Excommunicated from Spain

Posted on March 30, 2015 by David Cross

Today was our last day in Spain – tomorrow, we fly out.  We drove north from Granada to get back to Madrid through the countryside full of olive trees and grape (wine) vines.

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We stopped for lunch and some wine tasting in Puerto Lapice. The wine barrels/fermentation tanks are a little different in Spain.

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It was our last chance to have some local garlic soup. I hope these tanks I found was not used to make wine we had with lunch…

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There was also a small museum if some very old copies of the Don Quixote books which is a very popular history topic in this area for tourists (see below, hint: windmills).

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We also took a break and drove up the mountain to see the old castle and historic Spanish windmills near Consuegra that are all slowly being restored.

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It is a nice spot to visit and hike around a little to work off the wine tasting 🙂

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Driving into Madrid, here is their fancy bull fighting stadium…and no, we did not go to a bull fighting exhibition.  Long controversial discussion…

Map of Spain Portugal and Morocco

OK – end of this trip, we have travelled 5,000+ kilometers and learned a lot.  Headed back to home after being kicked out of Spain!

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Mijas and Granada

Posted on March 29, 2015 by David Cross

Today, we departed Torremolinos and headed north for a few exploratory stops in Mijas and later spend the night in Granada.

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The weather was gorgeous for the upcoming holiday season in Spain.

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Mijas was a very nice (white) village on the side of the mountain in the Costa Del Sol area. Great views looking down to the coast. You might be able to see the unusual rectangle bull fight stadium in the distance.

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A great place to do a little hiking.

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Or walking around the steep stairs and walkways around the village. Just make sure you pack water, as it is quite warm and dry.

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If you are really adventurous, you can go to the top of the mountain and visit the hidden church at the top.

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We then drove to Granada to visit the Alhambra Palace.  It has some amazing views of the valley and city of Granada. I have to admit that Granada is a very nice city to relax and take in some different culture. It felt like San Francisco for some reason.

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This was an area that I, honestly, have never heard about before. It is an amazing site and gardens with lots of history.

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The one interesting historical tidbit, (outside of the Moorish, Sultans and Spanish Royalty history), is this is the place that Christopher Columbus met with the Queen to get his funding and approval to sail to west and discover North America.  It might have been on this very spot on the floor in the palace…

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The sculptures, architecture, gardens and style were quite amazing throughout the castle/palace.  Everything follows the Islamic rules of seven, etc. in the layout and in places like the lions for the harem section of the palace.

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One more tidbit, Granada and the palace is where Washington Irving (the author) lived for part of his life. He wrote a lot of historical stories and one classic which many may remember: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

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Visiting The Gibraltar Colony

Posted on March 27, 2015 by David Cross

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Today, we headed north out of Africa and hopped on a ferry across the Mediterranean to go over and visit the famous British territory of Gibraltar.

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The motorcycle biker gangs in we saw when we spent the day in Tangier Morocco were getting rough, so it was time to leave! 😉

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The Rock of Gibraltar is a hopping place…almost a frenzy of tourists, locals and visitors who love to go shopping.

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It was great fun to hang out in the main square for some (local) fish and chips and a nice beer to enjoy lunch.

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We also toured around some of the older military sites and former barracks along the coastline. It was windy, but some great views of both Spain and Africa (Morocco).

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We then went up to Michael’s Cave to check out the popular cave where local concerts are sometimes held.

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And then get questioned and held hostage by the local monkey (ape) populations for ice cream or other snacks when we exited the cave.

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The mini tour buses won’t take you to the top, where the large (massive) naval gun was still in place…

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So I had to run up 250 meters (and back down) in 15 minutes to avoid being left behind. The views from the top were worth it 🙂

Great way to spend a day in the south of Europe!

 

 

 

 

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Rabat and Tangier Morocco

Posted on March 26, 2015 by David Cross

The last day in Morocco, we drove up through Rabat (the capital) and Tangiers the port city so we could head back to Spain.

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We made a quick stop in Rabat driving around the capital area.  We caught them during a changing of the guard.  A very clean city…of course because it is the capital with all the government offices.

