Gibraltar

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Trudy

Monday, November 16

There were more painters on our balcony this morning. It looks like they are going to do a lot of painting today so it is a good day for us to be away. We are going to visit Gibraltar so we drive near to the bus station and catch the ‘La Liena’ bus which takes us to the border between Gibraltar and Spain. Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory so this will be the fourth country we visit this trip: Spain, Portugal, Morocco and now a territory of England. We walk across the border into Gibraltar and then spend some time trying to figure out the best way to see the sights. Although we did do internet research before we arrived it turns out it wasn’t really much help. We finally decide to take a taxi tour which includes the four main tourist sights. It is a bit expensive, 80€ for 1 1/2 hours but we realize we don’t have enough time or energy to take the cable car and then walk 7 km down the rock which is what we would have to do to see the sights. That wasn’t mentioned in any of our internet research! Yesterday we only paid 120€ which included our bus and ferry rides, lunch and the 6 hour guided tour of Tangier. We drive up the winding roads of the Rock of Gibraltar and stop at a viewpoint where we can see the Spanish coast and the city of Algeciras where we are staying.We then visit St. Michaels Cave, where we are treated to a sound and light show in a huge cavern with many smaller side chambers and great rock formations. I’m not sure if I like all the bright colours on the rocks as they are quite spectacular on their own. See this link for more information about the caves. They have a rather interesting history, http://www.gibraltar.com/sightseeing/st-michaels-cave-gibraltar.html

There is a stalactite that has been cut in half which was very interesting as it has growth rings much like a tree does.We drive to a high point on the rock and we have great views of the Sea of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean as the rock is very narrow here, but even more interesting than the ocean views are the monkeys. The monkeys of Gibraltar are tailless Macaque Monkeys. No one knows how they got on the rock but they are now one of Gibraltar’s big tourist attractions. They are managed and taken care of and they are the only monkeys living outside of captivity anywhere in Europe. There is also a feeding station which has improved their health and helped to stop attacks on tourists for food, although nearby residents are still careful not to leave their windows open, or they will find monkeys in their kitchens looking for food! I love the mothers and their babies. They appear quite tame but they are still wild animals and they do have rather large teeth…

Next stop, the Great Seige Tunnels. This is the only part of the tour that was a bit rushed. The tunnels are quite extensive and we almost had to run to get to the end and back again in the time we had. Too bad, but at least we got to see them. Here is more info if you are interested.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Siege_Tunnels

I took this photo of Gibraltar’s airport runway from one of the tunnel openings. Do you notice anything unusual about it?Our tour ends in the older part of town and we have tea and lunch before slowly making our way back to the border checking out the streets and shops along the way. Many of the buildings have balconies with plants but I thought these two were particularly pretty.In this picture of the rock you can quite clearly see the tunnel holes where the cannons were placed. There is also a flag right at the top that is at half mast in memory of those who died in the Paris attacks.

Now, doesn’t this look like I should be in England?

There were many big fancy shops but then there were also the smaller not so fancy ones.

Now, do you remember that picture of the runway? Well here I am walking across it! Yes, the road and sidewalks go right across the runway, and just after we begin to walk across the sirens start blaring and they close the road right behind us. We are the last pedestrians to cross, and as we stop to take this picture an announcement is made for all pedestrians to clear the runway! They meant us!As we wait for the plane to take off, the one you can see behind me in the picture above, we have a great view of the Rock of Gibraltar.

There goes the plane, right where we were standing just a short time before. It was quite something to see.

On the bus home we are treated to a pretty sunset.

Tangier, Morocco, Africa

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Trudy

Sunday, November 15

I am behind on my blog, as you already know. I really wanted to keep it current but it hasn’t been possible. I will just continue to post when I can and I will finish blogging about our holiday after we get home if need be.

We are still in shock over the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday. I spent a month in Paris last fall and it holds a special place in my heart. ‘My’ neighbourhood was just north of where the Bataclan Theatre is located. Having a connection, even one as remote as this, makes these attacks seem a little bit closer than they may have been otherwise. It is scary and I can’t help but wonder where it will all end. We check the internet for updates and try to figure out the Spanish news on TV.

Today we have a day trip booked for Morocco so we catch a 10:00 bus to take us to the ferry at Tarifa on the southern corner of Spain. This is Tarifa looking out from the ferry.

