Spain & Morocco 3-26 July 2004
by Brian Abbott

http://brianabbott.net/travels/spainmorocco/

My trip to Spain and Morocco was made possible by the International Planetarium Society conference in Valencia. I attended this conference for work, then toured Barcelona, Casablanca, Marrakech, Fes, and Madrid. My traveling companion was my friend Pram, who was on a world tour and came down from Amsterdam to meet me.

]]> -3.400334379166387 35.93025465979689 0 2355731.107779044 8.79715636971751e-14 1.02184262527432 New York to Valencia I took a night flight to Madrid that left JFK at about 8 PM. We arrived in Madrid the following morning where I had a short lay-over before flying on to Valencia.

I was shocked by the quality of the food in the Madrid airport. Puts many restaurants in the U.S. to shame and is an indication of how complacent the average U.S. consumer about the quality of the food available to them.

3-4 July 2004

]]> #flight 1 -0.4741625876451394,39.49075145196795,0 -3.571064789946278,40.46826164429646,0 -73.78443817582917,40.64572522271597,0 Valencia, Spain 4-9 July 2004

València is the third largest city in Spain with about 800,000 inhabitants. I was traveling there for a meeting of the International Planetarium Society, which worked well as the cost of traveling to Europe and back could be expensed. I flew directly to Madrid from JFK in New York and then took a smaller flight to València, which took about an hour.

Our conference was in la Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciències and occupied much of my time. This afforded few opportunities to explore the city center, which is about a 15-minute bus ride away. However, by the end of the conference, I was making more of an effort to venture into town and explore the bars and discos by night.

València does seem to be heading in the right direction, though one still sees the sales pitch in the tourist brochures that suggest some level of desperation. València remains overshadowed by the more popular tourist destinations of Madrid and Barcelona. Still, València is a nice city and, as it was my first exposure to Spain, I enjoyed the new food, the Spanish people, and the culture.

]]> Taxi to hotel My first interaction with a Spaniard. The communication was kept to a bare minimum.

4 July 2004

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-0.4700594701632923,39.49046846686384,0 -0.4703654621088306,39.49100881712755,0 -0.4704726421350216,39.491148316654,0 -0.4706153557963262,39.49125870697723,0 -0.4707674615073217,39.49134820917492,0 -0.4709430805741022,39.49141104790263,0 -0.4711308709206322,39.49143435315182,0 -0.4724052538095549,39.49146933278021,0 -0.4726189466055501,39.49149083024535,0 -0.47287932901952,39.49157675461064,0 -0.4730929636652519,39.491651096289,0 -0.4732490109514771,39.49169841656088,0 -0.4735585842048522,39.4917757793547,0 NH Las Artes Hotel Home in Valencia was a nice hotel, paid for by work. The food was excellent and the rooms were nice.

Pram joined me on a few days after I arrived. He was supposed to get in Wednesday, but something happened with his train and he ended up getting in late.

]]> #hotel -0.3575942214313131,39.45572187146666,0 Bus This was the short bus route into city center.

