Portugal, Morocco and Spain

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Portugal, Morocco and Spain Traveler
The Whole Gang
May 5, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
I haven’t been on a tour for a very long time. The story is not complete without a little bit about the people I have met and grown fond of.

Mohamed worked hard to keep us safe, fed, and housed. He also has a serious case of bad dad jokes. He keyed right in to mine and the California gals’ feminist leanings with jabs aimed at women. Worked every time. He shared his heart with us with his stories of his stalker ex-girlfriend and a little about home. He’s looking at immigrating to Canada, Vancouver specifically. I hope he does.

Besides the LA group, I think I spent more time with Sophie. We did everything - the hikes up the dunes, Todra Gorge and through gardens. She seems to be committed to joy and being active in her life. I liked her open spirit and easygoing manner.

Mark, Sophie’s partner, ran for shade at every opportunity. He’s had issues with skin cancer, so it made good sense. He also loves adventure travel. We got a chance to chat about his variety of jobs all so different and also Canada. I shared my epic TripIt notes on Sheryl and my itinerary through Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. I hope they get a chance to do some of it.

Alexis was a delight. So funny and self-deprecating calling herself dull from time to time. A complete lie! Love that she sweared almost as much as I did. Refreshing and silly. I addition to the goofball stuff, she works in occupational therapy. Sounds like a good fit for her obvious kindness.

The lovebirds. Lorena never ever had a hair out of place. Steve was clearly enchanted with her - looks and go-for-it attitude. They held hands through the medinas and on our walks/hikes. He also wanted to either know where the party was or get the party started.

Ok, so you’re not supposed to pick your favorite, but Jo and Tim are/were. I’m not sure how Jo doesn’t collapse at the end of the day from laughing or smiling so hard. Her enthusiasm for the experiences clearly affected her and infused the group. Tim is complicated. He has an artist’s heart and eye and delicious sense of humor. I do like that. They are planning a trip across the US including Montana, DC, Florida and places in between. I hope they find what they seek there.

Pamela and Ian come as a pair. Devoted meat eaters and somewhat royalist, they seemed nice and quite happy. They had a very British dry sense of humor that I liked a lot.

Ah, Terry and Pete. What can I say. I should have liked them better as they are staunch unionist, but I didn’t. They seemed to take up too much space for me.

Our driver Abdul is getting married at the end of the month. If he navigates marriage like he did that bus, he will live a long, loving and happy life.

Last but not least, the California gals. What can I say about my roommate? It is so wonderful to have such a long-time friend who doesn’t drive you crazy after a week together. I have had a spectacularly fun two weeks playing with her (and two weeks to go). Anna-Ruth shopped her way across Morocco purchasing beautiful things with great memories. It was fun to watch her come out a bit more each day. She is really delightful. I got to spend a morning getting to know Stacey. She has a quiet strength and perseverance that comes from having a storied life. I do admire her. And her hearty laugh. I’ll get four more days in Spain with her. Yay.Read more
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Portugal, Morocco and Spain Traveler
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Marrakesh - Updated
May 7, 2023 in Morocco ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
*** Led by our dancin’ fool Mohammed, we danced and laughed so hard it was hard to stay upright. Pam (surprisingly) and Gail (not surprisingly) got up as soon as the DJ got going. A perfectly wonderful end to a great trip.

*******

Tonight is our last in Morocco. I’m ready. We toured the old part of town (the Medina) and visited a Berber art museum and garden. And took a much deserved afternoon off laying around in the freakishly normal hotel room. It had electrical outlets, towels, air conditioning that worked, was spotless and had a little fridge! Not seen in Morocco. A treat.

Tonight we say our goodbyes to our tour mates and Mohammed and it’s on to Barcelona, Spain.Read more
Traveler wow, thank you for sharing <3
5/7/23Reply
Traveler what did those posts hold up?
5/7/23Reply
TravelerInteresting story. The pillars we’re holding up the old mosque. It was taken down by the next king or leader to glorify the new mosque he built.
5/11/23Reply
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Portugal, Morocco and Spain Traveler
Barcelona - Day One
May 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Four nights and three full days in Barcelona is not enough time to enjoy this magical city. Everywhere you turn is another architectural wonder.

