So our trip to Morocco was very... guided.
We actually booked this guide who has a great reputation to take us around, and we were along with another couple about our age. I would love to go back now and spend a night or two there and wander around some more because I think I would have found a lot of interesting things on my own and it really didn´t seem unsafe despite all the warnings you hear about. That could have been because we had the guide, but eh, it's pretty populated with tourists.
We did get to see the point where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic and we wandered through the Kasbah in addition to walking through a Berber market, a fish market, and some of Tangiers finest hotels (amusing this was where the guide would take us for bathroom breaks--the sign of a good guide).
Unfortunately the day was overcast and felt more like San Francisco than what one would expect of Africa, but at least the rain held out for us--there was a light sprinkling that happened when we were in at lunch. Couldn´t have asked for better timing on that...
The fish market--avert your eyes if you're squeamish.
This lighthouse marks the point where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet.
The schmancy hotel.
Our lunch place was totally not touristy. *snort*
He's pouring sweetened mint tea.
Entering the Kasbah.
That's Spain in the distance.
This is the community oven where people send their dough to be baked.
Ready for delivery.
The next day (yesterday) we went to Gibraltar. The fun part about this was that we saw one of the pillars of Hercules in Morocco, and then we got to see the other pillar (the Rock of Gib) the following day.
You know, Hercules pushed apart Africa and Europe at that point and then declared ¨there is nothing beyond,¨ which goes to show that Hercules was a strong boy, but not so bright.
We rode a cable car to the top of the Rock and then hiked down to town for some fish and chips, of course.
Gibraltar is technically part of the UK, and it was brilliant to be able to read all of the signs. And, I say, why is it that a couple minutes of listening to British accents makes you imitate them all day? Right then. Imagine that I´m doing that right now, although in a few sentences my accent will morph into something strange and germanic, since that´s what usually happens.
Monkeys!
The Rock.
You have to cross a live landing strip to get into Gibraltar.
From Gibraltar we drove up into the mountains to Ronda. When I first saw Adam´s pictures of Ronda and heard about how much he enjoyed it, I assumed for some reason that it was near the coast. I think just because he said the south of Spain and because I love oceanside towns, and I love oceanside towns that require a passport even more, and so I thought if this place was so spectacular than there must be a large body of water around.
But the real attraction of this town is the fact that it´s built on two really tall and really close cliffs and there is this crazy stone bridge over the gorge connecting them. Also, they hang the buildings right off the side of the sheer faces of the cliffs and it makes me a little nervous. But it really is fantastic here. It´s like...cool Mediterranean cliffs (I can´t think of any equivalent to these things) overlooking Napa with the Sierras in the background. Really gorgeous.
We hiked down to the valley floor and back up this morning and then went and had some white wine on a balcony that may erode away in the next five years...I looked over the railing and almost passed out, there was such a scary drop.
Looking down at the gorge.
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