Cadiz newspaper.

Cadiz was the only part of Spain not conquered by Napoleon.

The Church of San Juan de Dios is attached to the hospital of the same name and located in the heart of the historic center of the city, in the traditional Barrio del Pópulo. The exterior was considerably refurbished at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The tower was built in 1768

The Cadiz Cathedral towers over most structures in the town.

The Cathedral of the Holy Cross over the Waters (Spanish: Catedral de Santa Cruz sobre las Aguas) is a Catholic cathedral built between 1722 and 1838.

Mural painted on gym.

The artist was given €242,000 euro to do the mural.

The Palacio de Congresos de Cádiz was built taking advantage of the structures of the old tobacco factory and on the site of the old alhóndiga of the city. The tobacco factory, created in 1741, was later moved to the premises of the alhóndiga on Calle Plocia, which was later ceded to the government for the installation of a modern factory. Three stories high, it has an irregular floor plan forming a freestanding block and a neo-Mudejar style.

Las Cigarreras de Cádiz monument

The work of the women cigar makers was highly appreciated and requested because they were more careful and produced a better product. They themselves managed to ensure that the increase in personnel was always women. When cigarette making later appeared, the cigar makers were professionals so skilled that only they would be able to work with this smaller product.

Iglesia Conventual de Santo Domingo (Cádiz del Rosario)

Portal to the Barrio de Santa Maria quarter

Fuente de Cornelio Balbo (Cornelio Balbo fountain) Monument in honor of the Cádiz citizen of the Roman Empire Lucius Cornelio Balbo "The Lesser", an African proconsul, with military triumphs against the Garamantes.

The tower on the right is on a building housing a school. The dome in the middle and the tower on the right are the Cathedral.

Notice the security grates that can be put over the windshield.

Dedicated bicycle path.


Bóvedas del niño Jesus (Vaults of the Baby Jesus) is attached to the Baluarte de San Roque. A baluarte is a stone structure projecting from the outer wall of a fort built to withstand artillery fire.

From this angle you can see the baluarte and, in the distance, the tower on the Puerta de Tierra. Puertas de Tierra" is a bastion-monument built around the old defensive wall at the entrance to the city of Cadiz.

Paddleboarder

Looking over the Gale Sea at the north side of town..

A thin peninsula, just wide enough for a road, leads to the Castillo de San Sebastian, a former island fortress now a destination for historical exhibits, concerts & other cultural events.

This is the top of a spiral staircase leading down to the beach.

These stone sections with holes in the center are what remains of the Roman aqueduct of Gades.

Large recycle bins

Parrish of San Jose Church, built in the 18th century, was the first church to be built in the part of the city that is outside the Puertas de Tierra and the traditional historical center of the city.

Christmas decor on children's playground with dragon trees in front.

It looks like all the people headed to the Sex Shop have white hair.

The baluarte of Santa maria protect the south side of town from invaders.

Beach access point

Looks like the out-of-towners bring their RV's to stay at the beach.

Railroad tracks ran between the road and the Bay of Cadiz. Numerous voyages of discovery departed from the Bay of Cadiz ports, including Cristopher Columbus’ second and fourth voyage and Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, and later the conquistadores in colonial times.

These steps belong to what is titled a train station but there aren't any buildings, parking lots, nor places to enter the area apart from a locked gate along a dirt road on the other side of the tracks. Two rail lines intersect here so I suppose this is where people change trains to continue to Cadiz.

Further along the one line, is an actual train station where you can go to get on a train.

The marshy ground here is bisected by man-made ponds. Originally salt pans, these ponds are now home to a sea bass aquaculture business.

Flocks of flamingos are often seen in the Zurraque Canal.

Fancy hotel

Now a national symbol of Spain, the Osborne Bull billboard can be found throughout the country. The bull was originally conceived as an outdoor advertisement for the Brandy de Jerez made by the Osborne Group in 1956. With the passage of time, the Osborne bull has become a national symbol of Spain.

These black silhouetted images of a bull are 46' tall by 23' wide.

The optimal climatic conditions of Andalusia make it a prime wind turbine area.

Tio Pepe, or Uncle Joe, is the dressed bottle and guitar logo for a brand of sherry.

Andalusia's plentiful sunshine makes it the best place in Spain for solar panels.

There are 164 large, rotating panels in this installation along the highway.

Retinto is the main cattle breed in the drier parts of Spain, including Andalusia. They are known for their striking golden blonde coat. The breed evolved from a combination of other Spanish breeds and is primarily used for beef production


Andalusian agriculture has been dominated by large estates producing traditional Mediterranean crops such as wheat, grapes, and olives. This is the fallow season

Structures in a roundabout where we exit the highway. Windmills are symbolic of the region's agricultural tradition

We're headed to Vejer de la Frontera. So why do many towns in Andalusia end with "de la Frontera"? North African colonists had been in control of almost all of Spain for centuries, but by the beginning of the 15th century the Christians were taking it back. These towns were located in a no-man’s-land or unclaimed space between the two forces.

