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We arrived in Haifa with all sorts of plans and as you know well laid plans often go askew. There was a public announcement that there was a bus driver’s strike and anyone with plans to go on an excursion was out of luck. We had planned the day to be on our own, but we still encountered obstacles. Everyone headed to the taxis and there was suddenly a huge increase in prices. WE managed a hire and set off. The biggest draw to the city curiously enough is the Ba”ai temple. Opps closed also so we peered through the fence. To make up for our disappointment, our driver took us to a sculpture garden. Life like sculptures surrounded by beautiful plants and a view of the entire city made up for missing the temple. A visit to the monastery of Stella Maris was very moving. A small group of worshipers was there for a private mass. They allowed us to stay and we appreciated their graciousness. The rest if the day was spent on ship. Our day proved calmer. Some of our shipmates sent to Gallilee and Nazareth. Three hours there and three hours back and only one hour to visit. That did not appeal to us. Another sea day tomorrow then on to Greece

Early Monday morning we left the ship with no specific plan except to visit Jerusalem. Troy and I wanted to avoid the madness of a large tour and set out to find a guide and a taxi driver to take us from the port into the Holy City. Luckily we found both in one person, a colorful Georgian whose family escaped the Soviet Union and settled in Israel in the 1970s. All of the plants we enjoy in Texas were on brilliant display along the highway. Bougainvillea, oleander, plumbago were in full bloom. Vineyards, cotton fields, olive groves reminded us that this small country is still agricultural. Fighter jets, and helicopters and tight security reminded us that this is not a peaceful country. However, we found peace when we lit candles in the Church of the Holy Sepulchral, witnessed the joyous celebration of numerous Bar Mitsvahs and listened to the call to prayer from a mosque. Our guide was delightful. Knew just when to slow down for us, gave us info when we needed it and left us alone when we wanted privacy. Tomorrow we will be in Haifa for more adventures. I will post pictures a big later.

After two days at sea, we arrived at our first port, Limmassol, Cyprus. This was a resting place for Crusaders headed for the Holy Lands. The ruins of an ancient castle is full of Christian symbolism and in contrast there is a mosque that served the Moslem community so at odds with the Christians. We loved the bits of surviving pottery that showed how luxurious life could be during the time and were amazed to see two murals that honored our Frida Kahloe. I think she would love to see these paintings of her on such an exotic island.

The trip is coming to an end and it has been wonderful. So many memories to tuck away and to share. We had hoped to end on a high note, but the day was rainy and dreary. A planned trip to the Picasso museum did not work out because it was booked and instead we spend that time in a little wine bistro where the waiter was dressed like a vampire, the waitress like a witch and another employee was trying to impersonate Freida Kahloe. They were young and fun and the food like all of the food in Spain was delicious. Ox cooked in butter, fresh tuna and tomatoes and sliced Spanish chorizo with parm and bread. Tonight we had fried eggs, chirizo and potatoes. Grilled vegetables and fish and prawns. Delicious. We are so fortunate to have shared with experience with our Thomas. In fact, it would not have been possible without him. He was out logistics person, point man, body guard. Also a big thank you to Kelly for keeping Mikey and Mary Jack for watching our house. They are also very dear to us both. We will be home soon and ready to play another adventure after we get rid of the aches in our bones. Adios, Spain

Our journey is coming to an end. We drove through the mountainous north of Spain and into Mount Suerrate to stay in a small village at the foot of the range. Bars and cafes close early here and we shopped for vegetables at a local stand and prepared our own meal. Eggplant, onion, with tomatoes and olives. cheese and avocado with sweetpotato for dessert. Unusual menu but filling and fun. Thomas again amazed us with his driving skills and route selection. Beautiful leaves and foliage along the way. We stopped in Pamplona for lunch at the Bar Gaucho and imagined Hemingway and Fitzgerald drinking wine and beer there while waiting for the bulls to fill the plaza and run to the ring. Today we will get out Covid tests and Tom will return to US Sunday and we will Monday. Outside the sound to school children reminds me of how I spent to many years. I still miss it.

Thomas our precious grandson joined us in Madrid and is serving as our companion and driver. As much as we loved the city of Madrid this drive and stay in the Basque country is even more wonderful. We left the city in the dark heading toward Bilboa with several stops along the way. Breakfast at a working man’s cafe was hot milky coffee and a potato tortilla. The second stop was a little village called Lerma. There was a large square with a hotel on one end, a church and former convent on the other and shops on either side. We bought fresh bread, pate, marmelade, and olives and a knife to slice the bread. Lunch was ready for us when we were. Our next top was Burgos, a small city with am impressive cathedra. The tomb of El Cid the Spanish hero is here and the cathedral is the third largest in Spain. The front of the plaza was filled with cutouts decorated to represent Basque and Spanish pride. A bubbling fountain and the ever present cafe was waiting for us. The weather was cold and we did not stay as long as perhaps we would have if the weather had permitted. The scenery was spectacular. Mountains covered with leaves changing colors. Vineyards and farm lands. All soothing and inviting.

We left Burgos and drove to Salvatierra eating our lunch along the way to stay in a beautiful hotel that Tom selected and had a cod dinner in a restaurant he chose. Our room looks over the river and this evening kayakers and small boats go up and down. There is a walk leading to a light house that once guided fishermen home. Thomas was fascinated with a combination bridge and ferry that carries cars and people across the river. It hangs about 10 feet above the water on a series of cables and glides across delivering people home and to work. Franco destroyed it is the Civil War and it was rebuilt in 1943. WE have decided to stay here a day longer and explore the small villages in the area. Now the lights are coming on across the river and we settle in for the night.

