Today we took a trip to Gibraltar on an all-day excursion.

Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It became a base for the Royal Navy during WW II and it was strategically important in controlling the entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar.

The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a point of contention as Spain asserts a claim to the territory but Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and in 2002, a referendum was passed for shared sovereignty. Many people in Gibraltar speak English as well as Spanish and also a mix of both called Spanglish.

It was amazing to see the Rock of Gibraltar as it stands proudly in the sea. Many people think Gibraltar is an island unto itself, but it actually is connected by land. We have now been fortunate to view Gibraltar up close as well as from afar when we were in Morocco.

We drove 3/4’s of the way towards the top of the rock, and passed the Barbary wild monkey population. There are 6 monkey families on the Rock and we were fortunate to see most of one family. They were all out and about and many of the moms had little babies with them.

Although most of the Barbary monkey population in Africa is declining due to hunting and deforestation, the population in Gibraltar is thriving. The monkeys are managed by the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society and they are provided with fresh water and fresh vegetables and fruit each day. The monkeys are periodically captured so that vets can examine them and assess their health.

We were told to leave all food items in our minivan as the monkeys can smell anything in your pockets and will jump on you to get at it. We all did as we were told and so the monkeys just watched as we walked by. Before we exited the minivan however, they were climbing up the windows and jumping around on the roof.

After seeing the monkeys, we went to what amounts to an underground city inside the Rock, which was a series of tunnels built during WW II to accommodate a 16,000-strong garrison.

Within the tunnels was everything the troops needed to survive… Plenty of water, food, and munitions. They even were able to do surgeries within the tunnels if need be. There was a water distillation plant, a bakery, underground telephones, and a power generating station – all within the 34 miles of tunnels inside the Rock.

The tunnels were built by the Royal Navy in preparation of war during the 1940’s when Britain was at war with Germany and Italy. Churchill believed an attack against Gibraltar was imminent, and therefore the tunnels were built as a massive fortress.

We wore hardhats as we walked thru the tunnels and we were in awe as to what an amazing feat of construction the tunnels were.

We got back to the hotel arrive 5 and Kelly, Jim, Allan, and I left for dinner around 7:30 walking to a restaurant we had heard about and that had great reviews.

We didn’t realize the walk to the restaurant would involve climbing up almost 400 steps!!! Still feeling the effects of bronchitis, I’m proud to say I made it to the top without too much breathlessness so I’m definitely getting better.

But guess what! After all those steps, we walk up to the restaurant only to read the sign on the door that said they were closed for vacation!!!!

It all turned out fine as we dined outside in a quaint little restaurant and enjoyed wine and a nice meal. And thankfully, the walk back was down the steps which was much easier.

Tomorrow is another busy day.

Gibraltar – with the mountains of Morocco to the right

The southern most point of Gibraltar

Barbary monkey

The monkey climbing up our minivan

Mom, Dad, and baby

Walking thru the tunnels

Coming out of the tunnel and seeing the vista below

Gibraltar

After breakfast, we drove for awhile and then joined a local family for a visit, where we were served lunch.

Our hostess spoke a little English, and when we arrived, she made fresh gazpacho for us, cutting up fresh tomatoes, garlic, onion, and cucumber to which she added salt, olive oil, and water.

We sat down with our gazpacho and she served cheeses, chips, and meat for an appetizer. This was followed by a fresh salad, a bowl of lentil soup, and the main course, which was a delicious pork dish and something that resembled ratatouille. It was all very tasty. She served wine with the meal and for dessert we had cakes, cookies, and homemade flan.

Her husband is a trucker and they have two boys 14 and 12. She runs a beauty salon from her home as well as hosting travelers who travel with Grand Circle. Her mom has hosted travelers from Grand Circle for 30 years!!!! Her mom is no longer able to host travelers, so her daughter has taken it over. She hosts about every 8 days during the travel season.

There are about 700 people in their little village and everyone knows everyone. COVID was tough, but thankfully, only two people perished from the disease. Her mom was quite ill with it and was hospitalized for a month in ICU. When she was released from the hospital, her mom stayed with her, and her boys left to stay with their cousins so they wouldn’t get sick.

The kids walk to a local school on the elementary level and are bused for the older grades.

