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Morocco, Spain + hospital stay
  • Kadi Kaljuste
  • Brad Ciccarelli
  • Kadi Kaljuste
  • Brad Ciccarelli

Morocco, Spain + hospital stay

The plan: Touring Morocco, road trip in Spain, trekking gorillas in Rwanda, visiting our friends Geraldine and Thomas in South Africa, and a couple of nights in Frankfurt on the way home. The reality: plans scuttled in Spain by Brad’s cardiac stroke Read more
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  • Morocco, Spain + hospital stay
    On the ward: in PJs and wireless
    2A strollMy evening walk

    Bye ICU, hello ward

    March 8 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    It was an exciting day today. Brad was moved out of the intensive care unit onto a regular ward! Not only does it mean that he’s made a huge step in recovery, but it also means that he doesn’t have all kinds of wires attached to him any longer that have really impacted his ability to get a good night’s sleep. He will still be monitored, but not continuously.

    What this means for me is no more of the crazy restricted visiting hours. I can basically visit any time I want with no restrictions. It’s a huge relief on every level.

    Brad‘s no longer in hospital gowns and actually into his PJs. He’s been allowed to get himself to and from the bathroom and even take a short walk in the hallway today. He’s feeling terrific and I have to remind him that he had a heart attack five days ago and a stent put in three days ago so that he doesn’t overexert himself.

    We don’t have an indication of when he might be released from the hospital, but we’re hoping it will be at the end of the week. Fingers crossed.    Read more

  • Morocco, Spain + hospital stay
    12th century fortress/palace
    Lovely squaresSan Miguel churchA cloistered convent still operating today1Pedro Domecq, a sherry brand, built this restaurantTabanco sherry bars are unique to JerezAnother tabancoJerez city hallSan Salvador Cathedral2My new friend BettyAt a tapas barCheers to dinner

    Hospital and a walking tour

    March 9 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Went and spent the better part of the day with Brad. When I arrived late morning, Brad was pleased to tell me that he may be discharged tomorrow! Manulife, our insurer, has requested a cardio ultrasound before agreeing to having him released from the hospital. We have our fingers and toes crossed.

    Brad has encouraged me to start exploring and enjoying things on my own now that he’s much more independent. I was fortunate to find a Guru Walk at 4:30 today. When I met the group at the meeting point it was a lovely surprise. There was a single traveller from Toronto, Bloor and Lansdowne area, and a couple from Ottawa. Just us four Canadians!

    Our tour guide, Alejandro, is a historian who does this as his employment. Jerez has suffered economically with its wine industry shrinking. He told us the unemployment rate is 23 per cent.

    We roamed the streets from square to square and church to church. It’s a beautiful city that needs a bit of love. There are countless vacant buildings awaiting someone to restore them. He told us there was currently a castle for sale for a million euros but it would likely take at least another million to restore it.

    At the end of the tour, the single traveller from Toronto, Betty, and I decided to sit in a square and chat over a glass of wine. It was a lovely break.

    I then went back to the hotel because I needed to call Manulife to get an update on where things stand. They were helpful. I then had a video chat with Brad to fill him in on the latest. By the time I went out to have a bite to eat it was almost 9 p.m. Quite Spanish of me.    Read more

  • Morocco, Spain + hospital stay
    One of the bodegas at Tio Pepe designed by Gustave Eiffel
    The Eiffel bodegaInsideThe property is huge and beautifully landscapedVinesRoll out the barrelAutographed barrels2A sip for the mice1These were workers cottages and are now hotel roomsThere are weddings booked here most every Saturday nightThe world's largest weather vane is on the property2Betty posingOur tastingBetty and our guide Maria2Walking back to the hotel at golden hour

    No discharge yet and sherry tasting

    March 10 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Brad had a cardio ultrasound and his blood taken this morning. The ultrasound was all good. The blood test results? Not so much. They’re watching his enzyme number which, when he had the heart attack, was 140. A normal reading is zero. They’re pleased with how it’s come down to 70 but they’d like to keep him in another 48 hours just to ensure it’s lower still. So he wasn’t discharged today as we’d hoped. Certainly a disappointment.

