Spain/Morocco

 

SPAIN/MOROCCO SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022

  • Five-week trip: 4 weeks in Spain, 1 in Morocco.
    • The first three weeks Greg and I made a loop around Spain traveling to Spain’s major cities. 
    • The fourth week we joined a tour with Colleen and Rick to hike the south of Spain. 
    • The fifth week we joined another tour in Morocco.
SPAIN                                                                            MOROCCO

  • Spain General: weather in 70-80s. Didn’t need to pack anything more than shorts/tanks. Stayed in hostels in the center of town (must do!). Walk everywhere thru narrow streets with old 5 story buildings everywhere (avg 7-14 miles/day). Lots of people walking dogs, people smoking, mopeds/motorcycles. Tapas for lunch and dinner usually under an umbrella outside. Cerveza, vino tinto/blanco, sangría, café main drink.

  • Day 34: Madrid - Last day in Spain. Toured the Archeological Museum which covered everything from the Paleolithic time thru the end of the Moor dynasty (1500). Walked the streets of Madrid looking for gifts. :)


MOROCCO

  • Day 33: Final morning in Morocco. Morocco slowly built in appreciation went from underwhelmed with Casablanca to interested in Fez to charmed by the Sahara to appreciation for the Tajine dishes then delight with Marrakesh. Flight from Marrakesh to Madrid. Easy day. Hard to say goodbye to the Woos. When’s the next adventure (picture at the Kasbah)?

  • Day 32: Marrakesh - This is the destination city for celebrities (Ivanka Trump, Putin’s daughters wedding, Madonna’s 60th bday, etc). Toured the Bahia Palace, constructed in the 1800s. Walked the alleys of the Medina (Old City) shopping. Oddly mopeds/motorcycles had the right of way.


  • Day 31: hotel near a very famous Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou (fortress - pictured). Many movies filmed here (Game of Thrones, Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, 20+ movies). Cooked our own dinner using a Tagine (combo cast iron skillet and slow cooker made of earthenware) - pictured



  • Day 30: Todgha Gorge - caught a bug. Missed the tour Greg took with a nomad family that cooked them bread over a fire among other things. Traveled to a new hotel near a gorge (Moab like). River cutting through the desert creating an oasis was a great contrast.


  • Day 29: Sahara Desert - 10 hour drive. As we drove got a glimpse of the nomad life. Ended at our rustic hotel that was built due to movies filmed here (the Mummy, Black Hawk Down, etc). Moving camel ride thru the Sahara Desert (dunes just like the movies) to see the sunset.

                
  • Day 28: Fez - wandered the extremely narrow streets of the Medina (dates back to 9th century). No cars since they can’t fit in the streets. Toured local craftsmen: tannery (super stinky - pictured), tapestry weaving, ceramics, metal working, etc. Walked through their bathing facilities (hammams).

  • Day 27: Fez - Tour of Roman ruins (pictured). Walked a couple miles near hotel in Fez.



  • Day 26: Casablanca - 2 hr plane ride from Madrid to Casablanca. Paid cabs to take us around the city. Highlight was the tour of the 3rd largest mosque in the world (pictured). Drivers are crazy here. Pedestrians and scooters beware. Lane lines are mere suggestions.



SPAIN

  • Day 25: Madrid - Toured the Royal Palace (pictured). Walked through the city, plazas (Plaza Mayor), Mercado San Miguel (indoor market), and a huge park (Retiró Park).


  • Day 24: Madrid - high speed train to Madrid (went 180 mph). Spent 3 hrs at The Prado art museum (could have been more). Walked the nearby gardens. Weather is wonderful (70 degrees)!


  • Day 23: Malaga (beach city-600k population tho) - wandered the city eating tapas/sangria/vino like usual. Reclined on chairs under palapas on the beach for a while. Got in the Mediterranean!! Chilly!!


  • Day 22: Canilles de Albaida - Another gorgeous hike to another small village, 9.6 miles. Wine tasting and then dinner in yet another village.

  • Day 21: Canilles de Albaida - 5 mile walk in the Caminito del Rey, a walkway through a beautiful narrow gorge.


  • Day 20: Canilles de Albaida - 8 mile hike in the Sierra Nevadas in Andalusia. Gorgeous pine trees/views/etc. New hotel in a quaint town - population 800, all white houses built on steep streets on the mountain.



  • Day 19: Benalua - 9 mile group hike through terrain similar to Arizona! Found out our tour guide is an Earl (he talks very posh according to the Brits on our tour and he wears a signet ring).


  • Day 18: Granada - toured the Alhambra and gardens. Enormous Palace and gardens that were Moor, then was renovated to Christian.