5, 7, 9 July 2004

]]> #bus 1 -0.3767520781244826,39.46750244020629,0 -0.3753605455651723,39.46717969935243,0 -0.3752182758282316,39.467150220703,0 -0.3751020930875484,39.46709940018591,0 -0.3750021839549476,39.46699607859893,0 -0.3741276846599392,39.46526813098382,0 -0.3737922293838097,39.46479932312411,0 -0.3728410610128349,39.46383391799696,0 -0.3727451572167412,39.46374658650242,0 -0.3725989160561198,39.46365319869467,0 -0.3721307332850615,39.4633924366264,0 -0.3719449131450149,39.46325137488017,0 -0.3717165956175991,39.46301369480993,0 -0.3713547798952561,39.46259025331822,0 -0.3707555372781997,39.46183727713124,0 -0.3700161591761599,39.46092898683852,0 -0.3699422441459461,39.46082949707083,0 -0.3698937962413992,39.4607337609619,0 -0.3695586545303939,39.45992592965167,0 -0.3694929708070447,39.45983106186261,0 -0.369381013381485,39.45979311396777,0 -0.3692524908047403,39.45979121335904,0 -0.3667771081802584,39.46080956979779,0 -0.3665524761651255,39.46082138411719,0 -0.3663636232794261,39.4607780846726,0 -0.3662261078695934,39.46068383187435,0 -0.3632362407905987,39.45642490456434,0 -0.3623053002895205,39.45510982015728,0 -0.361874928976377,39.45464823234681,0 -0.3617245113644573,39.45455633356585,0 -0.3615190013324536,39.45447883580076,0 -0.3613367066372888,39.45442256051915,0 -0.3611701842573325,39.4544144586195,0 -0.3577138509963333,39.45592170913869,0 L'Umbracle A garden promenade offers views of the of the planetarium and the science museum from above. The gardens have many palm trees, cacti, and flowering shrubs and vines. The entire length of the garden, which is about two-tenths of one mile, is covered in this barred design, which I hope will be covered by vines and purple flowers (such as you see here) one day. Since umbrío or umbroso means shade, I expect there will be some of that here when the flora have time to mature.

4 July 2004

]]> #poi -0.353905294883532,39.45537713542564,0 L'Hemisferic This is the planetarium in the City of the Arts and Sciences. Inside is a sphere and surrounding it is an outdoor space (when the windows on each side are folded to their open position) where we ate dinner. The food was wonderful and the space is impressive.

4 July 2004

]]> #poi -0.3540018593336356,39.45674329800854,0 Museu de las Ciencies Principe Felipe This is the science museum where most of the conference activities were scheduled.

4 July 2004

]]> #poi -0.3520154984955327,39.45605735996025,0 Science Museum A shot of the science museum and the planetarium in the extreme left part of the frame.

Museu de las Ciències (dia)

4 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.3546365934471112,39.45629433064333,0 Walk to City Hall Square Ryan and I took a short trip into town, just to get a lay of the land.

5 July 2004

]]> #walk 1 -0.3770837792066005,39.47017561761684,0 -0.377140632680053,39.46921970647256,0 -0.377341505420091,39.46796421646453,0 -0.3770045605875936,39.46770274641231,0 -0.3769095353365941,39.46753249100939,0 Ayuntamiento - City Hall First venture into town from the conference. This is the Town Hall, a lovely 16th century building with sculpted men atop columns. The facade is ornate and surrounded by gleaming marble sidewalks.

Ayuntamiento

5 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.3771347575668926,39.4703430085455,0 Palau de las Arts The nearly complete Palace of the Arts was perhaps my favorite of all the buildings in the City of the Arts and Sciences. The sweeping arc that hangs above the giant theater is a pleasure to look at. I'm not too sure what's going on with the lower half of the building though. Inside will be an 1,800 seat theater accompanied by a 2,100 seat outdoor theater. I would like to have seen the inside of this place.

Palau de las Arts

5 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.3560618431417737,39.45815517574773,0 Walk to the Old Square Ryan and I came back to explore town on a slow conference day. We had lunch at a nice outdoor cafe, wandered into the Cathedral, climbed to the top of the tower (El Micalet), and then returned to the conference.

7 July 2004

Pram and I had some time to kill before jumping on the train to Barcelona. We walked over to the old square, ran into Miguel, Pram's friend, and then walked to the train station.

9 July 2004

]]> #walk 1 -0.3756455479205982,39.47526653471337,0 -0.375911084849065,39.47468759230526,0 -0.3759857846873019,39.47408116461561,0 -0.3759524039905813,39.4739648640249,0 -0.3758844998690166,39.47386596290733,0 -0.375885841752563,39.47376301138326,0 -0.3769411528782883,39.47233120538923,0 -0.3769898485628573,39.47219914087302,0 -0.3770351556909048,39.47178987315745,0 -0.3770837792066005,39.47017561761684,0 -0.377140632680053,39.46921970647256,0 -0.377341505420091,39.46796421646453,0 -0.3770045605875936,39.46770274641231,0 -0.3769095353365941,39.46753249100939,0 View From El Micalet Ryan and I climbed the 200 steps for a view of València and the Plaza de la Reina below. I was surprised to see parking below the square. One reads about these squares being centuries old, then you see a parking garage below them. This is a common scene in Spain, though, and a smart use of space. This square was the heart of old València before the city expanded in the 19th century.

