Meson de Sancho Tarifa

... into view as I rounded a bend, and I immediately recognized this place. This was where I wanted to be!--it was the famous Monaco Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium where Jacques Cousteau had once served as Director! Sadly, I initially recognized it because I had done some research on invasive marine species for a class last year and had seen photos of this very same building, from the very same angle. During Cousteau's tenure, a type of algae (its name escapes me at the moment ...

... muffins from an actual cloistered nun. Well we thought that we did, as we never did see her through the wierd lazy Susan contraption that was used to exchange money for sweets. 1.5 euros for a dozen tasty muffins. Nick slyly commented that the nun may have been cooped up long enough to have lost track of inflation. How was she supposed to know the going rate for muffins anyway? he said. You know being ...

Just an overnight stop in the most southernmost town of continental Europe with world renowned winds. It´s just a little bit windy here, to walk in a straight line you have to walk at an angle. Never have we experienced such high winds, they bloody nearly blew us away. When you go to the beach you get a free skin care routine as the ...

... Looking along the 9km beach this morning we could have counted the number of people on the beach, although I can't imagine it's like this in high season. Behind the beach in the sand dunes looks to be an unofficial camping area for campervans, including quite a few 'travellers' who don't look as though they travel much these days. There is also another official campsite, Les Dunes, which from the N340 is about 500m on the left (follow signs for Paloma Playa) past ...

... it was good music. The beaches are really nice here - the sand is very soft. There are lots of surfers and windsurfers. We went to the beach today and Dad and I snorkeled and saw a huge fish. This is where the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean meet - two oceans like in Cape Town. It is called the Straights of Gibraltar. I am looking forward to going to North Africa, but think Spain rocks! Top Three Best Things ...

... to talk about how different Moroccan Judaism was from anything we had seen on the trip, complete with local saints and pilgrimages. The wall in the old folks' home, then, was a pastiche of images that defined Moroccan Jewry better than any lecture could have done. It is a Judaism deeply interested in local holy figures, a community that has very strong relations with the central government, and one that, like many smaller communities around the world, has strong ...

... our Minibus sitting at the end of the old fort wall. Tired and hungry, we head to Dar Nilam for some rest before dinner. I pay Abdul and he confirms they'll come pick us up the next day for trip to Port ....all included in price. Nice. I think through our day and realize we just did all the things listed in the travel guides as arranged tours....typical tourists. But we did it at our pace and privately.

... adventure beyond our imaginations. Luckily we were forewarned about this and pressed forward through all the mayhem and found our way through the medina (old town) to the Petit Socco (square) where we were hoping to be able to get a room for the night. After finding a room and checking in we were out and about looking for an ATM machine as we did not have any Moroccan dirham (currency). After literally trying three machines that acted as if the ...

... sold in France because an estate version of the Punto was never made (to my knowledge). There are also the old-style Mercedes limousines- the Grand Taxis. Rock solid. Unos/Palios are Petit Taxis. I had Couscous for supper - gorgeous. However, no beer available - no alcohol served in the restaurant where I went.

... I stayed up a bit that night putting music on the hostel owner´s computer. Karla at sunset Yesterday we caught an early bus from Cadiz to Tarifa and arrived a bit before 9am. Tarifa is southeast of Cadiz and known for windsurfing. We got checked into a hostal (nice one - €15 for my own room!). We had decided to do a day tour over to Tangier, Morocco, so found the ticket office and got tix before sitting down to breakfast. Explored Tarifa a bit. You can see Africa from ...