    Brad’s adamant that I should be out doing things so after spending the day with him I went to a sherry tasting with my new friend Betty this evening.

    Jerez, this city, is synonymous with the origin of sherry wine. And Tio Pepe which we toured is the most visited Spanish winery in Europe. It was founded in 1835 by an ambitious 23-year-old with the financial support and advice of his favourite uncle, Tio Pepe.

    Tio Pepe is one of González Byass brands, the largest sherry producer in the world. We learned about different sherries and how they’re made. My favourite story was about one of their wine makers who was against having cellar dogs, as was typical at most Spanish wineries, to catch rodents. He insisted on having mice as well as having little ladders for them to drink wine.

    Our tour was followed by a tasting and tapas. It was wonderful.    Read more

  • Morocco, Spain + hospital stay
    Getting some fresh air on the balcony at the end of the corridor
    The convent, Convento San José Franciscanas DescalzasEntering the conventProduct list and pricesThe cubbyhole and turntable1My purchase1Treats for the nurses1An orange tree lined streetOrange blossoms1Tabanco fare: wine and tapas

    Hospital visit and a tabanco

    March 11 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    It was a beautiful sunny day today. Had an enjoyable half hour walk to the hospital and hung out with Brad for the day. I had downloaded a few Netflix shows to my iPad, so we were able to watch a few episodes of the latest season of F1.

    On the way back to the hotel, I stopped off at the convent that I learned about on the walking tour a couple of days ago. It’s a cloistered convent and the nuns run a bakery. (Because Brad will likely be discharged tomorrow, I thought it would be nice to bring some treats to the nurses.) There’s no bakery counter. There’s a list of items with prices and a cubbyhole with a revolving platform. You speak through the wall to place your order, put your money on the turntable and wait for your order to appear. Pretty cool.

    In the evening, I met Betty at a tabanco for dinner. “Tabancos are a combination of traditional shop selling wine in bulk and a traditional sherry bar with heaps of character. The wine is often served straight from the barrel, accompanied by homemade tapas, and where a flamenco performance may start up at any time.

    “Its name comes from merging the words “estanco” (a shop selling state-controlled goods) and “taberna” (a bar or tavern) and dates back to the 17th century.”

    Spaniards have late dinners so the one we were going to didn’t open until 7 p.m. We were waiting behind the door as they opened. Betty had sherry, I had wine and we both had tapas.    Read more

  • Morocco, Spain + hospital stay
    Packed up and ready to roll
    3Bye to a wonderful hospital we hope to never see againThe square beside our hotelDinner at A Mar2Celebrating Brad's discharge with BettyGelato dessert on the way home

    Best. Day. Ever. Brad is sprung!

    March 12 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today’s big news is Brad was discharged from the hospital! It took the better part of the day, but he is free at last. Couldn’t be happier 😁

    We took a taxi to the hotel I’ve been staying at and had a little walk around the neighbourhood. We then returned to the hotel for a rest.

    I had made a reservation at a restaurant called A Mar, Michelin recommended, where we would meet Betty. While I have spent the last few evenings with her, Brad had yet to meet her. We had an absolutely fabulous dinner together. Betty leaves for Malaga tomorrow. There is no doubt that we will reconnect in Toronto.    Read more

  • Morocco, Spain + hospital stay
    The market
    Lots of fish mongers😱1Huge tomatoesLunch at a cafe in one of the many squaresAt the rooftop bar at our hotelDinner...grilled octopusPatatas bravasLamb skewerTabanco a la FeriaFlamenco time

    Moving hotels and travel plans

    March 13 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Our insurer, Manulife, is determining our travel plans. These plans have changed significantly in just 48 hours. We had been told that Brad would need to stay 10 days past his discharge day from the hospital. That would’ve had us leaving Spain on March 22. We were also told that we would be travelling with a nurse or a doctor. I proceeded to find an apartment hotel for us to stay in for those 10 days.

    Well, surprise! Yesterday we were informed that we will be repatriated on Monday, March 16! And no medical escort. So now we have booked and paid for nine hotel nights of which we’ll be using three. Oh well. We’ve moved into the apartment hotel and it’ll be lovely for the three days we have left here.

