Hotel Doramar Benalmadena

After days at sea we had a short stop in Malaga before docking the next day back in Savona. I have decided that I am not crazy about the days at sea. Even though I really enjoyed all the ports, I don't think I would do anther big curise. The fact that there were only small number of people who spoke enlgish on the ship was interesting. So wanted to speak another language .. any lanaugage. Even when I told the Germans I did nto speak Germann they kept talking!

... on to me when I was leaning against a wall. Wasn´t happy that Mark wasn´t around to get a pic though! grrr!! I Want One! Plus I miss my babies, Harvey and Biscuit...

Anyway, the trip was a really good breath of fresh air, in comparison to the hustle and bustle of lots of the parts of Europe we have visited recently.

Hopefully we can get a computer that will upload photos in the next few days! Keep an eye out...

... Spanish holidays. Most of them seem to be related to the church. It's interesting how today it seems like the church plays such little role in peoples lives but in the past it is what dominated most aspects of society. Back to today. I knew it was Thanksgiving but it sure as heck didn't feel like it. At school the teachers didn't bring up the subject or cut us any slack. The weather was kind of rainy today so that helped. It didn ...

Malaga is the major city near Frigiliana (where the train dropped us off). We spent a day there when we picked up Jaime and Rob at the train station. Some highlights:

• Watching Jaime and Rob come off the train and meet us in Spain
• The Picasso Museum – a wonderful ...
  Málaga, Andalusia, Spain and Canary Islands jennyandpaul2

... have it replaced, but in hindsight I believe that is an American mentality (a tradition of America). I asked Alex if he thought it would be wrong for me to ask and he replied, "What have you got to lose?" which is the state of mind I like. So I went in and asked the bartender if I could exchange it and she was a little surprised and she asked her boss, and they exchanged it. When I went out of the bar with a beer in my hand the group ...

... selling sea food and having bbqs on the beach. The weather is amazing cant believe that its still around the 25 degrees mark at this time of year.

We walked for a while and then worked our way back to the hotel where Ian went and lay by the pool for a little while reading his book while I had a little sleep. Its only a few days now until we come home and I am excited although I want to keep on travelling around. We got ready ...

... the ferry over to Algeciras it only took an hour and half and then we where in spain, I felt a huge weight lift as now we can relax a little. In morroco you are always on edge always watching and not trusting people that it makes you a little crazy. So we went and got our bus tickets and we waited in a little bus station cafe and had our first taste of Spanish food. Ian had some paella and I had some meatballs ...

... our ship, the navigator of the seas (royal caribbean) is repositioning to the caribbean for the winter. pricing on these types of cruises is very affordable and the type of people that cruise on the transatlantic sailings tend to be laid back, not the type who needs to be in a different port every day especially since we will have 6 sea days in a row as we cross the atlantic. i will have internet access on the ship so hopefully i'll be able to post daily.

... the Kasbah, we headed for a ¨traditional moroccan lunch¨, which was fine, with couscous, meat on skewers, and some local musicians playing music. Then it was over to the Medina, where we got a tour of a carpet shop. I thought it was good for the pictures, but not much else, so instead of staying huddled with the group in the crowded shop we headed next door to find something we would actually buy. We ended up haggling over a euro or 2 for some cheap souvineres but in the end ...

... sea side promenade filled with chic restaurants, fancy art galleries and beautiful people. Its docks are also lined with clean bleach white yachts. I recall sitting at a restaurant looking out into the promenade when a wealthy looking lady (I suspect a Spanish movie star) drove up by the water in her new SLK and proceeded to electronically lower the hard top (a novelty back then). Many people were fascinated looking at her and so ...