Met our tour group and via one hour car ride arrived in our hotel built from caves!

  • Day 17: Granada - train to Granada. Met up with the Woos about 3. Did the usual: tapas/cerveza/vino and walked the city. Toured largest cathedral in Spain and King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella’s tombs (union created Spain and she funded Christopher Columbus).

  • Day 16: Ronda - walked to the bottom of the cliffs to see the enormity of the bridge. 11 mile day. Nice to stroll the streets ad relax with beautiful weather!

  • Day 15: Ronda - small town (34k). Walked the town (like usual). Bridge that links the old and “new” town built primarily of white buildings, and other older bridges. Town built on a cliff.



  • Day 14: Sevilla - Toured Alcazar palace. Gorgeous Muslim design with Christian influence. Still used by the Spanish royalty. Parque de María Luisa, Torre del Oro, Sevilla cathedral, Christopher Columbus tomb, plaza de España, Metropol Parasol, flamenco dancing. So much to see in this city!


  • Day 13: Sevilla - Arrived by bus about 3pm. Still walked over 8 miles thru the city. So many beautiful old buildings and parks. A small part of the Seville cathedral is pictured. Even the city offices are housed in old beautiful places. Excited to see the insides!



  • Day 12: Cordoba - Walked the city (9 miles). The Mezquita (pictured) was a Muslim mosque that the Christians took over and added their influence. Amazing. So many other churches, Roman bridge, palaces, gardens, Jewish quarter, etc.



  • Day 11: Cordoba - first mishap! Missed our connecting train in Madrid to get to Córdoba. Didn’t realize we had to take a shuttle to get to a different train station (9 hour transit time vs 7 hrs). $150 for a new ticket! The Moor influence makes it so interesting. Love Cordoba! Can’t wait for tomorrow to explore more!


  • Day 10: Santiago de Compostela - 2hr bus ride. Walked the Old Town. Saw the cathedral and square where the pilgrims/hikers finish. Outstanding octopus and scallops for lunch. During dinner chatted with Irish who did the hike. Come back someday to do it?


  • Day 9: Lugo - 5hr bus ride. Walked .75mile of the Camino del Santiago crossing a Roman bridge. Walked on top of walls that surround the old city (1.2 mile circle, we stayed in the aold city) built in the third century by the Romans (pictured). Were going to walk 60 miles of the Camino starting here, but decided not to.



  • Day 8: North coast (Asturias Mountains) ending in Oviedo - drove thru Pico de Europa National Park to see Naranjo de Bulnes peak. Lots of people hiking - they looked way serious!


    • Continued to Llanes. Rode rented bikes along coast.


    Ended in Oviedo (only walked 6 miles) for dinner/tapas


  • Day 7: Santander - most of day spent GYAT to do laundry and prep for Camino del Santiago hike and newly decided adventure to Picos National park (tomorrow). Still walked 11 miles thru town. Saw Palacio de Magdalena (mediocre site)


  • Day 6 cont’d: Santander - beach town on the Atlantic. Walked the town, tapas and then a decadent shellfish dinner. We accidentally ordered it because we didn’t understand them. Expecting a $300+ bill . . . It was $90 with a free shot after.


  • Day 6 cont’d: near Santander - Cueva de Altamira museum: Paleolithic drawings from 36,000 years ago


  • Day 6: Bilbao - Guggenheim Museum (history of cars exhibit) architecture cool - no 90 degree angles in museum, huge puppy statue made of flowers

  • Day 5 cont’d: Bilbao - walked Casco Viejo (network of narrow streets in main city), tapas in Plaza Nueva and along the river


  • Day 5: Pamplona - walked the route of The Running of the Bulls (.5 mile), toured stadium where bull fights happen, wandered main city area, tapas/vino

  • Day 4: Pyrenees/Torla - 13 mile hike, 2.5k ft elevation gain in first 3 miles. Destination was beautiful waterfalls.


  • Day 3: Pyrenees, city Torla - felt like Swiss Alps. Wandered tiny town, more tapas and vino tinto/cerveza.

  • Day 2: Barcelona- more wandering/tapas/vino, toured Sagrada Familia (pictured-most amazing cathedral I have ever seen-will rival Taj Mahal when done), Park Guell (another Gaudí design-disappointing), walked 11 miles thru city

  • Day 1: Barcelona- wandered Gothic quarter, the narrow streets of Las Ramblas with lots of shops/buildings 5 stories high, Barcelona Cathedral (pictured), ate tapas and drank vino tinto at lots of places, toured Picasso museum showing his many artistic stages


  • Day 0: layover in Philadelphia- Liberty Bell and Philly cheesesteak sandwich





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