May 16, 2012 - Gibraltar

We had a light breakfast at our hotel, loaded up all the luggage in the car, and headed for Gibraltar. (Why do I hear strains of The Beverly Hillbillies in my head?) The trip over wasn't too long, took a couple of hours. Southern Spain is beautiful country. It looks a little like SoCal. We knew we were getting close to the border into Gibraltar when we found ourselves in a crazy line. It snaked down one side of the round-about, and when we thought we had about reached the entrance, the line turned back around and headed back the other way....

May 15, 2012 - Tangier, Morocco

Yes, it has taken me a long time to update this travel blog! Yes, I am alive! Thanks for asking. Things have been off to a rocky start--not bad exactly, just not going as planned. My flight was almost an hour late leaving LAX. I thought we would arrive in Madrid on time, but we were pretty late getting there already, and I had not given myself a great deal of times clearing customs and getting to the next terminal for the flight to Malaga. I felt like OJ Simpson running through the airport. OK, I mean the young OJ from the TV commercials...

Dec 30, 2010 - Gibraltar & Tarifa

So, Gibraltar. We actually weren't that bothered about going, but we were so close it seemed silly not to, and I'm so glad we did, I really enjoyed it. First off, after a chilly start, it turned out to be a really warm and sunny day and that was most welcome after a couple of weeks of dreich weather. Secondly, Marks and Spencers. But more of that later. My first impressions of Gib were pretty good; it was prettier than I expected, and bigger too. We got a lovely welcome from the British border control chap, too, which made me realise how...

Jun 15, 2010 - Little Britain

Initial disappointment in discovering the cable car to the top of the Rock was closed due to high winds soon disappeared after we decided to take a minivan tour to the top. The touting going on at the cable car station was off-putting and seemed highly inflated, but in the town centre the rates seemed more realistic. It turned out to be a fantastic experience and we saw much more than we would have if we had taken the cable car. Plus we had an information and fun guide in the person of Paul, who provided an interesting commentary. And not...

Jun 14, 2010 - A Day in Africa

Today we travelled the 35 minutes by hydrofoil across the Straits of Gibraltar from Tarifa to Tangier in Morocco. We had arranged to be met by a local guide who would take us around the outskirts of Tangier by minivan and through the old town by foot for the whole day. Aziz was waiting for us as we disembarked from the boat and we spent the rest of the day with him and two other groups of travellers: a family of four from Orlando, Florida and a couple from Vancouver, Canada. Aziz treated us to eight hours of information and exploration...

Jun 13, 2010 - On the Balcony of Europe

Our journey from Grenada to Tarifa today took us along Spain’s famous Costa del Sol. Think Gold Coast, increase it fourfold and dump in hoards of holidaying Brits and you’ll get a picture of this place. The Northern European love it for its beaches and sun, but it is pretty tacky. We headed for one of the less commercialised areas of the coast, to a little town called Nerja, just east of the mega city and capital of the province, Malaga. The place was crawling with tourists (and yes, we were four of them!), but eventually we found a car...

Mar 9, 2010 - in Spain

Dear all, We're in Spain, and although there has been a lot of snow in France and Spain, we have had only rain....and rain..... but today is a beautiful day in the sun, so were happy and enjoying it !! Our trip was a windy one as we had a storm during 2 days, where we could only drive at a speed of 50 km. We travelled through the west side of spain on a completely new road, undiscovered by trucks and other traffic so we had the road to ourselves most of the time ;-) Part of our group of 20 campers has arrived down here in Tarifa and we're...

Aug 6, 2009 - Beach day Tarifa

Ah a beach day in Spain! We are in Tarifa still, camping at the beach (well highly civilized campground next to the beach!) After our morning ritual of fresh juice and coffee in the restaurant we headed down to the beach and set up for the day. Beach umbrella, towels, books .... all one needs to relax for the day in the sun. Tarifa is a wonderful beach that stretches for miles. It is very deep too and the sand is marvelous - soft but doesn't heat to a million degrees so you're not limited to the towel or wet areas. The big thing on this...

Aug 5, 2009 - Tarifa

Malaga starts the day and Tarifa ended it. We awoke after a great sleep in the Hostal Capri in Malaga. After a morning swim in the Med we showered, packed up, stored our bags and set out on the town of Malaga to see some sights. Having Wayne know the area well really helped because what we saw was perfect for how we wanted to spend the day and we sure made the most of the day. The temps are hot and muggy but it is MUCH easier to take than the heat at home was last week. Maybe its Spanish pace that helps but also sea air! We hit the inside...

May 23, 2008 - The road home, (well back to Europe)

We spent the next couple of days heading back to Europe. First we would double back and bus once again across the desert, then book a night train sleeper from Marrakesh to Tangier. Luckily, they had a checked bag area in Marrakesh so we headed to the Place once again to see some snake charmers, eat some great food and do some shopping. The night train went smooth and we had an entire 4 person sleeper to ourselves, after that we tried to spend the last of our dirhams on junk food and took a ferry to Tarifa, bus to the train station and then...

Jul 31, 2007 - Tarifa

I loved walking around Cádiz today, though I'd have loved to have had time for a swim. I got my first glimpse of the Atlantic, and it was as gorgeous as the Med with it's blue and green hues. Unfortunately though the beach was tiny, and packed with what must've been every one of the approx 130,000 people that live here, or so it seemed!! There's nothing particularly interesting to say about Cádiz. I did climb the 18th Century Torre Tavira - one of over 100 watchtowers built so that the locals could watch the ships coming and going....