| Tips and photos of unusual, out-of-the-way Tarifa (Cadiz) attractions, posted by real travelers and locals. Tarifa (Cadiz) Map |
 | Tarifa (Cadiz) Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 25 |  |
 Ferry by bugalugs
On board is a duty free shop, cafe and restaurant.
Should you arrive in Algeciras there is a free shuttle bus between Algexiras and Tarifa for people buying a ferry ticket.
We did notice quite a large car park down by the ferry however, I dont know whether you have to pay for parking or not.
Apparently euros, dollars or british pounds are accepted in most places in Tangiers if you prefer not to change any money. Leave a Comment Phone: 34 956 68 18 30Website: %CG%S4%B%FCwww.frs.es Other Contact: email info@frs.es
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 Gibraltar and the Rock by bugalugs
It was here in the bay 200 years ago that Admiral Nelson of the British Royal Navy Fleet was killed during the battle of trafalgar and his body was brought ashore here.
Gibraltar is also known for the Rock which looms up so high, and is the home to dozens of monkeys that roam free.
You can get a cable car up the Rock, or even walk if you are energetic enough. St Michaels Caves on the Rock are very impressive. Casemates Square where there are cafes and restaurants. Main Street which has an assortment of supposedly 'duty free' shops, although I dont think they are particularly duty free prices, unless you haggle with them and get the prices down, especially electrical, never buy something without having a haggle first. Pefume shops, and cigarette shops where the prices are a 1/5th of the price that they are in the UK. Probably half the price that you would pay in Spain. You are only allowed to take 200 into Spain though and the customs there are very strict, not the English customs but the Spanish customs. Leave a Comment
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 Decumanus Maximus - the main
E-W street by Bwana_Brown, 3 more photos
Getting lost as we always do on Spanish streets, we walked down Decumanus Maximus until we reached the western outskirts of Baelo Claudia where we came upon the remains of the Thermal Baths (3rd and 4th photos). I'm telling you, these Romans really knew what they were doing - the bit at the back of the 3rd photo was called a 'prefurnium' where the water was heated and the semi-circular bit at the right was where the actual bathing took place! Definitely a tough life in southern Spain in the old days! Leave a Comment
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 Leaving the parking lot to
enter the building by Bwana_Brown, 3 more photos
The Visitor Centre definitely had a big enough parking area as well as four nice patios providing different views as we began to see what Baelo Claudia had to offer, with Sue illustrating the point (2nd photo). With an entry fee of only 3 Euros for the two of us we certainly could not complain! After admiring the views out over the stone ruins of this old town we entered the building itself for a closer look at some of the artifacts that have already been recovered (only about 20% of the site has been excavated thus far).
The final photo shows a distant view of the Visitor's Centre taken from the mountain road that leads down to Bolonia and the ruins. Leave a Comment
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It was great not having any timetable as we made our self-guided tour around the remains of Baelo Claudia! The weather was fantastic and the Romans had certainly chosen a picturesque location for their little town all those centuries ago. In addition to the many ruins, both upright and those that had been gathered for later piecing together as part of the larger picture, we also enjoyed the local trees and vegetation.
The most impressive was a huge solitary Ombu 'tree' (3rd photo). I remember seeing one of them in Buenos Aires on one of our trips and this is what I found out then: " The ombú is a massive evergreen herb native to the Pampas of South America. The tree has an umbrella-like canopy that spreads to a girth of 12 to 15 meters (40 to 50 feet) and can attain a height of 12 to 18 meters (40 to 60 feet). The ombú grows fast but being herbaceous its wood is soft and spongy enough to be cut with a knife. Because of this, it is also used in the art of bonsai, as it is easily manipulated to create the desired effect. Since the sap is poisonous, the ombú is not grazed by cattle and is immune to locusts and other pests. It is a symbol of Uruguay and Argentina, and of Gaucho culture, as its canopy is quite distinguishable from afar and provides comfort and shelter from sun and rain. The fireproof trunk also stores water for the large fires that rage across the Pampas." Of course, the local Spanish vegetation looked quite impressive too - such beautiful colours (4th and 5th photos) in December when I would normally be looking at snow! Leave a Comment
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 Columns of the Basilica & a
distant 'walking' dune by Bwana_Brown, 4 more photos
Also on the way there, one of the local cats had taken a liking to us and decided to tag along. As I got into position for a shot by Sue of the fish factory/dune, the cat was determined to get into the scene as well - and it succeeded, with us both hanging on for our lives with claws and hands as the wind blew straight at us!
