Andalusia

Please join us on a journey to the Costa del Sol and Cordova, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, and London.

We enjoy sharing our experiences with our friends and we hope that you will enjoy our photos taken in March and April 2006.

We spent two week on the Costa del Sol, a dreadfully overbuilt coastal area in southern Spain. We found great pleasure exploring the classic "little white villages" in the mountains away from all the tourists. We especially loved the little towns of Ronda, Casares, and Mija, among others. The area is ancient and oozes history! The Greeks had settled much of Andalusia before the Romans arrived and built structures lasting until today. The Moors had nearly 1000 years to modify the Roman cities and fortresses; their artistic and architectural influences, as well as some of their structures, are seen everywhere today in Spain and in their former colonies in the Americas.

The Great Mosque in Cordova (which I sometimes spell as Cordoba), is a huge structure emanating peace and serenity. After the expulsion of the Moors by Ferdinand and Isabella, a small church was built inside the huge mosque; later, a larger cathedral was built in the center of the mosque and now rises triumphantly above the roof of the mosque. A very interesting fact is that the mosque does not face Mecca, as it typical for other mosques. Archeological digging provided proof that the mosque was built over a 5th century Christian church; the original Roman-style mosaic floor of the old church is now visible to visitors.

We took a high speed ferry from Spain to Tangier where we spent the day exploring the area in and around the kasbah (fort). The overall feeling was mellow, relaxed and friendly to westerners. The weather is very good and more mild than Spain; many European and American ex pats have homes in Morocco. We would enjoy spending more time exploring other parts of Morocco.

Gibraltar has had the reputation of being unconquerable for centuries. The residents of Gibraltar have voted to remain part of Great Britain in spite of Spain's contention that Gibraltar belongs to them. Gibraltar is a free port but Spain won't let anyone return with more than €150 worth of merchandise. The old town has Moorish roots with an English beer and fish 'n chips mentality. We found Gibraltar to be tacky, over-priced, and crowded. However, we enjoyed visiting St. George's Cave which is beautifully illuminated and even has a concert hall; we wondered how musicians kept their instruments dry from the continual dripping from the ceiling. Also enjoyable are the macaques that live in about six groups; they are highly intelligent and steal food from tourists whenever possible!

We took a two day layover in London where we enjoyed a play one evening and spent most of the next day at the incredible British Museum.

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John & Graciela Spreitz

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