It was a lovely afternoon and as the afternoon drew to a close, we thanked her for her wonderful hospitality and said how nice it was to meet her and to be able to find out about her life in Spain.

That is a wonderful feature of Grand Circle and OAT tours. You meet with a local family to share a meal, learn about each other, and then come away with a deeper understanding of the local culture. It is a special segments of their tours and one we always look forward to.

Prior to meeting our host, our guide Juanjo gave us a lesson on olive trees. We already knew all about olive trees, since when we were in Israel and Morocco, we learned how the olives are grown, harvested, and made into olive oil, but it was a warm and sunny day, so standing outside amid the olive trees was a welcome change from the cooler weather that we had in Granada.

After our lunch, we toured the quaint town of Malaga, where Picasso hailed from as well as Antonio Banderas, and our guide was born here as well. Antonio apparently still lives in Malaga with his new girlfriend. Our guide grew up with Antonio’s brother who was his same age and they went to the same church. Antonio is older, but our guide was often with him when they were kids.

Malaga was founded about 770 BC by the Phoenicians. We drove through the city and took in the quaint neighborhoods, some occupied by very wealthy residents, and we drove to the port of Malaga, an international seaport and one of the oldest continuously-operated ports in Spain.

After touring Malaga, were drove to Torremolinos and checked into our hotel which is right by the Mediterranean Sea. Our room is on the top floor and overlooks the water.

We walked all around the promenade along the beach with our guide and he told us the best places to eat, to shop, and to do laundry if we needed to. It is a warm and sunny afternoon and it was so wonderful to be breathing in the sea air.

A few of us went to dinner at a paella restaurant and enjoyed seafood paella with clams, shrimp, lagostino, some kind of fish, and we think mussels. It was very tasty.

The waiter brought us bread and butter, and we ordered glasses of wine to go with our dinner. Interestingly, when the bill came…The wine was 3 euros – very inexpensive. However, they charged us five euros for 2 water bottles, five euros for the bread, AND 5 euros for the butter. Whaaaaa???? Too funny. All in all, the meal was very inexpensive…40 euros for Allan and me including the tip.

It was a beautiful sunset and after a leisurely dinner we walked back to our hotel and sat on our balcony and enjoyed a glass of wine before going to sleep.

Tomorrow is a full day tour to Gibraltar.

Olive tree

Our hostess’s home

Making Gazpacho

Traveling thru Malaga

Sunset during dinner

Seafood Paella

On our balcony enjoying a glass of wine.

The Moors came to the area in 711 AD, and claimed the hillside that was originally founded by the Romans now known as Granada which is believed to mean “great castle”. The Moors chose Granada as the site to build their citadel…The Alhambra.
The name “Alhambra” comes from the Arabic for “red palace”

In 1492, the site was the Royal Court of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. It eventually fell into disrepair and the buildings were occupied by squatters who took the furniture, rugs, etc. and burned it all to keep themselves warm. After the defeat of Napoleon, whose troops destroyed even more of the palace, it was rediscovered by the British and then by an American, Washington Irving, who fell in love with the place. He wrote a book, “Tales of The Alhambra”, which was a best seller and brought the palace to national recognition. Now, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. As a royal city and citadel, it contained at least six major palaces but the most famous and best-preserved are the ones we toured today…The Comates Palace, The Palace of the Lions, and the Partal Palace.

The beauty, the workmanship, and the intricate detail that surrounded each palace was stunning and we were amazed at how well-preserved many of the palaces were. Some of the ceilings in the rooms were breathtaking.

In order to tour The Alhambra, you must bring your passport to get your entry ticket. Your passport number is actually shown on your ticket to enter. You keep your ticket till the end of the tour as you must present it again to exit.

We first toured the part of the palace that had been started by Charles V – an ediface built as a square surrounding a circle, built in the middle of the Alhambra. It was abandoned in 1637 and was finally completed in 1923. Today it houses the museum of The Alhambra.

The Comares Palace was begun in the early 13th century and has subsequently been modified and refurbished. The Comares Palace is accessed through the Mexuar. Tiles and stucco adorn the ceilings and walls of the palace and we were awed with the intricacies of the patterns. The ceiling in the Hall of the Ambassadors is made of 8017 interlinked pieces of wood that form an abstract geometric representation of the seven heavens.

