Rockin' the Kasbah

We used the last of Dave's frequent flyer miles and our timeshare to visit Costa del Sol Spain, Tangiers, Morocco, and Gibraltar last week. It was remarkable how much like Southern and Central California this whole region is. The wealthy areas of Tangiers looked like Montecito with its walled estates and ocean views...

Our Amazing Tour guide Aziz took us all over the city. We went to the northern most tip of Africa, to where the Med and the Atlantic meet, to Hurcules Cave, the Kasbah, the Medina, past the mosques and villages, past the palaces of the rich and famous and last but not least, to ride the camels in Tangiers-

One of the "carney, ride operators" handed Dave the fez as he got on the camel, and then made him buy it! He thought it was part of the camel ride! Contrary to what this photo depicts, we were not ambushed and robbed on our little ride overlooking the Med.

The Kasbah

the market in the Medina.

This is a resort that celebrity types visit for

the beautiful and completely abandoned beaches.

Aziz took us home to his parents home for the traditional post- sunset breaking of the Ramadan fast. We had missed the boat he intended us to go back to Tarifa on, so he took us to his mom and dad's where his family was celebrating and served us soup, lamb and potatoes and home made cookies.

The home was beautiful and the food tasty.

The mosiac behind us on the living room wall was all tiny pieces the size of a pinkie fingernail, (not just big squares of tile) and above that, is carved plaster that adorns the walls and ceiling. The floors are beautiful rugs and the sofa, which runs along the entire perimiter of the room is hand embroidered. Amazing workmanship, and a fabulous tour guide.

Right out of the Wizard of Oz!

I was more than a little surprized when this "Barbary Ape" who was perched up on our car hood, jumped into my lap while I was photographing him! I beaned him on the top of the head with my big zoom lens and he jumped out of the window, and onto the ground. I don't know who was more shocked, the monkey or me! Dave would have loved to have his camera on me when it happened. Our little side trip into Gibraltar was rainy but lots of fun.

Portrait of the would be camera thief!
Alhambra, Granada, Spain

We visited the Alhambra, a gorgeous fort, palaces, gardens and village in Granada, Spain. It is also the most visited place in Spain. The thing that is so cool about the Alhambra is that with ordinary materials, the creators of this palace were able to do extrordinary things with great artistry.

The allegory of what the Lord can do with our simple lives if we let Him inspired me here.

This view from across the gorge, was the result of an adventurous drive over cobblestone village streets, so narrow, we had to pull the side mirrors in to avoid hitting the walls of the buildings we were passing. And we were in a little Saab, not an SUV! More than once, we wondered if we had gotten ourselves into a fix and would have to back up to the next cross street, or ride down the stairs! Simple turns were three point manuvers! It was wild but the view from the other side rewarding. When we got there, we were seranaded by a couple of gypsies playing guitars and singing.

Unforgettable!