Before long we are in Morocco! This is the third time we have been to Africa. We have traveled from the East to the West coast of South Africa on a train called the Shongololo Express and we have spent a couple weeks in Egypt. Bob really wanted to go to Morocco, I wasn’t so sure. Egypt was quite challenging and we had lots of difficulties and I wonder if Morocco will be a similar situation. This is our first glimpse of the city of Tangier, Morocco from the ferry.The tour we booked is excellent. There are only five of us in our group and we have a guide and a driver. We first drive through the city to get an idea of what Tangier is like and we are surprised by how beautiful the city is. It is clean and it has lots of trees and flowers planted along the roads. We are shown an area with palaces for Kings from Morocco and royalty from several other countries. Then we drive along the ocean to Cap Spartel, which is Africa’s most north westerly promontory, and see the place where the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Oceans meet. There are street vendors here but they are no where near as aggresive as the ones we had encountered in Egypt.

Our next stop was an unexpected surprise. For just 2€ we have a camel ride! When we were in Egypt I wanted to ride a camel but it never worked out. Today I get my camel ride!

Next stop, the Caves of Hercules. These were several really big caverns and if you look closely you can make out where round disks were cut from the rock to be used as mill stones. There is also an opening in one of the caves that is the shape of the continent of Africa in reverse.On the way back into town we were almost in a car accident. A car came within inches of crashing into the side of our van right where I was sitting. I think that the driver’s wife was in labour, she looked very pregnant and very scared and her husband was driving like a crazy man! We were very lucky that he managed to stop before hitting us. Once back in the town, we spend a couple hours on a walking tour through the medina in the old town of Tangier. The streets are narrow and twist and turn in all directions. Our guide also shows us a couple places that were used as sets in the Bourne Ultimatum movie and the new James Bond movie.

Without a guide we would have been hopelessly lost. One area’s buildings were all painted a bright blue colour.

We stop in a Spice shop where a young man, who tells us he is a trained massage therapist, convinces us to buy a special oil that is good for aches and pains. Bob gets a hand massage to try it out.

While we have our lunch at a local restaurant these musicians provide the background music.After our meal we check out the local veggie and fruit markets. The ladies in the interesting costumes and hats are from the hill towns outside Tangier. They dress in their traditional costumes to come to market twice a week. We buy the biggest pomegranate we have ever seen for 1€. I think it must be hard to make a living selling produce. Some farmers just have a small table, or a cloth on the ground with a few items for sale.

The shops are very tiny, sometimes just a few feet square and we see a couple shops that bake bread for the locals in wood fired ovens for a few cents a loaf.

We also visit a fabric shop and I buy a shawl. I am sure I paid too much for it as I am not a very good bargainer!

Finally, we visit the once grand Continental Hotel. Many famous people and movie stars have stayed here but it does not appear to be doing all that well now. We sit on the balcony just to the right of the red flag in the picture below, overlooking the Mediterranean sea and have mint tea and chat with our guide and one of the other fellows on the tour. He doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak Italian but we both managed to communicate in French and our guide speaks to us in English and to our new Italian friend in Spanish! We talk about life in Morocco and the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. Flags in Tangier are flying at half mast because of this.

It is a long day by the time we get back to Tafira and then we still have a bus ride back to our car in Algacires. We don’t get home until almost ten, but we were both quite impressed by Tangier and I think I would be willing to spend more time in Morocco some day.

The Pueblo Blanco of Ronda

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Trudy

Friday, November 13

It is our grandson’s seventh birthday today! I do miss not being home to celebrate it with him.

I forgot to mention the surprise we had yesterday morning. We were still in bed, with our balcony door open to enjoy the ocean breezes and the view, when we were shocked to see workmen standing on our balcony! Remember, we are in a penthouse apartment on the seventh floor! Turns out they are painting the building. There was a bit of paint smell yesterday but we thought they would be finished and we could put up with it for one day. Well, today we discover they are putting up more scaffolding, for more painting….

We contact the owner to see what is going on and plan a day trip to Ronda. The apartment is very nice otherwise.Ronda is one of the Pueblos Blanco, or White Villages that is located about an hour from our Airbnb apartment in Algeciras. The white villages are fortified hilltop towns and villages that are whitewashed in the Moorish tradition. Ronda sits on a massive rocky cliff and it straddles a deep limestone gorge. Because it was so heavily fortified and difficult to attack it was one of the last Moorish towns to fall to the Christians in 1485. It is still hard to realize that all this was happening before Columbus even set sail to discover the Americas! There is just so much history here.Ronda’s bullring is one of the oldest and most important bullrings in Spain, built in 1785. The dream of every matador is to fight here at Ronda.