We walked through the Courtyard of the Lions, the most famous of Islamic architecture. There are two pavilions surrounded by The Fountain of the Lions. The fountain is made up of a large basin surrounded by 12 lion sculptures, which were carved from marble.

We also walked through many rooms, but to be truthful, after awhile we didn’t know exactly what part of the palace we were in. We just entered each room and were swept away by the beauty of the ceilings, with their hanging stucco designs which you can’t even believe are suspended overhead, as well as the beauty of the tile work on the walls and floors.

We entered The Court of the Myrtles, which you enter through two identical doors, dating from the time of Muhammad V. It was stunningly beautiful, again with heavily decorated walls covered in stucco and tiles. After passing through the doors, you enter into the actual court. There is a long reflective pool with myrtle hedges growing along each side. The water reflects the beautiful architecture at the end of the pool.

Finally, we went through the Partal Palace, a pavilion structure on the edge of the Alhambra walls. It was built by Muhammad III, which makes it the oldest surviving palace in the Alhambra today, although it has undergone many alterations since then.

We finished our tour of the palaces, and once outside the walls, we walked to the Generalife a Nasrid-era country estate which was first built by Muhammad II and Muhammad III in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. It was replete with many gardens, and we were lucky to see that some were still in gorgeous bloom. It was a perfect end to a perfect morning.

Fortunately, the rain held off until we were out of the gardens and we just caught a few sprinkles on our way to the bus.

On the way back to our hotel, our guide pointed out the caves tucked into the hillside, where the gypsies live. Many of them are beggars – some work, and some receive stipends from the government. Some of the caves have water and toilets. The caves actually stay pretty much the same temperature inside, be it winter or summer. Many of the caves are passed down through the generations.

We ate lunch and then decided to forego the walking discovery tour in the afternoon with our guide, as the dampness did a number on my bronchitis, and I just didn’t want to be out and about in it any longer.

We went for tapas for dinner and were entertained by a TUNA group that our guide has been friends with for years. TUNA is a musical group, originally from Spain, who dress in traditional student garb and perform. Years ago, they roamed the streets playing music in exchange for coins or food. 

The group that seranaded us tonight is renown and they have made and sold records and CD’s. They were very good and they played all the Spanish favorites for us.

It was a lovely day and tomorrow we get to sleep in a little later before we embark on our next adventure.

Entrance to the Court of Myrtles

Court of Myrtles

The ceiling in the Hall of the Ambassadors

The fountain of lions

The caves in the hillside

The intricate stucco suspended from the ceiling.

TUNA

Looking at the Alhambra from the rooftop bar at our hotel

What a beautiful city! Toledo is known for the melding of the cultural influences of Christians, Muslims, and Jews, and those influences were evident everywhere we went. The views of the city were spectacular, and the day was not too chilly, so the walk from the bus up to the town square with our local guide, Carlos, was enjoyable. Carlos was very entertaining and made the walk very interesting.

We strolled over The Puente de San Martin, (St Martin’s Bridge) which features five arches. Only very few bridges in the world were that long at the time of its construction in the Middle Ages. The bridge has been rebuilt almost in its entirety, with two end towers, which gives the bridge a strong structure. In 1921 it was declared a National Monument. The bridge crosses over the river Tagus, which river on the Iberian peninsula. We will no doubt see the river again when we arrive in Lisbon, Portugal, because it flows 626 miles from mid-eastern Spain and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon.

Little shops and restaurants line the cobblestone streets, and the unique architecture, doors, and windows of the buildings were beautiful to see.

The monastery of St. John of the Monarchs was one of our first stops. It was founded by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to commemorate the birth of their son. It was also built to be their final resting place, but they ultimately did not get buried there, but rather in Granada. The church itself is notable for its decoration of the coats of arms of the Catholic Monarchs, which were featured on both sides of the monastery with an eagle holding the coats of arms.

We walked through the Jewish Quarter which is entered via a gate. The streets are mazes and it is easy to become lost in them. We visited the Synagogue of Santa Maria which was built in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century, and is considered the oldest synagogue building in Europe that is still standing. The building was converted to a Catholic church in the early 15th century, but there is a small Star of David carved into the wall inside the building, which is still present.

