A day exploring different towns near Cadiz. Our first stop was to Vejer de la Frontera, which is one of the cleanest towns in Andalucia, which was built on a hill overviewing different towns. The town is known for their white houses and buildings as well. Something interesting was knowing that everyone must paint their house or business white. It was also interesting seeing La Cobijada statue around the town which are honored in Vejer. In Vejer La Cobijada is a sheltered woman who is dressed in a black mantle where one of her eyes are the only visible part. This is viewed as a costume in Vejer that brought roots from Muslims. Women now don’t keep up as much with the tradition of wearing the mantle anymore, but in festivals like Holy week they do use it. Holy week is very traditional in Spain where every town was their own celebration. In Vejer there are four original arches that they have kept and one of them is the most famous because of the view that extends from the arch. Vejer de la Frontera is a beautiful town.

        The next stop was Baelo Claudia an ancient Roman town near Bolonia. This is the heart to understand the Romans life and development at the time of the Roman Empire. Here we could see the theatre, temples, the wall where the trading ports would come in, the basilica and much more. An interesting part was seeing the Roman reproduction of Doryphores. The statue is a athlete that is nude with a spear on his right hand. The archaeologists have said that the stones are from high quality marble which was white with grey. This finding was carried out by the University of Cadiz in 2012 while the archaeological excavation. It was found in a swimming pool in the Maritime Baths. This statue is the most significant in Baelo Claudia, which shows wealth and what they call a taste of the Roman period.

           Our last stop was in Tarfia and they left the best for last. I was amazed by the beach in Tarfia. The water was gorgeous I could believe that I was there. The girls, I was with, and I decided to have lunch on the rocks sitting by the Mediterranean Sea. Our lunchtime was so relaxing just watching the ships go by. A lot of cruise ships and boats full of families passed by in the timing that we were there. Also, looking beyond the ocean which was the mountain that is in Morocco. When we finished our lunch, we walked down the boardwalk where the Mediterranean Sea is on your left-hand side and the Atlantic Ocean is on your right hand. Both sides were beaches and both were filled with people. Seeing the difference in the two was interesting because the Atlantic Ocean was filled with seaweed. The Mediterranean Sea was so clear you could see right through it. The water felt perfect and it was a great temperature not too cold. I think that Tarifa was a great idea to leave for last because it’s worth it.