We sit and have our lunch near the bullring, overlooking this valley below the town.

Then we wander along the cliff top and stop at a view point to take a few photos.
A bit further along at another viewpoint I am a bit horrified to realize we were standing on a balcony like affair hanging out over the gorge. Look closely and you will see this liitle balcony. It doesn’t look very sturdy to me!The Puente Neuvo, or the New Bridge, was built in the 18th Century, and connects the newer part of town to the oldest area of town. We walk across it, and of course stop for even more photos. It is an amazing bridge, 120 meters above the river below.

There is a stone staircase of 231 steps down to the river in the Gorge. I was trying to convince Bob that we should walk down but once we saw this sign we changed our minds.Instead we walk through the old town, popping in and out of the shops to see what we might discover and then head out to find the Puente Viego, or the Old Bridge which was built in 1616. Today it is a pedestrian bridge and I stop to sit on “The Moor’s Armchair” right in the crook of the hairpin turn on the road to the bridge.

This Old Bridge spans the same gorge as the New Bridge, just in a different place. After crossing the bridge we head up a path towards some terraced viewing platforms and garden areas.Another view of the Old Bridge and the country side beyond the town, and the terraced gardens.This is the New Bridge from the terraced gardens below. Notice the white houses tucked into the cliffs in the shadow of the bridge.We wander through more of the Old Town, and I marvel at some of the places we find cars parked.On the drive home the air is very misty and there is this great example of arial perspective. Check out this link if you aren’t sure what arial perspective is all about. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_perspective
My camera has been giving me problems this entire trip. There is dust inside it that causes the spot visible in the sky in this picture and sometimes the settings just start jumping around and changing all on their own! One time it started taking every picture in triplicate! I am hoping it will keep working until the end of this trip. Any suggestions for a good camera? I think I will need to buy myself one for Christmas when I get home.

Seville to Algeciras

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Trudy

Wednesday, November 11

On our way to Algeciras in Southern Spain we stop for a visit to Cadiz. Our faithful iPad GPS has bit of a panic attack as it thinks we are trying to drive into the ocean! Seems it doesn’t know about this big new bridge yet!Cadiz juts out into the Bay of Cadiz and is almost entirely surrounded by water. It also claims to be Europes’s oldest city. Legend says Hercules was its founder but historians credit the Phoenicians with establishing the town in 1100 BC! Cadiz is also where Christopher Columbus first sailed from to discover America. We once more find a parking lot almost by accident. Parking near the old town part of Spanish cities is always difficult because the streets are so narrow that there just isn’t much room for cars. This abandoned building in the center of town right next to well kept occupied buildings is something we have seen everywhere in Spain.
Here is an interesting link to abandoned villages in Spain that are for sale.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2576711/Buy-ghost-village-50-000-Thousands-abandoned-Spanish-hamlets-sale-price-London-garage.html

The 2008 economic crash was a major factor in so many buildings being empty and/or abandoned in Spain.

We visit an old fortress that now houses several art studios and exhibit spaces.I quite liked this fellow.It was a lovely day and we wanted to enjoy the sunshine so we wandered the streets instead of visiting another cathedral or museum. This gull kindly posed for me with the Cadiz Cathedral in the background.The fish market is always an interesting place to visit. Being born and raised in Alberta far from the ocean, I have no idea how one cooks, or eats most of the fish we see, but I think more fish is eaten here than beef, chicken or pork.

We stop for tea at a little Pastelaria and sit with a view of this lovely pink building with this balcony and its pink flowers. I love just watching people as we sit and relax for a bit.

The streets in the old town are very narrow, and we manage to get a bit lost looking for the Torre Tavira which was the city’s watchtower in the 18th century. It has been converted into a camera obscura and I wanted to see that. By the time we found it we realized we as didn’t have time to see it as the next tour was in an hour, and lasted forty five minutes. We need to be on the road again before then, so reluctantly I leave without getting to see the camera obscura I was so curious about. If you are curious too, check out the information here. http://bhamobscura.com/2014/12/inspirational-obscura-torre-de-tavira-torre-tavira/

We walk out towards the fortress on this long causeway but don’t have time to visit it either. It is time to head back to the car and continue on to Algeciras and our next apartment.