Toledo has a long history in the production of blade weapons, which are now common souvenirs of the city and many shops along our walk were selling them.

After the walk, we said goodbye to Carlos, and met at the Plaza De Zocodover with many shops and restaurants surrounding it.

Our guide escorted us for lunch to a restaurant that served pinchos. This was a fun experience. All of the offerings were lined up on the counter, skewered with a toothpick in each one. I chose avocado on a hearty slice of bread, a sandwich of jamon with cheese, and on Jaunjo’s recommendation, a pork and paprika dish. Everything was delicious. You don’t pay until you’ve finished your meal and then you take your empty plate to the cashier and the cashier counts the toothpicks on your plate and that’s what you pay. What a fabulous idea.

We then found a marzipan shop and bought some candies and then it was time to get back on the bus for the long drive to Granada.

The bus ride took us through beautiful scenery with rows and rows of olive trees as far as the eye could see. Spain produces about half the world’s total olive oil, making it the world’s leading olive oil producer and exporter.

During the bus ride our guide gave us a taste of marzipan and played some Spanish classical music tapes as well as some Spanish favorites and we all took a little siesta.

We stopped at a cafeteria after about two hours into our ride and our guide arranged for us to sample manchego cheeses and crackers which was a nice surprise. The cheese was delicious.

Right before we arrived in Granada, I spotted a huge rainbow that arched across the sky…hopefully foretelling good luck for our trip.

We checked into our room and then made our way to the buffet for dinner with the group. It was a wonderful day and we’re looking forward to tomorrow touring Granada. The author Washington Irving was enthralled with Granada andI the Alambra and wrote the novel “Tales of the Alambra” which I’m going to look forward to reading.

The gate to the Jewish Quarter

The monastery of St. John of the Monarchs

Synagogue of Santa Maria

The star of David

Toledo, Ohio is the sister city to Toledo

Our guide with manchego cheeses

Before I regale you with today’s touring excerpts, we were told by our local guide this morning that the stormy weather we experienced when we arrived on Thursday from the airport was actually the worst storm that Madrid has seen since weather records were recorded. I told you… it was a huge storm!!

Anyway, today we visited El Escorial, which was built between 1563 and 1584 by King Philip II. (We were not allowed to take any photos inside the buildings, but I do encourage you to google the site and see the amazing art works!)

The  El Escorial is the largest Renaissance building in the world.  El Escorial was both a Spanish royal palace and a monastery, although Philip II is the only monarch who ever lived there. The building took over 21 years to complete, and to this day, when a job takes longer than necessary, “la obra de El Escorial” is a proverbial expression meaning “something that takes a long time to complete”.

The building itself, made from granite, is quite austere and definitely did not have the makings of an ornate palace.

El Escorial has been the burial site for most of the Spanish kings from the last five centuries, and we went into the different crypts…of which there are many…to visit with the kings as well as the queens, princes, and princesses.

The floor plan of the building is in the form of a gridiron. This gridiron motif surfaced many times in paintings, upholstery, tapestry, etc. that we saw on the tour, and it was symbolic of St Lawrence who, in the third century AD, was martyred by being roasted to death on a grill. YIKES!

We toured many beautiful rooms, and admired the stunning frescoes and tapestries (some created by Goya), that adorned the walls. Since today was Saturday, we couldn’t go into the church since weddings were taking place, so instead we were invited to rooms that visitors normally are not allowed to visit.

Philip lived on and off in the Escorial for 14 years. We visited his bedroom and the bed where he died, which prior to his death, allowed him a view of the high altar, and to see mass being celebrated while in bed.

Today, El Escorial is a UNESCO World Heritage site and functions as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital.

It was a lot of walking, so we were grateful when the tour ended and we were back in the bus. We had a quick lunch and then it was off with the guide for a tour around the old city of Madrid.

The architecture is amazing and the balconies that are on almost every building are beautiful.
We finished off the tour in a pastry shop and we were served thick hot chocolate along with churros to dip in it.

We have a very early day tomorrow, so we had a quick dinner and it’s off to bed. Interestingly, the Spaniards have their lunch or main meal at around 4 pm and dinner doesn’t start until around 9 or 10. The restaurants become very crowded at those times, so having an early lunch as well as dinner today, benefited us very well.