Sagrada Familia is still under construction. They expect the tower dedicated to Jesus will be completed in 2026. Maybe. They are shooting for 2036 to complete the whole thing. Fat chance. When completed, it will absorb surrounding blocks displacing renters who have mistakenly expected that it would never happen…

The cool and warm light and dedication to the earth - plants and animals really spoke to me. The two pillars at the entrance to the Nativity side were placed on the backs of turtles; one land turtle and the other from the sea. I wonder if Gaudi knew of Turtle Island.

I went up one of the towers. What a view! And you could see how much construction was going on. It is a work in progress.

Next I visited a medical complex dedicated to the poor. It’s called Recinte Modernista Sant Pau. A dozen magnificently adorned buildings with tiles and art and gardens were designed to provide beauty for patients in their recovery. Visiting rooms in each building were surrounded by glass for natural light and garden views. I sat for a while drinking in the place.

I made my way back to the hotel to grab Gail for our Gracia neighborhood self-guides walking tour. We mostly followed it but kept getting pleasantly distracted by more street music and art. And gelato.

Great day.Read more
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Portugal, Morocco and Spain Traveler
Barcelona - Day Two
May 9, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Today was officially a wandering day with a few chosen highlights to hit. La Rambla, frankly isn’t all that interesting. Just a series of touristy/bad to meh restaurants and shops. I do like the hustle bustle but not that.

We stumbled upon a celebration set in one of the many public squares (Saint Jaume) for May 9th or Día de Europa. The next day a huge music performance with Sufi dancers covered the plaza.

First stop was the expansive La Catedral. It seemed less packed with dead guy stuff and more mother and child/Mary and baby Jesus/The Virgen and Child. You get the picture. The Choir seats are my favorite, each carved with different stories and people. Everything is so old here. Some dating back to the 14th century. Each successive century leaves its mark culminating in a record of the times and manners of worship.

We went to the roof to take in the views across Barcelona and hear the bells chime in 11 o’clock. We could hear the singing from the Europa festival too. Nice.

After a good Greek food lunch we went to the Basilica de Santa Maria Del Mar. It felt unhurried and peaceful as I made my way around each of the stalls (I’m sure they aren’t called stalls). We googled the difference between a church and basilica. It’s the shape of the building (no cross) and that it was used as a marketplace with evenly spaced aisles - I think.

I visited the Picasso Museum alone. I loved it. It took you through the progression of his different periods and study. He started at 13 producing incredible works. It held few line drawings and only one of what I call his “twat series”. Those works are just for shock value to me. The portraits of his colleagues and friends in art school and salons captured personalities with obvious affection.

Gail graciously agreed to accompany me to an Argentinian restaurant which had rabbit on the menu. My favorite. However, they only have rabbit if you order it one day in advance. False bunny. I ordered it for tomorrow and we left for a tapas place nearby where I got a pisco sour and Gail got her caipiroska with scant vodka and sweet maracuyá (passion fruit). We were both happy.Read more
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Barcelona - Day Three
May 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Today was Montjuïc. And more stairs. Lots of stairs. We started with half the modern art floor of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. It’s gigantic. They housed posters from the resistance during Franco’s rise to absolute power. Great narratives and sequencing of the works. That always makes me happy.

Of course I forgot to
bring my binoculars, but I could ID the Monk and Rose-ringed Parakeets, a magpie, serin and other common birds.

Gail went down to the Montjuic prison and I was supposed to go to the Miro Museum. I trekked back to finish the second half of the art museum. It was fabulous. Beautifully curated. It told a complete story from one room to the next. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Gail and I went to a flamenco performance after a short nap. It was just an hour but packed with singing, guitar playing, and of course, dancing. Costumes we gorgeous. They put on a good show. Except the old ladies who talked during much of the performance, it was super fun.

I returned to Tierra del Fuego (solo - not a great place for a vegetarian) for a truly delectable conejo asada with a couple glasses of red wine. The cook and waitress joked with me that I had to finish it! In Spanish! So fun to be able to play in Spanish. (Gracias a Pablo)

Tomorrow we head down to Sevilla.Read more
Traveler The political posters from the Civil War are stirring!
5/18/23Reply
TravelerBelly of the beast in Barcelona. Got to see Guernica in the museum in Madrid. So frightening and heartbreaking.
5/20/23Reply
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Portugal, Morocco and Spain Traveler
Sevilla
May 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
There are so many impossibly beautiful buildings in Sevilla, Gail and I joked about it as if each new one was an eyesore. Everywhere you turned, there was a new and different architectural style and colour, tile and sculpture. I took a boat-load of pictures.