Our last days in Morocco were spent in Casablanca a city that speaks of romance and intrigue. It is a low, white city that spreads out for miles from the Atlantic Ocean making it highly desirable for everyone from the Phonecians to the French. FDR made a treacherous trip to meet with Churchill in WWII and many a spy movie has been set here if not actually filmed here. An enormous mosque dominates the landscape and it is the only one open to non-Muslims in the entire country. It is very new and paid for by all Morocs. A small charge to enter probably means that there is still a debt against this edifice. Luckily we had a late flight to Spain and could get a little rest which was much needed. Getting out of the country was not easy. A lot of mysterious checking of papers and staring at faces and passports and whispered conversations. Finally we were handed a boarding pass and were off.

Madrid is much color than the desert country that we left behind. Grand squares, Baroque buildings and a candy shop and bar on every corner. Everyone is laid back enjoying their coffee or beer, one more cigarette and one more photo before moving along. Families and enjoying Sunday together, lovers are getting one more kiss, and the past mingles with the present in a beautiful way.

This wonderful drive from Marrakesch to Eassouise was full of wonderful sights. School children waiting for the bus, coffee shops in the trunks of cars, camels in the fields and goats in a tree to name a few. The first three easy to understand the goats in a tree not so much. Platforms are placed strategically in the tree branches and the goats climb up and spend their day on look out. They nibble on the leaves and make goat noises and pose for pictures for Americans that are dazzled by a goat. The highway has room for buses, cars, cycles of all kinds and donkey, mule, and horse drawn wagons. Farmers ride on the backs of these animals and have handmade wagons for them to pull. They move at a rapid clip totally unperturbed by the vehicles driving by. They are loaded with whatever they are taking to market and leave the animals near the market with feed bags tied to their noses. Occasionally we saw a tractor but they are rare. Most of the farming in this area is subsistence farming and the farmers pay no taxes on their income. They raise melons, strawberries, tomatoes, herbs and other vegetables. Some will have enough olive trees to supply their family. An olives grove of about 800 trees requires workers because they become labor intense then. These farmers are taxed. Argan trees help the women. They make cosmetics from the nuts, fuels from the shells and cooking oil as well. They women in these coops are single women in need to financial help.

The city of Essaouise was founded by the Portuguese and their influence in evident in the architecture and in the fishing industry. Hundreds of boats all painted blue ply the waters for sardines, shrimp and eel and what ever else they can catch. Two percent of their daily catch goes to feed the poor and women with small buckets are waiting for the fleet to come in and get their fish for the day. The city has also a host of cats. Vaccinated and neutered and spayed. They are fat and famously spoiled. Each one poses and waits to be petted.

The highlight of the day was when a beautiful little boy saw me and came running to my arms. HIs mother, grandmother and auntie were astonished when he fell into my arms and planted kisses on my check. Telling me in French that he loved me and wanted more kisses. It was a perfect ending to this day.

Tomorrow Casablanca but no Rick’s Bar.

We were with a local guide today in Marrakech and visited three of the most significant architectural pillars of the city. But not before seeing what makes this city so unique. The French built a church next to a mosque during colonization and then a synagogue was promptly established on the same street. Truly a city that welcomes everyone. We visited the Koutoubia Mosque built over eight hundred years ago and learned that French law forbade any but Muslims to enter and the law has never been changed. So unlike Turkey, we could no go in. We also visited the vizir’s palace know as Palais Bahia. The outside rooms were used for business and as we moved into the interior of the palace the rooms became more elaborate and more intimate. His four wives each had their own apartment with gorgeous tiles, carved columns and decorative windows facing a fountain and a garden, the concubines had smaller accommodations, but the were also beautiful and finally the vizier himself had a “man cave” with two stages, fancy tiles and enough space to entertain all of the ladies he wanted to. The palace was used as the home of the general Marshal Lyautey during the French Protectrate. Does not surprise me one bit. Spent the afternoon lounging around the pool and gave our senses and our feet a much needed rest.

It is hard to believe that in our seventy-ninth year Troy and I would be so lucky to ride a camel into the Sahara to view the sunset and the moon rise, but that is exactly what we did. After a wild ride in a 4 x 4, we had the privilege to visit a nomad camp and watch the matron of the family weaving at her loom. We were welcomed into the family communal tent and visited with an older daughter and two school boys. She was shy and covered in black from head to toe. Other family members were at the Sunday market trading their wool and goat hair for goods that the family will use in their day to day life. The tent was make of heavy wool and the sand was covered with hand made rugs which served as table, chair and beds for a family. At night a curtain would hang from the center of the tent to offer the women some privacy. The boys attended a nearby school as long as the family stayed in the area, but they would seldom be there for more than a few weeks at the time. A rugged life, but one that has been followed by many generations of nomads before them..

We left to join the camel corps. These beasts were laying in wait for us. Only one camel was so contrary that he would not let the rider mount. The rest knelt down while we climbed aboard. We moved in groups of five over the dunes and came to a stop at a sandy cliff. Rugs were laid on the sand and we waited for the sun to set. The silence was beautiful. After time spent in hectic markets and tourists sights this majesty was welcoming. The landscape shifted gently about like an ocean of sand. People and nature became one for at least that moment. A ride back to dinners gave us a chance to see the sunset on the left and the moon to rise on the right. A band of Berbers garbed in white beating drums and shaking tambourines and striking symbols danced us into dinner. This experience will be hard to top.