Fortress at Tarifa

Hydrofoil ferry to Tangier

           We boarded another bus in Tangier and got a Moroccan guide.  He told us that 300 ships a day pass through the Strait of Gibraltar.  Tangier has both Mediterranean and Atlantic beachfront and has all the charm of an old Moroccan Kasbah and medina.  Tangier has been controlled by eight different empires/countries in its history - Phoenician, Roman, Arab, France, Spain, etc.  We drove through several different international neighborhoods - French, Jewish, Spanish, British (with its golf course and cricket pitch), American, and the rich.  Morocco was the first sovereignty/country to recognize the US in 1776 and there are many rich Americans who have lived here.  We stopped at a camel ride vendor to give those who wanted to an opportunity to briefly ride a camel.

Camel ride anyone?

Street sign

        We walked through the Kasbah, the 500-year old fortified part of the city.  It had the narrow winding alleys and white walled buildings, an old synagogue, mosque, etc.  We ate lunch at a rich person's house (now a restaurant) in the Kasbah. 

Snake charmer on the street

Restaurant

Luncheon entertainment

Tile work

Mosque

Beautiful blue doors and walls

          We walked through the medina and alleys of souks and fresh food markets.  We still like the displays of olives and spices and sweets.  The streets were full of souvenir hawkers that became quite bothersome.  Morisco farmwomen in their funny hats sat in the middle of the streets to sell fresh herbs and vegetables.

Morisco farmwoman wearing her distinctive hat

In the market

Olives!

Rock of Gibraltar

Malaga

Bullring

            In the downtown area we looked at a Roman theater that was discovered in 1951 during a building project.  The theater is positioned right below the walls of the older Arabic fortress. The Roman rulers Marcus Aurelius, Trajan, and Hadrian were all born here in Southern Spain.  Across the street from the Roman theater was an old restaurant/pub called El Pimpi.  Other than the fact that sailors came here to find prostitutes, the wine barrels were of interest.  Six barrels were put on their sides in a pyramid with the newest wine at the top.  As the wine in the bottom barrels was drunk, fresher wine was poured from above to keep a constant flavor.

Roman theater ruins

Wine barrels at El Pimpi

            Many construction projects in the Spanish cities use the protective screens we first saw in Russia.  The one today on the new Malaga fine arts museum is a picture of the building with a wavy facade.  Cute!

Construction screen

            We walked around the Malaga Cathedral.  It was originally a mosque with 120 pillars.  It now has 15 chapels and was under construction for 250 years but remains unfinished.

Sculpture by Jose Seguiri -
Half pigeon, half hand

Train station by Eiffel in downtown Malaga

Sadness of the monkey tree

Close-up of the bark - now you know how it got its name

Jamon Iberico

Jamon Iberico

Slicing the ham from the pig's leg

Welcome to Rhonda

Mosaic map of the town

Statue of a bull in the Plaza de Toros

         Rhonda is a very old mountain city with fortress wall and a deep ravine separating the old town from the new area.

          There are many places to look out from town and over the countryside.  We could see the 12th c. Moorish walls of the town, the farmland, and the Sierra Rhonda Mountains. 

Town atop the ravine walls

Looking down at the countryside

12th century Moorish ruins

            Orson Wells and Ernest Hemmingway loved this beautiful little town.  They were both inspired to write while living here and Orson Wells' ashes are scattered here.

Workmen installing sidewalk mosaics

 2000-year-old stone bridge crossing the town ravine