View from El Micalet

Ryan posing with Valencia (background). The Mediterranean Sea is visible between buildings on the horizon. The bells are right beside and below us. They are very proud of their bells, listing each of them on the ticket along with their weight and year of acquisition. The oldest is Jaime which dates from 1440; the heaviest is Miguel-Vicente which weighs in at 11,000 kilograms (that's over 24,000 pounds for us non-metric folks!). The tower's total height is 70 meters (230 feet) to the tippy-top.

Ryan on El Micalet

Looking toward the City of the Arts and Sciences. The Palace of the Arts and the Museum of the Sciences are seen in the distance, center frame. Farther are the shipyards on the Med. My hotel is among the cluster of taller buildings to the right of the City of the Arts and Sciences.

València from El Micalet

7 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.3757797960496704,39.47536387489613,0 Alabaster Windows I was surprised by the alabaster windows in this cathedral. If you look closely, you can see the dark imperfections in the thinly-carved sheets of stone (barely detectable in this photo). This produces a bright, airy feeling inside which I found to be pleasant, as opposed to stained glass windows that, while beautiful, keep the inside quite dark.

Alabaster Windows

7 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.3750970182272795,39.47582129332065,0 Redonda Plaza We stumbled into this small, charming market. It is dark and quiet and only cats are stirring. This round plaza looks as if it's been around for centuries.

7 July 2004

]]> #poi -0.3767415789109662,39.47361087350988,0 Cafe Lunch Ryan and I ate lunch at a little cafe here. We are still learning Spanish as we go, so ordering is limited to things we know. Jamon for the most part. We sat outside and had a nice lunch and a beer or two. They say San Miguel has formaldehyde in it, but I don't taste it.

7 July 2004

]]> #poi -0.3761577600167527,39.47394923729787,0 Sant Vicent This shady street is mostly filled with stores and boutiques.

7 July 2004

]]> #poi -0.3763648453757042,39.47305779049412,0 Horrifying I was disappointed to see a McDonalds here in the midst of the old section in Valencia.

7 July 2004

]]> #poi -0.3759163133994434,39.4748275113445,0 The Cathedral This is the entrance to the cathedral, studded with more guys atop columns. This entrance was most unusual for a cathedral, for it was quite small and humble. I later discovered the main entrance on the other side, and it all made sense. Still, this facade was beautiful and exotic compared to the Gothic cathedrals I am accustomed to.

The Cathedral

7 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.3755955535583837,39.47533088403304,0 La Guerra We went to this bar a couple times. Guerra means "war." This is a 4-story bar and club. A great time was had.

8 July 2004

]]> #poi -0.3831359636982512,39.47585260268333,0 Penguins Inside the Antarctic area, where the Humboldt Penguins hang out. Not too much action in the pen today. On the other side of the penguins are the large white beluga whales in the Arctic area.

The Penguins

8 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.3465318748778969,39.45337566924464,0 L'Oceanografic L'Oceanogràfic is a hodgepodge of structures that work well together (see the large map). Pictured is the entry building and in the background, a spherical cage to hold the wetlands, where fish, reptiles, and birds all coexist.

L'Oceanogràfic

8 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.3476561278035746,39.45273057462653,0 Inside the Museum of the Sciences On the last day of the conference, I toured some museums with two fellow planetarians from Wisconsin. This is the main hallway inside the museum; to the right are the exhibit floors. This is a very hands-on museum. Our favorite was the Matrix-like photo shoot where you get in the center of a ring that's equipped with a camera every meter. The woman tells you to go on the count of three and then the cameras start snapping in sequence. After, you get to see the whole 360-degree shot, Matrix style. Chris (on the right) had the best pose with his legs up and his arm out like a fierce cat. The woman taking the pictures was amused and laughed for some time at our picture.

