El Parque de los Remedios; our out-of-doors living room.

We've had a beautiful few days here, and plenty of opportunities to enjoy the out-of-doors. The weather has been perfect and though we're hoping for another month or so of rain to guarantee the new crops for the spring, it's magical to see the brilliant green of the new grass in the countryside around Vejer.

 Here in town, we have our own green places, and the largest and most important is the Parque Los Remedios. The park runs from the bus stop and tourist office up to the Corredera - for many of us, it's just a pleasant walk into town from the car park, but it has more to offer.

The hillsides beneath the town weren't always covered in trees and plants as they are now. For many centuries they were left barren to guarantee the visibility of approaching pirates. The postcard below dates from 1905 - the road was a narrow track and vegetation was sparse along the way.

At the end of the 1970s, plans were made to create a new roadway into town, one that would accommodate the rising numbers of cars which needed to enter Vejer. The Parque de los Remedios was part of theplan.

The area was named after an old chapel which stood at the point where the Avenida de Andalucía now turns to the right up to the new part of town. The main arch of this chapel, which was fatally damaged in the earthquake of 1773, is now preserved at the roundabout. It wasn't always like that - for centuries the arch was hidden amid the walls of two houses. When the houses were demolished to make way for the road, the arch was revealed.

By the 1950s, as the picture shows, tree and bushes were beginning to grow alongside the road. You can see the present footpath down to the fair field on the left and a solitary palm tree sprouts where the park now is.

The park emerged during a period of  growth and building after the end of the Franco dictatorship, a time of optimism and a new embracing of the future. The work can be seen in this picture, which shows La Posada under construction. For a while it was the only place in town to stay overnight. But the park is still a distant prospect.

Los Remedios park was completed during the 1980s and is now a leafy, sunny place which offers many opportunities for rest, relaxation and sociability, a kind of outdoor living room for Vejer, it residents and visitors.

For example, since 2013, the entire park is a free wifi zone. But that's not all. In the park you can get fit;

 Play chess:

play with the kids:

take a walk (you don't have to be a dog).

meet a mate (thanks for posing, guys);

Get a bus: (http://www.tgcomes.es/rutas.htm

get sussed;

have a think;

have a drink;

Study history; (the giant storage jar was probably once used for olive oil: the millstones were part of olive-presses which once abounded in the area).

enjoy the view! 

And it's all free...

In summer, the park has a different atmosphere, with a café, music and a lively atmosphere, so why not make the most of these days of peace?