Geo: 37.1672, -7.52036After not much sleep we were up and getting ready to head for Portugal. Jim and Patrick picked up the rental car as Allison and I finished packing and then we were off. We made one stop so Allison and Patrick could photograph the Rock of Gibraltar and then didn't stop again till we arrived five hours later in Manta Rota. As we crossed the border into Portugal Jim and I were able to count our second new country of our trip. Morocco was also a new country for us. Jim now has visited 60 countries and I am at 58 and counting! The property manager welcomed us to the home and showed us around. It is a beautiful home with a stunning view of the ocean. Once we got settled in we headed ... read more

Geo: 35.1716, -5.27069We awoke this morning to the "call to prayer", such a characteristic element of the Muslim world. We enjoyed a nice breakfast of bread, cheese, olives, jams, honey, crepes and coffee, prepared by our Riad host. We then met Morad for a nice, leisurely stroll of the Medina and old town of Chefchaouen. This beautiful, mountain-top city has many buildings which are painted blue, giving the town a cool and unique feel. Unlike places like Egypt, here the shopkeepers do not aggressively try to drag you into their shops, and our walk through the city is most pleasant. We top for a coffee in a cafe on the main square, before heading out to drive back to Tangier.Upon arriving back in Tangier, Morad takes us to one of his favourite old restaurants, with all ... read more

Geo: 37.8864, -4.77683We were up early today as we have a three hour drive ahead of us. We are off to Córdoba, the home of the Mezquita. Córdoba was once the capital of the Moorish Kingdom of Al-Andalus, and this was when work began on the Great Mosque "La Mezquita". After many years of additions and enlargements it became the largest in all of Islam. In 1236 Christians conquered the city and built a cathedral in the midst of the arches and columns, creating an extraordinary church-mosque.On arrival into Córdoba we managed to find parking and headed for our morning coffee. We enjoyed our first Spanish churro with our coffee. A churro is a fried dough pastry covered with sugar. Quite yummy.We then wandered our way through the Jewish Quarter, a labyrinth of windy, narrow streets, ... read more

Geo: 36.5099, -4.88635Today we visited Marbella, a city and resort area along the Costa del Sol, just east of where we are staying. We parked in the city centre, and then headed through a maze of narrow streets that twist and turn past white Andalusian buildings. The buildings are adorned with flower filled balconies, chic boutiques and trendy cafes. We stopped and enjoyed a coffee in Plaza de Los Naranjos. Then we continued our walk through the winding streets and down to the beach promenade. On the Avenida del Mar we viewed an interesting exhibition of Salvador Dali sculptures. Today is lovely and sunny, so we got to see this part of the Costa Del Sol at its best! We stopped to enjoy some gelato before heading back to our car. On our drive back towards ... read more

Geo: 36.3562, -5.23087This morning we headed south of Estepona to Puerto de la Duquesa with its pretty marina. After a coffee at the marina we headed south along the ocean promenade. We walked along to the little fishing hamlet of Castillo de la Duquesa from which marina gets its name. We toured through the small castle which was built in 1767. It rained very lightly as we return along the promenade to Duquesa. That did not deter us from continuing along the promenade to the east to the fishing village of Sabinillas. After our morning walk we headed back to our condo as the sky was getting grey. We had a nice lunch on our balcony as the sun came out again. We finally took a little tour around the complex we are staying and it ... read more