The train from Barcelona was very nice. I love the train. I love watching out the window as the landscape changes and colours saturate the view. Once we dumped our bags, went out to start our itinerary of the Real Alcazar. However, we found out that if we purchased tickets that day, we could only enter at 6:30pm and stay until 7:40pm. Not enough time. We ended up getting tickets for the next day.

So we walked over to the Museo de Bellas Artes. Much of the collection was religious and the angel/Jesus/cherub faces were all, well, weird looking. After it hit the 19th and 20th centuries, I really started to enjoy the art and the different styles and ways artists of the day tell their stories in paint.

The next day we walked over to the Gothic Cathedral. It was supposed to open at 10:45am - after mass. But the doors were open and so we got a really good look at the place without giving 16 euro to the Catholic Church. We were fine with that. We have gone into a half dozen big, beautiful Catholic Churches. We got the picture. I was happy to grab a photo into the choir where about 10 older men were singing mass all decked out in their finery. How can these guys be so against drag? They have some pretty flashy outfits and splendid shoes - maybe it’s the competition.

We had plenty of time to make our way through the Parque de Maria Luisa and the Plaza de España. The plaza was built for the 1929 European Expo and they went all out. The tile work representing every province, a short canal for rowing, and a grand plaza. Street performers sang and danced flamenco on the stairs. A perfect spot for those echos of shoes and pleading wails. Gail tried to entice me to row us around the short canal. Looked like a lot of work in the sun for not even a good story.

We were on time for our 3:30 ticket to the Real Alcazar. Holy moly! The plasterwork and design were more than just reminiscent of Morocco but the real deal. I took lots of pictures, but I spent more time just looking; trying to absorb the place. After three hours of wandering from room to room to garden to terrace, we were quite drunk with it. (And a little vertigo from looking up so much - why do they spend so much of the craft on stuff on the ceiling? What is that about?

FindPenguins only lets you do 20 photos. That was not enough for the two days in Sevilla. Real Alcazar photos are on the next post.Read more
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Portugal, Morocco and Spain Traveler
Sevilla - Real Alcazar Photos
May 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Here are some of the Real Alcazar photos. Enjoy!
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Portugal, Morocco and Spain Traveler
Granada
May 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
The AirBnb was located on a pedestrian street or more accurately a stairway corridor with the most magnificent view of Alhambra. We spent two nights gazing at the changing colors of the beige and pink and red edifices. Even in the daylight it was enchanting.

I had visited the Alhambra many years ago so I kinda remember how beautiful it was. It was that and more. However, it was somewhat softened by having visited Real Alcazar in Sevilla and about a bazillion Moroccan mosques, palaces and madrasas in Morocco.

Besides the wonderful wandering, I scheduled us up for an hour and a half in a bathhouse to soak our weary bodies in a beautiful, quiet place. The cold tub plunge made my skin tingle after a long hot soak. Inside the baths looked like the palace walls with plaster-work and tile.

This was our first (and last) place with a kitchen and washing machine. It was silly to get so excited about putting in a load and hanging it out to dry on a bona fide laundry line out the window.

I took too many photos in Granda. Take a look at the next post for pictures of the Alhambra.

Next up, the beach.Read more
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Alhambra Photos 2
May 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 15 °C
And more.
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Portugal, Morocco and Spain Traveler
Alhambra Photos 1
May 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
So. Many. Pictures.
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Portugal, Morocco and Spain Traveler
Valencia
May 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
It took us all day, three cabs and three long train trips to get from Granada to Valencia through Córdoba where we spent an hour looking for coffee and breakfast.

But we arrived to enjoy relaxing days at the beach. Our hotel abutted the silky smooth sandy beach that reminded us of the Moroccan dunes.

Gail had never been in the Mediterranean Sea and I realized I had never swum in it either. The water was sooo pleasant. Cool enough and perfect after sitting in the sun.