Inside the Museum of the Sciences

8 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.3522471027792875,39.45638524167607,0 Venial Discoteca One of the dance clubs we frequented is somewhere near here on the Quart.

They give you receipts without fail and I kept a few, giving witness to the debauchery. They list 3:01 AM and 4:10 AM on the 8th, and 4:09 AM on the 9th.

8 July 2004

]]> #poi -0.3820040066430721,39.47624173423816,0 Plaza del Ayuntamiento We're still on the plaza... Now we're looking the other way toward the post office, with the odd metal tower.

Plaza del Ayuntamiento

9 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.3766985532554514,39.47075414691897,0 Plaza de Toros Pram and the obligatory bull fighting ring.

Plaza de Toros

9 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.377561500914112,39.46738659244298,0 The Train Station The Estación del Norte, a grand station with a huge canopy roof behind its main facade (pictured). The building has many great ornaments including bright, ceramic oranges. Inside, security was tight after the Madrid train bombings last year.

The Train Station

9 July 2004

]]> #photo -0.3774990742299024,39.46778183906281,0 Train to Barcelona From València, Pram and I took the train to Barcelona. It was an agonizing, four-hour trip because we were sitting in front of obnoxious people.

9 July 2004

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-0.3472481321350642,39.43909565877776,0 -0.3609550954213461,39.4404478496288,0 -0.3737930452324605,39.44171618151358,0 -0.3798359691947866,39.44229523888886,0 -0.3810927104768639,39.44254350133861,0 -0.382058141803455,39.44291923365054,0 -0.3827924608605429,39.44341039853788,0 -0.3834210022672835,39.44404872143017,0 -0.3838018547246095,39.44469744480214,0 -0.3840249093427985,39.44553619547852,0 -0.3840341108754757,39.44652976355189,0 -0.3831081329090438,39.44928967890423,0 -0.3812459114220701,39.45484879660619,0 -0.3807701652252291,39.45682381983246,0 -0.3775358506309061,39.46629947045685,0 Barcelona, Spain 9-15 July 2004

I became enamored with Barcelona's architecture, its friendly people, its rich history, and its insane nightlife. I hope to return soon to this city by the sea.

We stayed in a hotel right off the Plaza de Catalunya, the city's main square. I tried to strike a balance between seeing the city and going out and partying. I partly believe that I can party anywhere, so why should I travel 1,000 miles to do so. On the other hand, I also think this is the best way meet the locals. I tried to be somewhat disciplined though, getting in before 7 in the morning. One could easily stay out later; I believe Pram rolled in around 9 or 10 some mornings.

Our typical day involved waking up—early if we didn't stay out too late, early afternoon if we did—and seeing some sights. We ate a late lunch (the Spanish way) with a few courses and some wine, then continued to see the sights until it was time to get ready for the evening. Around midnight, one goes to the bars for a nice chat with new friends; the discos come to life around 3 A.M. My nocturnal tendencies were completely (and overly) satisfied here.

]]> L3 Subway to the Hotel We decided to take the subway to the Catalunya Plaza, the center of activity in Barcelona. Our hotel was a block away.

9 July 2004

]]> #train 1 2.169427290944284,41.3864300316631,0 2.170098690322932,41.38540158570333,0 2.171678322962606,41.38301021060184,0 2.174119801924661,41.38020130784935,0 2.175378741320301,41.37875415762237,0 2.176119905589715,41.37767728252202,0 2.176175931776129,41.37740219443199,0 2.176114219241754,41.37712193531199,0 2.175972880968985,41.37688198176686,0 2.17523928576675,41.37608594856293,0 2.17499586848497,41.37574930792933,0 2.174721428217737,41.37558039548242,0 2.173952374361974,41.37519379544499,0 2.173409934832065,41.37492747498352,0 2.173045544617054,41.37484355912555,0 2.172626103580171,41.3747949762057,0 2.171434079174176,41.37486094608851,0 2.170300558856155,41.37493239960193,0 2.169535700484261,41.37494568309203,0 2.167217974092253,41.37495966933148,0 2.150875940567644,41.37505096232038,0 2.150280003694178,41.37511785035904,0 2.149790380227714,41.37524471524292,0 2.149342315742416,41.37542542004465,0 2.148714849688957,41.37578390897767,0 2.142619669837289,41.38039258076805,0 Hotel - Gran Ducat We stayed here while in Barcelona. It was a nice hotel. Centrally located, decent food, tiny rooms. Of course, being a New Yorker, I am comfortable with that.

