A Shepherd’s Path through Tarifa and Vejer
A Shepherd's Path
There is a specific kind of stillness you find in the white-washed alleys of Vejer de la Frontera. Standing on the edge of the old town fortifications, looking out over the salt marshes toward the Atlantic, it isn’t hard to imagine life as a shepherd. My own journey through Andalusia recently led me here, and then further south to the wind-swept edge of the continent: Tarifa.
Plaza Municipal Nelson Mandela, overlooking the old town of Vejer de la Frontera
I read The Alchemist as a young adult back in India. I know it could be a cliche these days, but the book left a lasting impression on me, and I always wanted to visit Andalusia in Spain to retrace some of Santiago's steps. In the book, Santiago sits on a bench in the main square of Tarifa, trying to read a book he’s already finished. An old man sits beside him, wearing a strange gold breastplate hidden beneath his robes. This is the moment where the mundane world of a shepherd meets the mystical world of destiny. The encounter with Melchizedek, the King of Salem, on the stone walls of Tarifa is the philosophical heartbeat of The Alchemist. For many who read it in the 90s, this scene defined the concept of the "Personal Legend"—the idea that the universe conspires to help you achieve your deepest purpose.
The World's Greatest Lie: Melchizedek tells Santiago that the greatest lie is that at some point, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate.
The King’s Breastplate: He reveals the white and black stones, Urim and Thummim, which represent "yes" and "no." They serve as a physical reminder that the universe provides signs, but the individual must still choose to read them.
The Cost of a Dream: The King doesn't ask for money; he asks for one-tenth of Santiago’s flock. It’s a lesson that "everything in life has its price," and to achieve a dream, one must be willing to give up the very thing that provides their current security.
Castillo de Guzman el Bueno, Tarifa
Walking Those Steps in Tarifa
Standing in modern-day Tarifa, you can feel the weight of that literary moment. The town is defined by the Levanter (the strong easterly wind) that Coelho describes as bringing the scent of the desert and the Moors from Africa.
The Castle of Guzmán el Bueno: Walking along the high stone fortifications of the castle, you look directly across the Strait. On a clear day, the Rif Mountains of Morocco are so sharp and jagged they look like a shadow cast by the Spanish coast. There is no zoom, and this is just an iPhone camera, but I think you can see the Rif Mountains of Morocco. The ferry goes straight from here to Tangier. Some other day, some other time, without the family, when kids are older, and off to doing their own stuff, I might want to take the ferry and visit Tangier...
Decades after first reading about the King of Salem, I found myself sitting on a stone wall in Tarifa, looking at the same horizon Santiago did. In the 90s, the idea of a 'Personal Legend' felt like a poetic metaphor; standing here, with the wind from Africa whipping through the Plaza de Santa María, it felt like a tangible reality.
Tarifa isn't just a geographical border; it’s a psychological one. It is the last place where Santiago is 'safe' before he commits to the unknown. Walking through the Guzman castle, looking at the narrow gap of water separating Europe from Africa, you realize why Coelho chose this spot. It’s a place where the signs of the universe feel impossible to ignore.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/BeautifulPlaces/comments/1s05mcm/a_shepherds_path_through_tarifa_and_vejer/
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Ooo, very nice. I think I will visit here. I have a love of all things Spanish. Gutted that this year I am going to Crete instead of Spain but happy as Crete is a great wee island.
Defo got this one on my radar tho!
I wish I had more time there. This is my first trip to Spain, and I am looking forward to revisit soonish.
Spain is great, the pace of life is just so relaxed. Ahhhh, I love it
Such a beautifully written piece! I can tell you were inspired when you wrote it. For me, especially significant because I spent about six weeks in Cadiz when I was 19. One side trip to Algeciras. That was all the way back in 1967 (or was it 68?). Six weeks in Andalucia, doing nothing. For someone who was in love with the Spanish language and who chose to study history as an undergraduate...it was a gift that had a profound influence.
As for The Alchemist--I can't believe I haven't read this. It sounds wonderful. I just found the PDF on the Internet Archive. I know what I'm reading tonight.
I had no idea :) I haven't been to Cadiz, but as we were driving from Tarifa to Vejer.. I saw the exit for Cadiz many times. Cadiz is also significant to me as we support a Geological consortium there based on a school there, which studies the Gulf of Cadiz.
