Arcos de la Frontera, Cadiz, Vejer de la frontera and Estepona

Going west. Visiting Costa de la Luz and villages de la fronteras (being the frontier of Spain's 13th century battle with the Moors) and Cadiz.

 Arcos de la Frontera are located on the top of this steep hillside. The town was a bulwark of Christianity after king Alfonso X of Castile 'the Wise' (1252–1284) expelled the Moors. He constructed a Gothic cathedral which remains on its high ridge.

 From Arcos we travelled southwest to the Atlantic Ocean and Costa de la Luz.

Cádiz, the oldest continuously inhabited city in Spain and one of the oldest in western Europe,^] was founded by the Phoenicians. The older part of Cadiz is located behind the old city wall.

One of Cádiz's most famous landmarks is its cathedral. It sits on the site of an older cathedral, completed in 1260, which burned down in 1596. The reconstruction, which was not started until 1776

 A lunch or a drink at restaurant Cafe Royalty with it´s beautiful decorations in the ceilings is recommended. One problem for us in Cadiz. The restaurants open for dinner at 21.00. Yhat is very late.

On the way back to Costa del Sol we visited  another "de la Frontera city" the white Vejer. It contains several ancient churches and convents, and the architecture of many of its houses recalls the period of Moorish rule, which lasted from 711 until the town was captured by Saint Ferdinand of Castilein 1248.
This Sunday the ciity was crowded due to an annual market activity so this image must represent the city this year.

 Next stop was Tarifa. At exactly 36 degrees latitude, it is the southernmost point of Continental Europe, situated south of the two African capital cities of Tunis and Algiers. It is also one of the southernmost points of geographic Europe with only Malta, Cyprus and the southernmost Greek islands of Crete and Gavdos being further south, with Gavdos being the southernmost point of Europe.
An interesting city with lots of Kite people and "Hippies" as one Spanish man told us.
The image shows the observation tower: Castle of St Catalina

 Last stop was Estepona. It is ten years since our last visit to this city and it has turned into one of the most beautiful cities along Costa del Sol.