Thursday, November 12 Algeciras

We have a quiet day today, do some laundry and relax in our new apartment. We have a penthouse on the seventh floor, with views of the mountains from the balcony on the west side and we can see Gibraltar from the balcony on the East side of the apartment! It is pretty spectacular.

The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Trudy

Tuesday, November 10

Jerez de la Frontera is the capital of Sherry production and it is also famous for its Andalusian Equestrian School. It is just a bit farther south than Doñana Park, which we visited yesterday. We purchased our tickets online and we leave early so we will arrive in lots of time for the 12:00 show.

We arrived early, and found parking which is always a challenge in Spanish cities, thanks to the wonderful GPS capabilities of our iPad. It has paid for itself many times over this trip. I have no idea how we managed to travel in Australia and New Zealand without it, only relying on maps. Never again!

We watch a very good short movie about the history of the Andalusian horse and then we have time to watch some of the training in the outside riding ring while we have our lunch.

We have great seats, right in the first row. I can almost reach out and touch the horses as they pass. The show is “How the Andalusian Horses Dance”, and it is an equestrian ballet based on traditional and cowboy methods of taming wild horses, accompanied by Spanish music and full eighteenth century costumes. I decide to behave and not sneak any photos, but I almost wish I hadn’t. These photos are from the internet . If you would like to see more check out http://andalusian horse show Jerez

We were sitting in the front row on the right side, almost in line with the dark grey horse in the photo below. Fantastic seats! Well worth the extra 6€ For preferential seating.

I found this short video which shows parts of the same show we saw and it is on location at the school arena in Jerez. The show was wonderful and it had enough variety for Bob, who doesn’t love all things horses quite as much as I do.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bd_nYE4c790

I did try to draw a bit during the show, but it was hard to concentrate on drawing and what was going on, and of course the horses never stood still! Here is my page of horse life drawings.

The young lady sitting next to me was from Germany. She owned a three year old Andalusian mare and she was hoping to be able to come to this school for riding lessons. A ten day course is 2500€ and room and board is not included. Expensive, but how fantastic would that be, to ride these beautiful well trained Andalusian horses, the same ones that take part in the shows! The lessons run for six hours a day, so you would certainly have to be fit.

After the show we walked over to one of the many wineries in Jerez, the Sandeman Bodega, for a tour and tasting. They have several resident storks, and we were lucky enough to see this fine fellow.

Our guide in costume walking past some of the barrels full of Sherry. After three ‘very generous’ samples of sherry we played Sandeman!

Finding washrooms is always a bit of a challenge when travelling, so we stopped at a nearby Ikea to use theirs before the trip back to Seville. It was rather strange to find that it laid out exactly like the one back home. We felt like we were back in Edmonton!

Doñana National Park

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Trudy

Monday, November 9th

We tried to book a guided tour to visit Parque Nacional de Doñana, along the coast south of Seville, which is one of Europe’s greatest wetlands. It includes 50,000 hectares of marshes and sand dunes, which are home to thousands of migratory birds in the winter months. The tour company does not operate without a minimum of four passengers, and we are the only two, so we decided to visit the park on our own. This turned out very well and we had a relaxing day, even though we didn’t see many birds.

Along the road to the park we pass acre after acre of these domed greenhouses. We aren’t sure what they are growing but they cover field after field sometimes as far as we can see in all directions!

We also see lots of these coniferous trees. They have been planted in rows and the bottom branches have been pruned as they grow, yet they don’t seem to be a tree that would provide lots of lumber. I was not sure about these either, but I love the rounded shape of the top of them. After a little research I now know these are Stone Pines, they are grown for their pine nuts and in some areas they have become naturalized. For more information see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_pine

First stop is the Palacio Del Acebrón which was built in the 1960’s. The land around the Palacio was cleared, planted with Eucalyptus trees, gardens, paths and trails were built and a huge pond was dredged and lined so that plants would not fill it in.The building is now an interpretation centre, and we get there in time for a visit before it closes at two. These long Spanish lunch hours make it difficult to plan our day. Seems things are always closed when we are out and about and then opening again when we are ready to head home! Bob is checking out one of the displays.

