Spain

Don Quixote tossed his hat at these windmills in Consuegra in Castilla-la-Mancha, Spain.

Hola All!

Sunny Spain beckoned urgently and we responded enthusiastically. Taking the red eye US Airways flight via New York City and Philadelphia, we arrived in the capital city of Madrid about 9 am. By the time we claimed our rental car from National Atessa, a spiffy brand-new silver gray Citroen with just 37 kms on it (right) , Llew got the hang of changing gears on the stick shift controls, and we headed out on the highways into the city that lay bathed in glorious golden sunshine.

We enjoyed ourselves enormously in Spain and Morocco. Doubtless, the trip did present a few glitches as all travel adventures invariably do. The inability to find parking in Cordoba, for instance, and the impatience of Spanish drivers who honk angrily at hesitant navigators were only some of the negative experiences we had. Then there was the fiasco at the ferry port in Tangiers when we missed our boat by a fraction of a second. But we took these stumbles in our stride as they were only minor inconveniences on a trip that was truly both entertaining and educational.

(On the main promenade in the chic beach resort of Marbella in Spain)

Most of all we loved the Spanish and Moroccan people, their warmth, their caring, their courtesy. They went out of their way to help us when we were lost and gesticulated madly when they knew that we could not understand their language. We enjoyed their cuisine, and partook enthusiastically in their love for cold meats, red wines, crusty bread and aged cheeses. We returned home with bottles of Spanish saffron and Moroccan antique necklaces. We also added to our stock of postcards, magnets and porcelain plates, not to mention the hundreds of photographs we took. Back home, I had many happy hours of scrap booking fun.

(The magical Plaza of the Lions in the Al-Hambra Palace in Granada, Spain)

Wanderlust is a fever that Llew and I share and we are so glad for this ailment. We hope you will enjoy your armchair travels with us. Click on the links above to read about our adventures in the many regions of Spain that we explored.

To follow Llew and me on our journeys through Spain, please click  Memories of Madrid.

Bueno Viaje!!!