]]> #hotel 2.171730451699105,41.38877401306756,0 Walk to Barri Gotic, La Rambla, and L'Eixample Pram and I took our first stroll around town and into the old part of town, the Barri Gotic.

10 July 2004

]]> #walk 1 2.159271403390733,41.38671382595527,0 2.161529392890785,41.38500568976954,0 2.161730468139965,41.38492786825912,0 2.161950998561693,41.38496935114802,0 2.163141165575881,41.38582674198538,0 2.163545221034497,41.3860975868637,0 2.163659891288233,41.38617025484382,0 2.163791356862205,41.38620215461069,0 2.163932338664807,41.38619379914709,0 2.164097350211351,41.38612723138636,0 2.164242891087653,41.38604254998599,0 2.164398204408698,41.38599791680366,0 2.164580098144555,41.38598260798803,0 2.16531864773063,41.38592855332906,0 2.167004934121564,41.38578544890098,0 2.16764516051181,41.385767118564,0 2.169281219820306,41.38561616761888,0 2.169623250327177,41.38559313830424,0 2.169828802056472,41.38550792416406,0 2.169987255866104,41.38540116797879,0 2.170562755202155,41.38455884985946,0 2.171114311127482,41.38374996459856,0 2.171557677853357,41.38305729195571,0 2.171685817145374,41.3828882344995,0 2.17314750389292,41.38120307117642,0 2.17396214840042,41.38025188028826,0 2.174574217087255,41.3795148472592,0 2.174596794201364,41.37944125666368,0 2.174561672399946,41.37937478350575,0 2.173815146242846,41.37865850841843,0 2.175009254445499,41.37816080619632,0 2.175268894499652,41.37841805808929,0 2.175384844613944,41.3785122899428,0 2.17545205459723,41.37848691385757,0 2.176020417440881,41.37766085424705,0 2.176389473281148,41.37727476695603,0 2.176734501037743,41.37686780778807,0 2.176925913445857,41.37668949122486,0 2.177181127489803,41.376547403062,0 2.177494291852497,41.37641848946623,0 2.177663991124007,41.37636670807753,0 2.177830728607959,41.37636429456792,0 2.177953269369254,41.37642787149341,0 2.178069687505882,41.37651023833381,0 2.179555546352688,41.37836023638025,0 2.180590366694673,41.37971971258947,0 2.181724413652006,41.38116060434411,0 2.181197154164593,41.38132273836279,0 2.180915831044786,41.38140430039416,0 2.180810665045314,41.38141089310789,0 2.180721369376542,41.38138054899003,0 2.180522214040664,41.38118824390572,0 2.180346862246566,41.38098426923933,0 2.180008079563336,41.38110110177234,0 2.179776899886576,41.38117327218658,0 2.179568774845421,41.38120233631032,0 2.179449997074045,41.38123570535814,0 2.179198899066819,41.38141251366602,0 2.17907213631824,41.38148106461998,0 2.178835373099403,41.38158730960733,0 2.178647683487739,41.38175317658096,0 2.178366247365602,41.38191585165216,0 2.178211060124937,41.38201629812618,0 2.177372581981373,41.38268633261881,0 2.176992403285141,41.382936441735,0 2.176744577826071,41.38309322756565,0 2.176024996526252,41.38356961198739,0 2.175406420235376,41.38402225303901,0 2.174903718653852,41.38437056655099,0 2.174497435101358,41.38462793400657,0 2.174380896740715,41.38468777442101,0 2.174225488121735,41.38472175015301,0 2.174069636884681,41.38476272967968,0 2.173956178376756,41.38483170594996,0 2.173747484771198,41.38510770967203,0 2.173629051367541,41.38523287360945,0 2.172429143172835,41.38609780809004,0 2.171706436681291,41.38668344761668,0 2.171567737498336,41.38681071510546,0 2.171503161010065,41.38695719250649,0 2.171425269095423,41.38711002852583,0 2.171319468354,41.38722621038146,0 2.170793764559193,41.38767656253645,0 2.170622801580748,41.3878140870571,0 2.17055758135227,41.38793666021682,0 2.170573929778342,41.38806130038887,0 2.170654575740372,41.3881617331646,0 2.171680771712658,41.3885259200044,0 2.171755497237214,41.38856684049551,0 2.171776373966438,41.38863808918404,0 2.171768817154231,41.38870674899164,0 El Corte Ingles The huge Spanish department store, "The English Court." We bought our plane tickets to Morocco here a few days before we flew there. Always a madhouse, packed with people.

