Castellar de la Frontera and Tarifa

Castle-village of Castellar

Castellar de la Frontera

 Jose and I recently went to stay a couple of nights in Castellar de la Frontera, a super small village close to Gibraltar. Castellar is located on the top of a mountain and is surrounded by walls. It is basically a converted castle, to give you an idea. It is so small that back in the 1970's the villagers decided to make a second Castellar at the base of the mountain because there was no place to expand. Now the old town is mostly rural houses and a hotel. It is pretty remote, no shops and a couple of small restaurants. We went in the hopes of some peace and quiet and that is what we found.
Streets of Castellar de la Frontera
Castellar de la Frontera was originally built as a defense point for the Muslims during the Reconquest. It is similar to a lot of other places here in the south of Spain in that they built a castle at the highest, most strategic point in the surrounding area. Castellar is now known for its winding streets and beautiful views afforded by its location next to a large natural park. Here you can see lots of different wildlife. We saw a huge hawk, a deer and fawn and a TON of storks with their giant terydactyl-like nests.
Views from the top of the mountain

 Tarifa

 We also took advantage of being close to the coast and drove to Tarifa for the day. Tarifa is located at the southern-most tip of Europe. It is a town known for its water sports like surfing and kite-surfing. It has a castle (surprise, surprise) and a lot of beach front.
Jose in the Castle of Guzman the Good
During our afternoon we also visited its two churches and had the best pizza ever for lunch!!! I really liked the vibe that Tarifa had. There were tons of restaurants and bars, lots of places to stay but it didn't seem too touristy to me. I imagine that the nightlife has to be pretty good as well.
The island with the lighthouse is the southern-most point in Europe
In other news, Jose and I are now on vacation for a while. We are headed to Malaga for the next few days and then on to the USA. It's been what seems like forever since we've been home so I can say I am excited to see everyone. Happy 4th of July, all!

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