It was really nice not to have an agenda for the two days save my quest for good paella. You could get it on the strip of restaurants just outside our hotel, but I had scoped out where to get some good traditional Valencian paella which has chicken and rabbit. It was very good (although the rabbit was a bit dry). You could only order it for two, so I got the whole thing and had it every day for lunch. Num num.

On day two, I rented a bike share bike to ride through the Central Park that snaked its way to the old quarter. It used to be a riverbed, but flooding made them rethink things. The magnificent aquarium and Museum of Arts and Sciences dominated the south end. The architecture of both places contained these enormous shallow pools. It felt very much like a waterway.

On the recommendation of my sister, we visited the Fallero Museum. Each neighborhood in Valencia enters a paper mache and plastic large and small sculptures to this annual competition and festival. The winning sculpture is displayed here and the losers are burned in a spectacular blaze. Sounds wild and a bit toxic. Burning man?

I could feel the pull of home here and also the beginnings of separation anxiety as we reached the end of a month traveling together with Gail.

I could see living here in Valencia. It has beach, old city, interesting neighborhoods and great food. Or at least spend a whole week.

Tomorrow is our final stop in Madrid.Read more
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Portugal, Morocco and Spain Traveler
Madrid
May 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
We squeezed as much joy out of our last day together on vacation - is it really vacation if one is retired? I don’t know.

In any case, it was the Día del Museo! All museums were free today. We started strolling from our hotel on the Puerta del Sol past some pretty spectacular buildings. What is it with magnificent ministry buildings? There were two of the most outstanding ones for the ministry of agriculture, go figure. Loved it.

First museum up: Thyssen-Bornemisza. I do love this art museum. It is a private collection donated to Madrid. It is organized chronologically. I skipped the early stuff and started with 19th century works. Exquisite collection. Eloquent curation and storytelling. Gail isn’t as much a museum person but… it was the day of museums!

Next up was the Prado. I went in and Gail found a sunny spot to read. After about 2 hours in the Thyssen, I was just a bit too overloaded so I whizzed through some of the collections. Pretty amazing.

I collected Gail and we went in search of a chocolate donut that Sheryl and I had the last time we were in Madrid 20 years ago. I remember it was near the train station so off we went. We didn’t find the donut but we did find some giant and slightly disturbing baby heads. I only took a shot of the sleeping one. The awake one looked maniacal. There are baby heads in front of the Boston art museum. Another question. What is up with that?

One more museum. Gail insisted that I see Guernica by Picasso which is housed in the Reina Sophia. They have a huge collection of resistance posters and artworks helping to place the work in its proper context. So heartbreaking.

On our last night we had dinner with some friends of Gail’s from her days in Nicaragua in the early 80’s (after our work together in Chicago for the ERA). They spoke only Spanish. Miguel, an author, Isaac, a professor, and a lovely woman (I can’t remember her name - Gail? Help me out here). The four of them plus one more had lived together in a big house in Nicaragua while organizing in support of the socialist government. Heady times. We talked about Spanish politics, US politics (it is like a train wreck - everyone just can’t look away) and a bit of old times. As a professor, Isaac was pretty easy to understand as was the woman. Miguel, not so much. He spoke very quickly and had a thick accent dropping ends of words and substituting “th” for “c”. I got about a third of what he talked about. It was fun to experience the language outside of a transaction or learning environment and just enjoy the conversation. They were so interesting in all the ways old friends with political leanings can be. It was fun to participate and watch these comrades argue and laugh together.

After dinner, Isaac walked Gail and I home, sort of. He took us on a tour of some pretty special historic buildings and memorials telling stories of the deep history of the place. At over 25,000 steps and a plane to catch the next day, we bid farewell at about 11:30pm. I’ll sleep on the plane.

In the morning, Gail got up (she has one more day in Madrid) to get me to the metro station. We had a teary goodbye, and I was on my way home - in just 36 hours. On my way.Read more
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Home
May 20, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Thirty-six hours traveling and seven weeks away from home - four countries, 20 different places to sleep and even more places visited, I will need much time to process all that I experienced, learned, felt, and realized. I will continue to start collecting these bits in other posts as I can. I am feeling deeply enriched and exhausted.Read more
TravelerGlad you are home safe!
5/20/23Reply
Traveler yay!!
5/22/23Reply
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Trip end
May 21, 2023