10 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.171010773463109,41.38806339134081,0 Viaduct As wonderful as this viaduct looks, it is actually a 1920s add-on. This overpass is on Calle de Bisbe and connects the Casa de los Canónigos, built in the 15th century, with the Generalitat. What I'm curious about is why, after these two buildings sat side by side for centuries, was there a need to connect them one story above the ground. Curious...

Viaduct

10 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.176456468948146,41.38328467587104,0 Hookers and Drunks We strolled through the narrow alleys and streets of the Barri Gòtic, where the ghost of ancient Barcelona lingers. Here we discovered where the hookers dally with the drunks of Barcelona. Upon discovering this, we decided to seek a more beaten path and went back to La Rambla.

10 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.174542553532959,41.37835057620595,0 On Las Ramblas Las Ramblas is a wide avenue that runs from the seaside into the relatively newer parts of town in L'Eixample. The name comes from the arabic word for sand, ramla. This avenue traces the path of a river that was dry and sandy in the summer. Merchants would use the dry riverbed to conduct business and sell their wares until the mid 1300s, when it was paved and became a more permanent marketplace. Today the avenue is divided into two-lanes for cars in each direction that surround the wide walkway up the middle. On the walkway are newsstands, cafes, and a lot of pet shops (where birds are the big seller). Each section has a speciality and is known for something different. Along the way are many street performers, such as this tree guy behind Pram. Many of the performers strive for a motionless day, emulating the stone-carved monuments in Barcelona, but the tree guy would move his hands and head in slow-motion as a tree might. He was an original.

On Las Ramblas

10 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.173669078912738,41.38055516790214,0 Punto BCN Bar Pram and I popped in here for a late afternoon drink. I wrote a bit in my journal and he wrote some postcards. This is a nice, clean bar with some good-looking patrons!

After a couple drinks, we headed back to the hotel to get cleaned up for an evening of going out.

10 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.159101362704718,41.38665251320349,0 Sweet Bar We ate dinner nearby at about 10 PM, then went to this bar at about midnight. It was packed with people; midnight is primetime for the bars here in Barcelona.

We started talking to an older Texan from Dallas and his younger, good-looking Pakistani partner.

10 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.15788998668333,41.38588868665469,0 Cafe Dietrich Cafe Dietrich is best known for their weekend show. It begins somewhere around 1 or 2 in the morning so people begin piling into the place after 1 AM.

People gathered beside a glassed-in room to see the upcoming show, but it never happened. I just talked with people on the periphery rather than inject myself into the dense crowd.

Pram and I met this Asian guy from Boston and a Swiss who works for HP in Barcelona who fancied Pram.

By 3 AM, Dietrich is closing. This is about when the discos begin ramping up, so we went to this place Metro a few blocks away with our new-found friends.

10 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.159839587857149,41.38685787655545,0 Metro Disco Metro is one of the most popular discos in town. We arrived sometime after 3 AM (on the 11th actually) and it was just starting to come to life. One person from San Sebastian took an immediate liking to me: nice , but not my type. We talked for over an hour.

By about 5:30 I began hunting for Pram and finally tracked him down. Told him I was heading back; he stayed for awhile longer.