The old city of Madrid

After breakfasting at the hotel, we boarded our bus for a tour through Madrid. We saw the Royal Palace and walked the grounds of the Plaza de Espana, the city’s main square. The day was a bit chilly, but the sun finally came out and it was lovely walking around.

Our guide, Juanjo, told us a lot of history about Madrid and told us many interesting stories. He also told us that Spaniards eat lunch around 3:00 in the afternoon, and therefore, dinner isn’t started until around 9. The restaurants open early to accommodate tourists, but stay open late for the Spaniards, who don’t eat much beef, preferring to eat fish and chicken and they eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. Olive oil is a big commodity and Spain manufacturers and exports most of the olive oil in the world. He said, however, olive oil is getting very expensive to purchase.

The afternoon was ours to do what we like, so Kelly, Jim, Allan, and I visited The Prado museum. The museum is huge and although we tried to see most of the famous paintings, we spent a lot of time going up and down stairs and walking across from one museum wing to the other.

We saw many Goyas, Rubens, and a Rembrandt. We also saw Diego Velazquez’s “The Feast of Bacchus” and also his “Las Meninas”. There was also a famous painting by Bosch entitled “The Garden of Earthly Delights.”

There are over 2,000 paintings on display and you could spend months studying them all, but I think we saw some of the highlights in the three hours that we had.

And then…Good news! When we’re arrived back from our touring, our suitcase was awaiting us in our room. YAY!!

At night, we had the Welcome Dinner which was very nice and tomorrow we’ll be taking a tour to El Escorial Monastery.

Well, we almost cancelled the trip. The weekend before the day we were scheduled to leave, I started with a fever, horrific cough, and just felt exhausted. I went to the walk-in clinic where the Dr diagnosed bronchitis. She set me up with an arsenal of meds in the hopes my fever would break 24 hours before we were to due to leave on our journey, which thankfully it did.

Armed with my medicine cache, we embarked on our journey, and waited at Newark for our Lufthansa flight, which was delayed. We had a tight turn around in Munich to catch our connecting flight, so we were a bit worried we wouldn’t make it.

We arrived in Munich and had to sprint to the next gate, which of course, was literally the furthest gate in the airport from where we had landed. (If you haven’t sprinted with bronchitis, you don’t know what you’re missing.)

We made the plane and arrived in Madrid.

Our checked bag did not.

We had to wait on a long line to file a claim to have our luggage delivered to the hotel. But I knew our driver was waiting for us outside, and we couldn’t go out to let him know because they wouldn’t let us back in. I texted our guide who told the driver we would be there soon.

We finally filed the claim, but didn’t have high hopes the lady really understood that it was imperative our luggage arrive at our current hotel, as soon as possible, since we would be leaving it on Sunday and then who knows how they would get it to us.

We met our driver, in the pouring rain, and we walked to his car. It was like a monsoon when we exited from the terminal – strong gusts of wind, local flooding, and over an inch of rain was forecasted, much of it already on the ground. We had to walk thru puddles since the road had streams of water pouring by, so now my ballet shoes are soaked. And I’m coughing non-stop.

The driver gets us in the car in the parking garage and proceeds to go out the gate, but of course, as our luck would have it, the gate won’t open. Fifteen minutes waiting for help.

We finally get underway, I’m coughing up a lung, only to be stuck in traffic because there’s a major accident ahead. The rain is pelting the car and the wind is raging. (Our guide later told us they actually had to close the park since tree limbs were falling and the place was flooding!)

We arrived at the hotel, met our guide who is very nice and funny, and had a meeting with all the group to introduce ourselves and to find out the information we needed to know for the next few days. I had told the guide when I arrived, since it sounded like I had tuberculosis or worse, not to worry about my cough. I told him I have bronchitis and have a note that I was cleared for travel. I had the results from my COVID, RSV, and flu tests plus my negative chest x-ray results with me. He said no worries. During the meeting I had to excuse myself because of the cough and Allan told me our guide was very kind and told everyone I’m not contagious, I have bronchitis, and will no doubt be coughing during the trip. Everyone has been very kind and understanding, and they ask how I’m doing. It’s a nice group of folks.

Our friends Kelly and Jim are with us, so after the meeting we had a quick dinner together and then it was to bed for a much needed sleep!