We Are Back In Brighton

After a great tour of Spain and Morocco we are very pleased to be back in Brighton with Brett, Cathy, Mitchell, Ebony and Holly.  Yesterday we spent running around airports and travelling but today was spent around Brighton.

We had a wonderful day wandering around the town then down to the beach. 

We took a train ride along the beach in an electric train constructed in 1901.

Following the essential throwing of stones into the sea it was time for sustenance and the children found the perfect energy food.  It included icecream, crushed Maltesers, cream, strawberries and various types of marshmellow.  Highly sustaining.

We visited a fair in the local park in the afternoon.  It was huge, with rides, demos and all sorts of stores.

Then off to Mitchell's favourite (Pizza and Pasta) restaurant for dinner.

Back to Madrid

Saturday saw us on the bus for a long journey north. The coach is about as good as you can get. It is a 55 seat coach that has been extended by 1 metre and then 15 seats removed to give you exceptional leg room and really clear vision of the surroundings.

As usual we stopped at one of the little rest points on the way north. Anyone wanting a little ham for the next meal has no difficulty finding it in Spain. Many of the stores have racks of this cured ham for sale.

This time our hotel is in the newer part of Madrid near the government Ministries. We are not sure of the intent of this sculpture which appears to be disaffected by either the fountain or the Ministry buildings behind it.

Tonight it is the farewell dinner then Back to Brighton (can't wait!)

Granada

From the Mediterranean coast, we headed north to Granada. It is easy to accept that Spain has 200,000,000 registered olive trees as they cover enormous areas of what appears to be dry and infertile countryside.

Granada is the centre for those wishing to visit the amazing Alhambra Palace. It was constructed in various stages from the 14th century by the sultans that ruled the area and is an amazing piece of architecture. It contains a number of palaces, a summer palace to catch the breeze and stay cool, and a couple of defensive palaces.

The stonework is astounding in its intricacy and beauty. Huge rooms are decorated with ceramic tiles and the most intricately carved limestone. In it's day, this was coloured with various stones, dyes and gold leaf which would have shown the immense wealth of the Sultans.

Back to Europe

From Rabat, it was north again to Tangiers to catch the ferry across the Straits of Gibraltar.  I had not realised how close the two continents were.  This photo was taken from the Spanish side and the African side is clearly visible. 



After the crossing we continues along the Spanish coastline of the Costa del Sol.  It must be said that the whole area is rather sad being dotted with huge condominium developments that have all gone broke as a result of the GFC.  We arrived at Torremolinos at a civilised hour and went for a wander to find dinner and have a look at the Mediteranian Sea.  This photo was taken at about 9.00 pm but I do not think the beaches have much going for them apart from location.

Heading North

On wednesday we left Marrakesh for Casablanca.  Despite its reputation as an exotic location we found it to be a huge, crowded, poor industrial city with very little to recommend it.  It did have a beautiful mosque built by the previous King.  The Mosque sits out over the water and can accommodate about 30,000 at a time and was constructed over a period of 8 years with 3 x 8 hour shifts per day.  Possibly the most beautiful building and surrounds that we have ever seen.

Then on to Rabat for an overnight stay.

Ourika Valley

We left Marrakesh for a short drive to the Ourika Valley where we had the opportunity to visit a Berber house and learn about their way of life. The (typical) house was built on a hillside with some lower areas to hold the cow and some calves. Above this was the kitchen and the living areas.

Each house has a sort of Sauna which is used as a bath. A fire is lit in the grate (lower right) they soap themselves over with a special soap then climb into the hot box (small door) and sweat. The soap is then rubbed off with the sweat and they rinse themselves off.

The lady of the house then made us all mint tea. Quite a complex procedure to clean the tea, add the sugar and infuse the mint but it was very refreshing (if a little sweet).

On the way back I made friends with one of the locals while Claire rode one.

Rabat Marrakesh

On Monday we left Fez and headed for Rabat which is the administrative capital of the country. We visited the the Kings palace and saw the changing of the guard.

We went on to see the Mausoleum where the current King's father and grandfather are entombed.

Then on to Marrakesh where we had an evening visit to the main market square of the city.

Then on to a Moroccan dinner in a local restaurant where we were provided with a number of local entertainers. Wonderful meal end engaging locals who were more than happy show us samples of the local culture.

The photo is the view over Marrakesh at night from the hotel balcony.

Fez

Today we stepped back into history walking through the ancient Medina of Fez.

The place is over 1200 years old and still operating as a commercial and residential hub of the city.

All the store fronts are about 3 metre wide and the alleyways range from about a metre to about 5 metre maximum.