The Alchemist is amazing. I am surprised that you haven't read it. It is so popular for such a long time that it is a bit cliche :) I love it. It will probably take you one evening to read it, as it is short.
One of my favorite books.
I was supposed to take Spanish classes at the university there, but I never did. Those weeks were a break from the real world. I found a picture that might have been taken in Seville, rather than Cadiz. Date stamped 1967. Can't seem to load it in this comment.
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Never took you as the poetic type😂😂
I haven't read this particular "The Alchemist" novel but I've heard about it regularly.
Would check it out..
Everyone is a poet under the right circumstances:)
But no, I am no poet. Just sometimes I feel moved by certain situations that’s all.
I can't remember anything from The Alchemist, maybe I read it when I was a bit young and it didn't have much impact on me back then. Maybe it will be different now. Think we have a copy at home, might dig it out
It is an easy book to read and it is also widely available.
Impacts happen when you believe the story otherwise it is just text :)
I've never heard of that book before, but it sounds interesting. I only recently started reading regularly again though. The area looks beautiful and I can understand why you would want to spend the time you did here.
It’s an easy book to read and available at virtually every library and online for free.
I'll have to look into it for sure. I have a stack right now that I need to work through and a couple of them are the wheel of time books, so I have a feeling that is going to take me a while. I've gotten in the habit of having two going at once. One physical book and one ebook. My wife usually has three going at once. She adds in audiobooks.
Despite of being brazilian , I dont like much Paulo Coelho! Hehehe anyways… never been to south of spain! So much history there!
I don’t much either, only this one. Also this one I read when I was much younger and had a lasting impression on me
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It's a beautiful place. We have been there a couple of times. The first time was because my father in law had bought a place near Cadiz for a while so we visited from the UK. We didn't stay in Tarifa for long though.
The last time, when we got off the ferry from Morocco, only two years ago. We camped out in the beach carpark for a few days with the kiteboarders and windsurfers, looking over at where we had just been in Morocco. On that last trip we also went to Vejer de la Frontera which we also loved. It's a beautiful part of Spain I think, even with all that wind whipping through the strait. It always blew my mind to realise how close Africa was to Europe. How a body of water could separate cultures so markedly, and the Moorish influence on Spain.
We also went to the roman ruins at Baelo Claudia - I absolutely loved them and there was a real sense of history there brought alive. You could almost smell the fishing boats, see the olive oil flowing, the people working, the mix of cultures trading.
Despite having to cut the trip short because of my Dad being told he had months to live, I'm so glad we had time to spend around this area - I have some very fond memories.
A lot further away that the '90s and Paul Coelho - I can barely recall the Alchemist but it certainly was a hit at the time.
Did you know that Mediterranean went dry in the Messinian, at the end of Miocene, about 7.3 million years back. There was just land, subkha, between Europe and Africa. We call it the Messinian Salinity Crisis! :)
At some places 3000-4000 meters of salt was deposited over the next 1.5 million years. The largest salt deposit of that age anywhere in the world....
Then came the Zanclean flood, and the damn at Gibraltar broke, and the water from the Atlantic rushed in, about 5 million years back, and the Mediterranean sea filled in as we know it today :)
Ah I absolutely love your geo perspective. Thanks for sending me off into a bit of interesting history this boring afternoon babysitting classes! Wild.It's interesting to think that it took so long to empty and salinate and the flood rushed in quite quickly and dramatically and violently, and to imagine how uninhabitable it was for so long and then suddenly habitable again. I love looking into deep time like that! Makes you realise that the very ground under your feet cannot be relied upon.
I really love the story of Doggerland too - it amazed me to learn that people lived right where the English channel is now. I know that was much later, but still, it's fascinating to see how much things changed.
OH which sent me to the guy who thought it'd be a great idea to drain the med to create more land for habitation and agriculture - Hermann Sörgel's Atlantropa. Surreal but that's some big thinking right there - would have been a disaster!
Beautiful post! I will have to read the book again. I remember loving it. You've brought it to life in a new way for me.
Thank you. Perhaps you might read that book again.
That's a beautiful place there
Tarifa is a beautiful spot. I was there two years ago with my family. We surfed, enjoyed the views across to Africa and dined in the gorgeous old town. We holiday in Spain almost every summer ☀️🇪🇸🍷
We love it there.
The Atlantic wind pulls you into those salt marshes, makes the whole scene feel like a slow-motion painting.