We go for a hike through along a little river and through some of the grounds. What would a holiday be without at least one tree hugging picture?We hiked along another trail to some bird blinds but only saw a few ducks in the distance. We decide that the migratory birds either have not arrived yet, or it is too early in the day for viewing so we head for the ocean and the sand dunes. We walk a long ways down this beach, and I gather a few sea shells as souvenirs.

We also see this victim of a discarded fishing line. If you look closely you may make it out wrapped around this bird’s neck. We saw quite a lot of plastic debris washed up this beach.These are sand dune cliffs that line the length of the beach, as far as we can see, and our version of a ‘selfie’.

All too soon the sun begins to set so we head back to the car along this boardwalk through yet more sand dunes. We get to our car just as the sun sets. We didn’t see many of the birds that this park is famous for, but it was still a very enjoyable day.

Parque Maria Louisa, Seville

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Trudy

Sunday, November 8

There are several parks in Seville and one of the biggest is the Parque María Louisa, which is where we spend the afternoon today. We saw a lot of people dressed in T shirts, coloured tutus and tights covered in what looked like powdered paint. These two young ladies posed for me. Everyone looked like they were having a great time but we had no idea what it was all about.

I did some internet searching later and find out what the Colour Run is all about. Check out this link. https://ca.thecolorrun.com/about/ Basically it is a 5 km fun race whose objective is to have fun and get doused with coloured powder and party with a lot of other people! Eleven thousand people took part in Seville’s Color Run this year. I have included a link to a short youtube video that gives a pretty good idea of what it is all about. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y8bboQxGp9E

We had lots of fun just watching all the brightly coloured people walking by us after they finished the race and the after race party. Wish we had known about it in time to go watch the fun. It is an interesting day. We watch a bit of a dog show in Plaza de Espána. The very big and very small dog in the photo below were very interested in getting to know one another.The Plaza de Espána was built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. It is a huge curved building complete with a semi circular canal. We caught a glimpse of Cinderella and the Prince who is running after her!The railings all along this building are blue and white ceramic with colourful ceramic posts.There are towers at each end of the building, which I read was used as a set in one of the Star Wars movies. We walked along the exact same route as Luke Skywalker in this short clip from the movie! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mVQyW1n5ECY

This sculpture, The Glorieta de Bécquer, depicts the three phases of love and someone had placed a fresh bouquet of white flowers in the arms of the woman depicting love passing. I thought it was very lovely and poignant.One of the many water features in the park. This one had very well fed ducks, who refused to eat yet another piece of bread, much to the disappointment of some cute little girls with their bags of food for the ducks.We watched people rowing on the canal, who had waited in a very long line up for the opportunity to circumnavigate the canal. Can you spot Bob?

One of the many wide paths through the park, which has a wide variety of very large trees. It was a lovely place to while away an afternoon.

The Real Alcázar, aka The Water Gardens of Dorne

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Trudy

Saturday, November 7

We had a great day visiting Seville’s Real Alcázar. It is a magical place in its own right but it was also the setting for the Water Gardens of Dorne for part of Season Five of The Game of Thrones. I am going to post my pictures without too many explanatory comments as I have included two links that have more information about the Game of Thrones settings and they also explain very nicely about the Alcázar.

http://travelphotodiscovery.com/game-of-thrones-set-for-andalucia-spain/

http://scribblerinseville.com/game-of-thrones-season-5-the-water-gardens-of-dorne-aka-the-alcazar-of-seville/

We climbed to the walkway you can just see in this photo. It is behind the arches in the wall past the pool. We had great views of some of the gardens from here.We spent four and a half hours wandering through the palace and gardens, and we still didn’t see all of the gardens.In the background you can see one of the many bridal couples we saw today who are here taking pictures. Interestingly, there was always just the bride and groom and one or two photographers, there were no bridesmaids or groomsmen. Can you figure out how the goldfish are flying through the sky? I love the intricacy of the carvings and details on the walls and ceilings.

This was a popular spot for a bride and groom to stand and get their photo taken with their reflection in the pool. Bob tried to take a photo of my reflection but there were too many people around.We did find a quiet spot in the garden to sit for a few minutes. Remember, we walked in the Alcázar for 4 1/2 hours!

We asked a bride and groom if we could just take one picture before they started taking their own photos in the Queen’s Baths.

The sun was low in the sky when we left near five o’clock and I liked the way this fountain was silhouetted against the wall.After we left the Alcázar we followed a walking tour map that Bob had picked up at the tourist office, through many of the old narrow streets of Seville.

