A great trip to celebrate Diana’s recent retirement, following her 41-year career. We visited southern Spain, where we savored the famous Iberian ham (pigs are acorn-fed) and enjoyed visiting the ancient walled city of Toledo (UNESCO site), where El Greco produced his best-known paintings. We saw a number of them at the Prado museum in Madrid and churches in Toledo. We had an amazing time in Seville – visiting many gorgeous sites, particularly the Real Alcazar (royal palace) with its beautiful gardens. And of course, there is the stunning Alhambra. Breathtaking! Thanks to its Moorish history, architecture in the region is lush and gorgeous.
We traveled to Portugal; Diana’s favorite place was the walled city of Obidos — so charming, and of course another UNESCO site. We loved St. George’s Castle, high on a hill above Lisbon. Diana had visited Portugal as a 13-year-old, and remembered fondly the intricate mosaic sidewalks.
The ferry took us across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco — a totally different culture. While it was all interesting, our favorites were Fes and Marrakech, particularly the ancient medinas (markets). In Marrakech, the “new” medina dates from the 1400s, and the “old” one from the 800s. It’s all relative.
We traveled with a Cosmos tour group — very reasonably priced and it was a very good tour. We visited so many UNESCO World Heritage Sites that we lost count; it was easily a couple of dozen sites. Here is Bob’s short video, along with our favorite stills.
Famous Iberian (acorn-fed) ham
Madrid
Madrid – beautiful carved choir stalls
Madrid City Hall – Plaza de Cibeles
Modern astronaut carving on Salamanca church
Portugal – Sanctuary of Fatima
Ready to roll!
Obidos – beautiful walled town
Obidos – beautiful walled town
Obidos – beautiful walled town
Obidos – beautiful walled town
Lisbon’s beautiful mosaic sidewalks
Lisbon – Torre de Belem, Tower of St. Vincent
Lisbon – Museum of Archaeology
View of Lisbon from Castelo de Sao Jorge
Seville taxi
Bob met his “murse” twin (from Wales)
Real Alcazar de Sevilla
Real Alcazar de Sevilla
Monument to Christopher Columbus
Sevilla – Plaza de Espana
Sevilla
View of Alcazar & Sevilla from Bell Tower
Real Alcazar de Sevilla
Moroccan lunch on the road
Cemetery – Rabat, Morocco
Rabat – gate to the medina
Rabat – gate to the medina
Rabat – gate to the medina
Rabat – Hassan II Mausoleum
Rabat – Hassan II Mausoleum
Rabat Kasbah door
Rabat Kasbah door
Royal palace – Rabat
Casablanca water seller
Casablanca – Hassan II Mosque
Casablanca – Hassan II Mosque
Marrakesh greeter
Marrakech – Bahia Palace
Marrakech medina
Marrakech medina
Marrakech medina
Marrakech medina – lunch companion
Marrakech medina
Morocco – Lake Bin el Ouidane
Fes
The shop owner said to me, “It’s fresh.” I said, “I can see that.”