MoroccoOn Wednesday, March 11 we were on the bus before 7 am and on our way to Morocco. A long bus ride to Tarifa, and then a ferry ride to Tanger, a bustling Moroccan seaport.We were escorted on a bus tour through the modern areas of the city and then on foot through some of the older sections of town. As soon as we were off the bus, we were met by local entrepreneurs who persisted until Sheila and Shauna bought some brass bracelets - three for 600 pesetas or about six Canadian dollars. We were glad we could use Spanish money because we had not converted any to Moroccan currency.
The tour guides led us into a carpet factory where we listened to a sales presentation given by some persuasive carpet dealers. The carpets were beautiful and they even offered to fly them back to Canada for us.
Finally, we were given the opportunity to ride a camel and to have our pictures taken with them. When I said, "Smile, Sheila" I found out that the camel's name was Sheila, too. On our way back to the ferry dock, we were driven past the presidential palaces and dignitaries' residences in one of the higher class sections of town. We even saw a dog and cat cemetery. Pets must be very important in this neighbourhood.
SevilleThursday morning found us driving to Seville, a bustling inland city where both Expo '29 and Expo '92 were held. The architecture in this historical city was truly remarkable! There were buildings here from almost every century since early Roman times. This modern bridge was built for Expo '92.
BenalmadenaFriday was our last day in Spain, and it was Len's birthday. The girls decided to go to the market in Benalmadena while the guys explored the interesting harbour and then hiked up into the Mijas Mountains. What a view! It was one of those hikes where you can never reach the top, because every time you round the crest that you think is the peak, there is another higher peak in the distance.On the way down the mountain we stopped to visit the white hermitage of El Puerto where the townspeople of Mijas were lighting candles and praying. These elderly people really have to be fit to climb up here.
On Saturday we packed our bags and our rental car to leave. We had done and seen a lot! The weather had been great, and we had mixed feelings about leaving. We missed our families and we now had three days to see London before heading home.
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We saw many small shops along streets that were too narrow
except for the smallest cars. There were many small factories about
the size of the average Canadian kitchen, with sometimes three or
four people busily working at whatever craft they were doing.
At one point the tour took us past
an open air market where the Moroccans were selling their garden
produce. Many people sold their wares in front of the tiny
little shops and factories that lined the streets. Almost everyone,
especially the women, ducked or put their hands over their faces
at the first sight of a camera. 
We were
taken to an open square where some snake handlers tried to impress
us with their pet snakes. Some of the bravest girls in our tour
even allowed them to drape the snakes around their shoulders. 
Part of the
tour included lunch in a fancy restaurant where we were served
a tasty three or four course meal. While we were eating, we were
entertained by a four-man band and a dancer. It was interesting
to see all the intricate hand-woven rugs on the walls of the
restaurant. The beauty of the handiwork of these hard working
people was breath-taking. 
We were spell-bound by the Spanish pavillion at
the Expo '29 site with its minuets and columns. The archaelogical
museum was fascinating with artifacts from the early history of man
up to more recent times. My only regret was that all the captions
and explanations were in Spanish and I couldn't read them.
After taking an hour-long open bus tour of the
city, we wandered the streets around the famous Cathedral.
This was one massive building which spoke to us of the dedication
of the Spanish people throughout the centuries to the Roman
Catholic Church. This was one of the largest churches in the
world and it covered an entire city block. 
We had chicken for supper and a birthday cake
for Len. A great way to end the first leg of our vacation! 
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