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The main stop was the mausoleum of Mohammed V which was quite a site to see. A bit like Napoleon’s tomb in Paris, but different…

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The giant square with the Roman pillars and unfinished minaret tower (Hassan’s Tower) was an interesting feeling for some reason. It almost felt like we were in Rome or Egypt. Unfortunately Hassan’s tower was under some renovation.

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Here is Morocco, you are watched carefully! They have hidden cameras even in the Roman pillars.

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We had a great lunch stop in Assilah for some great seafood lunch (paella). One of the best paella courses we have ever eaten.

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Assilah is a gorgeous village along the waterfront with a historical Spanish style and architecture. Lots of local art as well on all the walls.  An excellent place to stop for a break along the coast only a half hour south of Tangier.

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One of the highlights of Tangier is the view you have of the meeting of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. You can see both blending at the northern tip of Africa next to the (active) lighthouse and the coast of Spain in the distance.

Headed back to Spain to visit the Rock of Gibraltar. Believe it or not, two kids climbed up into the wheel wells of our bus…so they could sneak across to get to Europe. They are desperate to leave Morocco and Africa and it is hard to believe and see firsthand how badly people want to leave the continent and get to a better place.

Here are some of my other posts about Morocco if you missed them:

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Casablanca Morocco

Posted on March 25, 2015 by David Cross

Casablanca “white house” is basically a huge modern city that is one of the largest ports in the African continent. Full of office buildings, manufacturing and large apartment buildings.

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It is very different than Fes or Marrakech.  I am not sure I understood this complex Cybersecurity detection algorithm.  When driving into the city, it is hard to tell you are still in Morocco.

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When we arrived, it was really windy. It looked like a hurricane was about to take over the city. Casablanca is definitely the “Miami” of Morocco. The coast is lined with exclusive and expensive “clubs” that are not open to the public or even locals unless they are members. Unless you go into McDonalds of course to get a cup of their famous espresso.

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It is also one of the most dangerous cities in Morocco with large volumes of crime and significant risks to tourists. For some reason, they don’t even fasten the hotel room safes into the walls or closet. Nice souvenir!

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It was pouring rain again, but we stopped and took a picture of Hassan II’s mosque that holds 80,000 people to pray.

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We drove by Rick’s café …but it is not real. It was only created a few years ago to attract tourists. We did not go in.

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The one cool thing that we did see in Casablanca for the WWII history buffs was the Anfa Hotel where the Casablanca Conference was held in 1943 where US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Charles de Gaulle all met for the next steps in the war.

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Side Excursions in Morocco

Posted on March 24, 2015 by David Cross

Since today was a travel day up to Casablanca to hang out in Rick’s Cafe, I thought post a few side excursions we captured over the past few days.

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One afternoon, we took a drive up to Bhalil where the troglodytes live.  It is also a high speed Internet hot spot in Morocco.

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Yes, people still live in caves. It is hard to tell from the outside which are homes and which are caves based on the standard door architecture and styles.

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We met an older woman who still lives in a cave after 85 years with no running water or fixed appliances.

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She likes to dance around her abode with a big pail of water on her head to impress the young guys.

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It seems that there are tons of royal palaces all over Morocco. Every city seems to have 1-2 of them. Some older, some only 150 years old.

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Although they all seem to look the same…I do have to admit that it is quite enviable to have a home with all the intricate plasterwork, carvings and detailed tile work that you see in many homes in Morocco, and not just the royal palaces.

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Real estate deals are a little different in Morocco than in many other places in the world. Real estate offices are basically small rooms in the Medinas with lots and lots of keys. We ran into Rick from California who was working on a real estate for some rental property in Fes. We hope to meet him later at his café in Casablanca.

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Exploring Marrakech in the Daytime

Posted on March 23, 2015 by David Cross

OK – we wanted to sign off on running on our 6th continent this morning, so we ran a nice 12K in the cool, drizzle overcast day in Marrakech Morocco.

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Check Africa off our list! Along the way, the local running club passed us along the central parkway through the center of the city.  They were much more formal with long pants and long jackets for running gear though…

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Later in the morning, we went back to Jemaa El-Fnaa square to grab some fresh almond snacks.