    In order keep Brad from exerting himself, we moved the luggage to the new hotel in two trips which was a mere seven minute walk from our old one. Fortunately, the luggage is all on wheels so he didn’t have to do any of that. I did the pulling and it was easy peezy.

    We walked around the market and had lunch at a cafe before the second luggage transfer. Once settled at the new hotel Brad took a nap before heading up to our hotel’s rooftop bar. (Brad isn’t drinking alcohol but I am.😉)

    Jerez old town is extremely compact so everything is close by. It’s perfect for Brad because we never have to walk more than 15 minutes to get anywhere. He’s getting to experience the city without overdoing it.

    We had dinner at a local cafe and then went to a nearby tabanco to see a traditional flamenco 💃 show. Ole!    Read more

  • Morocco, Spain + hospital stay
    A bit chilly today. One of our favourite squares.
    Alcazar of JerezAlcazarSan Miguel churchWedding💒1954 Citroen1Let me in!Cathedral21BuskersMural on our walk to dinner1At Bina BarPulled meat slider appetizerCroquettas5Grandma/abuela Josefa's soupIt's a thick tomato soup 😋

    Enjoying Jerez

    March 14 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Since we’re at an apartment hotel now, we went to a supermarket around the corner yesterday and bought items for breakfast. It was a nice change to laze around in PJs and have a leisurely morning.

    We got outside by 11 a.m. and I took Brad to some of the places I’d discovered on my own as well as on the walking tour I took a few days ago. It was great to have him see how quaint the city is. We meandered since we were in no hurry.

    Had lunch at a café and came back to the suite for Brad to rest again. In the meantime, I had some documents from Manulife to complete and send off to finalize our repatriation on Monday! We stayed low-key in the afternoon and watched a few episodes of the Netflix F1 series.

    Dinners are late here in Spain and a restaurant that I’d found through my World of Mouth app, Bina Bar, looked interesting. It didn’t open until 8:30 p.m. so it was a late date night for us. It was fabulous.    Read more

  • Morocco, Spain + hospital stay
    Murals on our way to get Brad's hair cut
    2MasterfulAll cleaned upWalking backLunch timePeople line up to get intoTabanco las banderillasCarrots and cumin1Croquettas with spinach and RoquefortPatatas bravasOxtail4

    Final day in Jerez and packing

    March 15 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Another lazy morning before we walked over to the only barbershop we found that’s open on a Sunday. Brad is looking quite woolly and wanted to freshen up before we get home. The barber was excellent and the price was incredible: €21 for a haircut and beard trim.

    We ambled our way back to the centre of old town for lunch. As we know from previous trips to Spain, Sundays are a popular day for families and friends to gather for lunch in cafés and tabancos. Today was no different. We couldn’t get a table at our first choice but found another and had tapas.

    Got back to the hotel so Brad could have a nap and I started packing. Manulife has arranged a car to pick us up at 6:45 a.m. tomorrow to take us to the Seville airport. It’s about a 90 minute drive from here. We then fly to Lisbon and on to Toronto.

    For our final dinner in Jerez we went to a classic tabanco for tapas. This particular one is so popular that you need to get there before it opens to be assured a table. We tried to go there for lunch today but no luck. It opens at 8:15 for dinner. We got there at five to eight and people were already lined up! We got a table and had a wonderful meal and I had a glass of sherry as a goodbye toast to Spain.

    We’ve checked into our Air Portugal flights which are mid morning from Seville to Lisbon and then later tomorrow from Lisbon to Toronto, getting us home after 10 p.m tomorrow night. I’ll be home just in time to take Vinnie on his before bedtime walk. 🥰    Read more

  • Morocco, Spain + hospital stay
    Self serve bar but waaaay too early for me😳

    Seville SVQ

    March 16 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Manulife arranged for a car to pick us up this morning to drive us 90 minutes from Jerez to Seville. We’re boarding a flight to Lisbon.

    They booked Brad in business class but as his “companion” I was booked in economy. We upgraded my ticket so we’re together. 🥰Read more

  • Trip end
    March 16, 2026
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