As for the fish factory, it was one of the main reasons that Baelo Claudia lasted so long because 'garum' was very popular with the Romans as a garnish used with meals. However, one of its problems was the odour it gave off in the process of producing it - fish guts, layered in salt and left to ferment in the sun for a few months in outdoor fermenting pools (5th photo) . Final preparation for shipping was carried out in the factory whose walls remain standing in the background. There, the liquid garum was taken from the top of the mixture and shipped to Rome where it commanded prices similar to what caviar brings in today. The fish-gut leftovers were used too, by the poorer classes of Roman citizens to flavour their meals. Being on the coastline as it was, Baelo Claudio did not have to worry too much about upsetting the neighbours with odours! Leave a Comment
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 The local theatre & some of
its seven entrances by Bwana_Brown, 4 more photos
It was still very impressive, even all these centuries later. With seven entrances and perched on a hillside as was the Roman custom, it had a great view out over the town and down to the Atlantic Ocean. One strange thing I learned about the Romans was that they called the entrances 'vomitoria' - must have been a very bad show the night the definitions were made! This was one of the better restored parts of the town, with work still continuing on the other areas. On Tuesday, December 30th we had the place almost to ourselves so I performed a short oratory for Sue from the stage while she filmed - after all, one does not get a chance to do that very often! In a nutshell, don't miss Tarifa or Baelo Claudia if you ever get the chance - it was so different from the Mediterranean shores! Leave a Comment
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 Fallen off chunk of water
trough beside aqueduct by Bwana_Brown, 2 more photos
Baelo Claudia first came to prominence in ~120 BC partially because it was close to an easy crossing passage between Europe and Africa but also because it was a excellent fishing area as schools of tuna migrated between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It did quite well for a few centuries but two earthquakes in ~50 AD and ~350 AD as well as a tidal wave caused severe damage that can still be seen in the masonry today as the site is excavated. Later attacks by pirates along this coast were the final blow as the town was gradually abandoned about 100 years before the Roman Empire itself collapsed. Hmm, maybe those earthquakes and the tidal wave are why that section of aqueduct has fallen off? Leave a Comment
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 Marble statues once part of a
fountain by Bwana_Brown, 3 more photos
We had a look at some of them on display in the lower level of the VC, in this case two reclining marble statues holding wine-skins from which water once poured at a fountain. The one on the left is of Silenus laying on an animal skin (in Greek mythology, Silenus was a companion of the wine god Dionysus). It was quite interesting wandering around reading the small signs that explained what each of the 2000-year old artifacts on display were about, as well as the history of how Baelo Claudia was re-discovered. Leave a Comment
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 View from the Rock by bugalugs
If coming in by car, queues can be very long especially in the summer months. There is car parks on the Spanish side if you prefer not to queue and walk in. You must have a passport to gain entry into Gibraltar even if you are British.
I actually find it strange though that Gibraltarians have to show their passports when entering Spain, and yet by some arrangement with the Spanish authorities, Spaniards dont have to show their passport but just their ID.
Lots of English pubs, you would think you were at home if you were from the UK.
Here is where John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married, as did Sean Connery.
It is quite popular getting married here, you only need to register the day before.
The currency here is the British Pound Sterling. You can use Euros but you will get a terrible exchange rate so everything will appear much more expensive then. There are bureau exchanges in Main Street if you want to change money. Leave a Comment
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