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We avoided the massive lines for locals that like to take horse buggy rides when hanging out in the square watching jugglers and dancers.

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We got a few nice pics of the mosque and minaret in Marrakech…which is a sister (identical) tower to one in…? Yes, you guessed it, Seville.  Go back and check out the previous posting.  You will see how similar they are.

Many things are very close in Marrakech, so it is easy to get around quickly.  On to the post office…

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The President is a popular guy Morocco, we got to take a pic of him when waiting in the line at the post office to buy an international stamp.  They seem very restrictive in selling stamps in Morocco that have a picture of the president on them.  Sometimes you have to do what you need to do to get a postcard stamp!

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The men of Morocco seem to love the high end yellow Mercedes AMG Mercedes here in Marrakech.  I did not see any yellow Lotuses that the Australian’s claim is very popular with most taxi drivers.

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Hanging out in Marrakech

Posted on March 23, 2015 by David Cross

We headed south for the long 6 hour drive through the mountains and valleys of Morocco to the famous metropolitan city Marrakech.

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It is very green and lush on the way…you actually start to see palm trees and camels in this part of the country.

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It is very different and much more modern compared to Fes.  We got in kind of late…so we first went to dinner in the Medina in the very popular new restaurant called Latitude 31.  Highly recommended!

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After dinner, we had our taxi friend take us to famous Jemaa El-Fnaa square which is full of people, shops, music, acts, and…everything.

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Quite a lot of singing and dancing.  It was very dark and raining, so not the best photos.  A LOT of people, that is for sure.

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It is a cross between Woodstock and Burning Man…but when you get close, the locals start demanding tips from foreigners, so watch out!  They are aggressive…

Stay tuned for more tomorrow…

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An Amazing Restaurant In Historical Fes Medina

Posted on March 22, 2015 by David Cross

Last night, we were fortunate to somehow get a reservation and into the Dar Roumana home and restaurant.

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Wow.  Breathtaking.  Amazing.

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If you arrive a few minutes early, you are welcomed to site in the side parlor (alcove) with comfortable historic chairs and lounges next to a wood based fire in the fireplace. Here you can enjoy a drink or some fresh local almonds and pistachios before your meal.

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Did you know that they grow and produce wine in Morocco? The flavors and aromas were amazing. Not too expensive and full of rich fruit flavors.

There is no way you can find it without help, but that is where Vanessa the manager makes arrangements to have a porter meet you and guide you from an entrance to the Medina where you take a complex path of twists and turns to its hidden and esoteric location.

There is only 5 tables, but Vanessa’s husband, the French chef makes the 3 course meal a delight. The hummus and beet salads sparked your appetite for entrees to die for. The fresh vegetables were a delight. The lamb melted in your mouth like it was butter. The banana fritters with a caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream were a treat like no other.

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And all the time, you are gazing and enjoying the intricate historic details of the home. You don’t want to leave and you feel so special to have secured a reservation at this amazing restaurant.

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Fes Morocco

Posted on March 21, 2015 by David Cross

We woke up to a gorgeous morning in Fes – a great opportunity to explore a different city and culture. Fes is the center of the Arabic culture and influence in Morocco.

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We did a quick stop at the Royal Palace, but we could not go in since the King was around.

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But we did get some nice shots overlooking the old city (Medina).

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Then we walked into the old city through one of the gates.  We looked suspicious so they took our photo before entering.

 

IMG_5961There are no cars allowed or could fit inside the small walkways, so all work and construction is mostly with donkeys.

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I have to admit, going through all the twists, turns, narrow walkways and pseudo-caves was an incredible experience.

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The people were very friendly and you could see an entire culture and society when walking through/by the millions of 1 meter square shops,

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The cats definitely like the old city when the butchers were carving up the cows and lambs for the food market. Unfortunately, we decided to be careful and had to resist the strong temptation to buy some of the displayed food, sweets or snacks.

Definitely a place worth visiting. The people of Fes were very friendly and helpful.  Stay tuned, we have an amazing dinner review to share 🙂

 

 

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