To get to Vejer de la Frontera, we had to travel up the hillside.

The town is one of Andalusia's white building towns perched high above the steep gorge of the River Barbate. It surrounds a Medieval Castle from the 9th & 10th centuries. The town of Vejer de la Frontera was declared a Historic Artistic Site in 1976.

Cádiz is not just a city, it is also the name of a province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the southernmost part of mainland Spain, as well as the southernmost part of continental Europe.

From the hillside viewpoint, we could look down at the road (lower left), the wind turbines in the distance, and the dragon tree in the foreground.

Looking up the street to one of the town's main squares. Agriculture and fruit-farming are the chief industries. Fighting bulls are bred locally and the town is one of the few places in Spain that still has an annual running of the bulls.

The buses were parked in a lower parking lot, so we had to walk up a long pathway. the guide told us the path was all steps just a few years ago. Thankfully it is a smooth incline now. This photo shows the flatter part at the top.

A posts office box. Looks much different from ones in the U.S.

The old windmill is called "El Palmar". Our bus in parked right in front of the buildings.

I was shocked to see rice paddies in Spain, but it is the second highest rice-producing country in the European Union. Andalusia is one of the major rice-producing regions in Spain. One of the most well-known uses of rice is Spain is for the making of paella.

We only looked out from this one viewpoint but there are more if you walk around the city.

Several sections of the old fortress walls still stand. This is the Puerta de Sancho, the oldest and best-preserved gate to the old town dating back to the 13th century.

Iglesia de la Merced is an old convent that originated in the 17th century. It was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1773 and left neglected. However, it was restored in 1990. The facade is white with yellow touches around the edges and has an engraved cobijada. People were sitting in cars all around because school was about to be dismissed.

Mayorazgo Tower.

The Plaza de España is the epicenter of local life with its central fountain. Built in 1957, it is decorated with aquatic motifs. It is flanked by 4 frogs from which jets of water flow to feed it, the goldfish that children introduced into the fountain years ago is what motivates this square to be popularly known as the "Plaza de los Pescaitos".

Town Hall is on this square.

Arco de la Villa

In the tile mural that is found at the entrance to the arch, reference is made to the reconquest of the city and the coat of arms of Vejer is shown

What looks like Islamic clothing on this decoration is actually Christian in origin. It can be dated from around the 16th century. This traditional, all-black outfit with just one eye visible, said to be watching over the village was very common in Vejer. This type of clothing was banned in the 1930’s but has become one of the symbols of the town.

Looking down on Plaza Espana

The Church of the Divine Saviour from the 16th century is built over the remains of a mosque. The church's architecture is a blend of Baroque, Renaissance, late-Gothic and Gothic-Mudejar styles.

Colorful urn on top of building to the left and part of the church arching over an alleyway.

Our tour departed to the left of the church.

We went down an alley, then I saw a plaque on the wall when I turned around.

The Virgin of the Olive is the patron saint of Vejer.

Main entrance to the church.

The other side of the church.

The side of the Church and the old fortress walls surround this walkway.

Built in the 15th century, the Puerta de la Segur was one of 4 gates that gave access to the medieval enclosure. It was the most accessible entrance, so it was fortified the most and heavily defended.

Now we come to La Plazuela. This is one of the main squares. You had to be careful because cars do travel these hilly, narrow streets. On Easter Sunday, Vejer de la Frontera releases a bull into the streets for their mini running with the bulls event.

We got back in the bus and start heading to Cape Trafalgar. Fishing is a local industry, and the catch is processed here.

Old boat in a roundabout.

Interesting cacti along the road.

As we can see Morocco as we near the coast.

A national bike route runs alongside the road.

Umbrella trees

Moracco from the shore of Cape Trafalgar. Maybe you have heard of Trafalgar. The 1805 naval Battle of Trafalgar, in which the Royal Navy commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson decisively defeated Napoleon's combined Spanish and French fleet, took place just off the cape.

The Trafalgar lighthouse was built in 1860.

Osprey nest on power pole

The 1812 Constitution Bridge, also known as La Pepa Bridge, is the second bridge across the Bay of Cádiz opened on September 24, 2015. It links Cádiz city with Puerto Real on the mainland. It is the longest bridge in Spain at 3,092m and at 540m the longest bridge span in Spain. It takes its name from the fact that the first constitution of Spain was signed in Cádiz on March 19, 1812.

Navantia is a Spanish state-owned company involved in the design and construction of high technology military and civilian vessels. It is the fifth-largest shipbuilder in Europe and the ninth largest in the world. They have two of the largest gantry cranes in Spain.

It's hard to see while we are crossing one bridge, but there is another that crosses Cadiz Bay. It is the José León de Carranza Bridge (also referred to as the Carranza Bridge) that was built in 1969. This bridge is also one of the longest bascule bridges in Europe.