I peeked inside one doorway and spotted this beautiful garden courtyard.

I couldn’t resist having my picture taken with this beauty! One more photo of the bell tower we climbed yesterday. Can you spot another bride and groom? We probably saw a dozen brides today!

We stopped for yummy ice cream and sorbet, walked the streets, watched some crazy amazing break dancers, and finally caught our bus home around eight.

Seville Cathedral and La Giralda

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Trudy

Friday November 6

The Seville Cathedral is the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, the third largest Church in the world and has the largest, richest alter in the world! The sculpture in the courtyard is the bronze weathervane (giraldillo) portraying Faith that used to be on top of the tower, and from which the tower gets its name. A replica replaces it on top of the tower.Just inside the door is an arial picture of the Cathedral which gives an idea of its immense size, and we are going to visit all of it!

This link has some great pictures and easy to read information on the Cathedral. Take a look, I think it is quite interesting (and it saves me lots of writing!) http://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/seville-cathedral

We enter the Cathedral and simply stand in awe. It is hard to describe the feeling we have being in such a place. The light is wonderful as there are three rows of stained glass windows, and the sun streams in casting jewels of colour over the immense stone columns. Interestingly I think that black and white photos capture the feeling of being in the Cathedral better than coloured photos.

The organ here is enormous, perhaps the biggest we have seen and there are two parts to it, across from each other in the choir. These two pictures show the organ from the left and the right, this set up means that the pipes are visible on the front and back of each part of the organ.

Here is one of the many beautiful stained glass windows. I believe this one was from 1479.

The Chapter House dome is elliptical and was built in the 1500’s. It is perhaps the first elliptical dome ever built and I thought it was particularly beautiful.I read that the cathedral has 80 chapels, in which 500 masses were said daily in 1896. The altar is quite unbelievable. It is carved in wood, covered in gold, and is 20 meters tall with 45 carved, polychromed biblical scenes.

Christopher Columbus has a tomb here although other places also claim to have his remains. DNA testing is being carried out to determine if it is indeed Christopher Columbus who is interred here.

Next we climb La Giralda, the belltower, which has 35 ramps which are wide enough so that two guards on horseback were able to climb to the top of the tower. This link has more info on the Tower if you are interested

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/seville-giralda

The views from the belltower make the climb very worthwhile. I have decided I like Belltowers very much. After our visit we make our way back to the tram to take us home. The ice cream is displayed very attractively, we decide we will have to try some tomorrow. I found a place that has sorbet, all natural ingredients, and no milk!One last view of the tower. The top level with the bells is where we stood.

Good Bye Portugal, Hello Spain

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Trudy

Wednesday November 4

We are on the road by 9:30 for Seville, Spain. We didn’t manage to see or do as much as we thought we would in Portugal; the rainy weather and catching a cold put a bit of a damper, no pun intended, on our visit here. Too bad, but it is what it is.We stop in Tavira, Portugal for lunch and find this lovely little garden behind an old monastery. There are trees here from all over the world with identifying tags, including this poinsettia tree.

We walk around after our picnic lunch and discover this old castle with a park in its center. We climb the steps to the top of the old walls, very narrow steps without any railings. We have noticed that Spain and Portugal expect visitors to take care of themselves. There are often no safety rails or fences in quite dangerous places. Back home this would not be the case. Can you see Bob at the very top of the stairs, where he stumbled? The view from the top of the castle walls over the roof tops. Two pictures of the same tree. Can you spot who is hiding in each one?

Tavira has lots of tourist attractions but we notice that there are many empty store fronts and houses for sale. This is something that we have seen repeatedly throughout Spain and Portugal. Their economies are suffering with high unemployment and the villages and towns are losing young people to the bigger cities. We have also noticed how often there are abandoned derelict houses, businesses and factories right beside nicely well maintained buildings.Notice the tree growing out of the window on the second floor of one of the building in this picture for an example. There are lots of ‘fixer uppers’ in Portugal and Spain!Soon we are approaching Seville and our next apartment.
Thursday, November 5

Travel days are kind of hard on me, so I stay home today and rest and Bob goes to check out the tourist sights and figure out the bus system for our outing tomorrow. I spend an hour or so watching a worker climb up inside the leaves of a palm tree and then trim it. It looked like a very difficult, dirty job, but it was very interesting to watch.

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Monthly Archives: November 2015