Berlin die Weiterführung

The picture is of Mar who came by to say goodby. She and her partner Iciar were terrific hosts very friendly and sweet. Always ready to answer any questions and regularly reaching out to ensure I was enjoying my stay. It’s not often that I meet AirB&B hosts but these ladies took really good care of the apartment and me. Highly recommended.
When I arrived several weeks ago I wrote a bit about the historic coast wondering about the Roman Empire’s by conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. Now that I am leaving I wonder about the Moors who ruled over southern Spain for 700 years until they were defeated and force back to Africa by the Catholic Kings.
Those Mediterranean beaches the Romans languidly camped must have been stained by Arab blood.
The Moors did have a driving culture through architecture, commerce, math, food, art which must have certainly been difficult to leave behind.
As Catholicism spread across the kingdoms of Spain pushing the Moors further and further off the Andalusian coast it’s important to note that much of their culture was absorbed into Spanish culture thus not lost. Certainly reigning monarchs that came after the Moors were smart to preserve what they had left behind.
Many Moors did opt to stay and convert to Catholicism and surprisingly were to prove this through inclusion of pork into their diet. I am told it was part of converting to the faith.

The bratwurst says I’m in Germany; the boots in Northern Europe. No palm trees here.
Getting here was long. Flights were delayed out of Malaga due to thunderstorms with heavy turbulence slowing our approach into Frankfurt. Missed my connecting flight but with German efficiency I was automatically placed on an 8 pm flight. No human interaction required. iPhone handled all changes.
It’s been at least 18 years since I was last at Frankfurt Flughafen. The tough and imposing looking military police in their dark olive green, bullet proof vests, machine guns at the ready are seemly absent. Remember Lockerbie? The airport then was constantly under renovation and expansion. Well it’s grown even more as it took me 1.2 miles from my arrival gate to my departure gate. That free weiner dog courtesy of Lufthansa aided my effort.
One hundred years or more it will be very different. Imagine a a spaceport lifting scientists politicians, business people and the casual tourists up to orbiting cities and beyond.
Frankfurt to Berlin is a fifty minute flight. Berlin is Germany’s biggest city.
The flight full. I may be one of the few tourist on board as I have spotted many PowerPoint presentations glowing from laptops. Is PowerPoint still around? Damn those days are long gone and happily forgotten.
The roar of the engines, the hydraulics audible dance break into the solitude of the quiet darkened cabin. My ears pop and through the windows the city lights appears as we descend in the twilight. Berlin awaits.
The next few days I will enjoy a hotel room near checkpoint Charlie and Potsdamer Platz. Many historic sites to visit culminating in a tour Monday afternoon of the BMW Motorrad manufacturing plant.Read more