All goods are transported by hand, handcart, donkey or mule and you can get whatever you want from a $40000 wedding belt to a goat's head for dinner.

In the afternoon we visited Balil, a small Berber village some way out of Fez. Here we visited a number of traditional houses that were caves cut into the limestone hillside and then faced with entry doors. The cave meant they had no heating or cooling problems and one fellow we visited was the 16th generation in that house. They were small but had all the facilities they needed for a comfortable existence.

Tangiers to Fez

After a look around Tangiers we visited the ancient Kasbar (fortification) and the Medina (buildings housing etc) contained within the walls.

We then hit the road to Fez seeing a real sample of life in Morocco as we traveled down the back roads through the villages and the fields being worked (by hand) all the way to Fez. On the way we had a chance to look at a cork Oak. Cork is a major export of the country and we had seen plantations all over.

Tonight we have dinner in what was once a harem in the Royal Palace of Fez. The photo of the palace walls was taken from the balcony of our hotel room.

Gibraltar

On Friday we traveled down from Seville to Gibraltar. We had very little time on the rock but we did see around and how it operates so close to Spain. It is a little British outpost right on the doorstep of Spain. British post boxes, phone boxes, British pounds - the lot.

 The rock is riddled with miles of tunnels that were used as refuges during the war. The rubble from the digging was used to build the airport and there was so much infrastructure inside that people could live well inside the rock. The photo shows a large concert hall that was built inside a huge cave.

The are 6 colonies of Barbary apes that live on the slopes. The belief is that if the apes ever left the rock it would be lost to Britain. Apparently the population has declined on occasions and then secretly boosted with apes from Africa.

From high on the rock it is easy to see how close it is to Spain and how much shipping uses the area.

Cordoba

Today (Thursday) we left early for a trip to Cordoba one of the early powerhouse towns of Spain. In the photo we can see the ancient Roman bridge crossing the river to what was once a huge mosque capable of coping with 30,000 worshipers at the same time. 

The mosque had been constructed with Roman columns retrieved from derelict Roman structures in the area. (The arches in the photo are supported by these columns).

Unfortunately the early Spaniards took a dim view of religious freedom. You could accept the current beliefs of the King or Queen or you could leave or get killed. Muslims had a problem. In the 14^th Century the mosque was taken and converted to a catholic cathedral as it remains today.

 Tonight - a Tapas dinner and we have been warned not to eat too much lunch!

Lisbon to Seville

A day of driving saw us in Seville this afternoon (Wednesday). A quick lunch and then a walking tour of the inner city.

The Cathedral was interesting in that it was a 16 th century cathedral built on a 12^th century Moorish Mosque which was built on Roman foundations.  Now that's recycling!

Then we walked through the tiny streets and alleyways of the the old inner city.  The facades have been maintained, the houses are in good repair and there are little shops and markets set out around little market squares.  It is all unbelievably quaint.

Lisbon and Surrounds

Tuesday morning say us heading around the main sights of Lisbon. The Belem Tower Built in the 15^th century was the point at which much of the Portuguese navy set off to conquer and subdue much of the known world at the time. As a consequence the country was fabulously wealthy. We also saw Jeronimo's Monastery with its distinctive Portuguese architecture.

The tour of the surrounds saw us at what was once the end of the known world. The most westerly point of Europe and then on to a fabulous lunch of grilled squid in a street cafe at Cascais and on to the mountain gardens at Sintra. (The place is covered in Eucalypt!)

Off to Lisbon

On Monday, we had a long road trip from Salamanca to Lisbon. The journey was broken at Fatima where we were able to view an enormous milking machine constructed by the Catholic Church. They promoted a rumour that some kids had seen a ghost in a paddock and as a consequence they have been able to build an enormous arena that enables the extraction of “hard earned” from 300,000 people simultaneously. The AFL needs to look at this model.

We continued on to Lisbon where we had a wonderful seafood meal in one of the Portuguese Cafes on the outskirts of town but on the banks of the Targus River. Magnificent meal!

 That's Claire uin the middle under the ceramics depicting old Lisbon.

Toledo Avila and Salamanca

We started the day from Madrid and headed for the old town of Toledo, famous for its metal work and high quality steel (especially swords).

We walked through the inner walled city through the tiny narrow streets that now have to deal with cars instead of carts.

Then onto the ancient walled city of Avila.  The walls are 1000 years old and completely surround the old town.  Restoration is an ongoing concern..

From there we headed to Salamanca for the evening.  The following photo sums up the area. In the foreground is the oldest Roman Bridge in the world still in use.  About 2000 years old.  In the background there is a 12 century cathedral and behind that is a 16th century cathedral.  The mind boggles!