When I stepped outside, there was a thunderstorm. It wasn't raining too hard, though, so I made my way back to the hotel. Actually, I was hoping I knew where the hotel was. Even after a night of partying, I still made it back without getting lost.

After the exuberance of this night, I actually had the energy to write in my journal when I got home. But, by 6:45, I decided to go to sleep. I think Pram rolled in about 9 this morning.

10 July 2004

Revisited the Metro on Monday night. I met someone from Paris and he and I talked about politics, Morocco, and Spain.

Metro has a show this evening, but it was to crowded, not to mention the fact that I couldn't understand much of what was being said. I left the crowd behind and ran into Pascal, Ryan's friend from Valencia, how surprising!

I left about 5:15 and found Pram home when I got there.

12 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.163418563545463,41.38403742470823,0 L4 Subway to Sagrada Familia A short subway ride up to Verdaguer and walked over to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral.

11 July 2004

]]> #train 1 2.169130520070439,41.39973002704801,0 2.172814689100221,41.39693349441676,0 2.172886680108704,41.39677594078336,0 2.172873325810528,41.39659823447185,0 2.172775252885402,41.39642018780012,0 2.167912869512321,41.39279526331224,0 2.16768771330581,41.39260111617825,0 2.167630043601662,41.39245947555244,0 2.167673040906664,41.39230764938129,0 2.167810595917459,41.39217168876299,0 2.172192566448643,41.38890358129147,0 Ate lunch here After getting off the train, we ate lunch here. There are not many choices in this mainly residential neighborhood, plus it is Sunday and many places are closed. What choices there are do not look great.

This outdoor tapas restaurant was no exception. Everything was too salty for me.

]]> #poi 2.173785807389265,41.40039569961427,0 La Sagrada Familia Opinions vary widely on the Sagrada Família cathedral and its architect, Antoni Gaudí i Cornet. Born in 1852, Gaudí started the cathedral in 1882 and had not completed half of the marvelous temple before being run over by a street car in 1926. As for my opinion, I wholeheartedly love it and, while it may not be easy to compare to other cathedrals, it certainly can stand alone as a magnificent work of art.

La Sagrada Família

Here are a couple post cards I picked up:

La Sagrada Familia Postcard Picture

11 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.174341561602816,41.40365478198705,0 The Passion Facade The Passion Facade of La Sagrada Família was completed after Gaudí's death by architect Jordi Bonet and sculptor Josep Subirachs. Plans for the cathedral were mostly destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, when many cathedrals and churches were burnt. Thankfully, this cathedral survived, but Gaudí's workshop was burned and his tomb in the cathedral's crypt was vandalized. Architects are now combining what remains from Gaudí's original plans with their own styles to complete the massive project. Sponsors hope that the cathedral will be completed by the centenary of Gaudí's death in 2026.

The Passion Facade

The Kiss of Judas

The Passion Facade Entrance

Passion Facade People

11 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.174098202658428,41.40335155895738,0 Cathedral Interior The stained glass in La Sagrada Família is very modern in its colors and forms. While I'm used to seeing stories depicted in the glass, here there seem to be no discernible characters or stories. There are some words, though, in the smaller circular windows.

Stained Glass

The nave of the cathedral. Gaudí's architectural vision was inspired by nature, exhibited here by the concrete forest with a partially complete ceiling. Note the balcony at the bottom.

The Nave

The interior of the cathedral is completely filled with scaffolding. This was an amazing sight in and of itself. The looming Mother Teresa is a sign for a photographic exhibit on her life and work, which was also quite moving.

Scaffolding

11 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.174384985762924,41.40351480857274,0 The Nativity Facade The Facade of the Nativity was completed in Gaudí's vision (he had completed one of the four towers before his death). Each of the three facades of the cathedral will have four towers, each tower dedicated to one of the 12 apostles. Thus far, the Facade of the Nativity and the Facade of the Passion are complete, the Facade of the Glory, the main entrance on Calle Mallorca, will someday sprout another four towers. In the center will be a massive, 575-foot tower symbolizing Christ.

Gaudí's Nativity Facade

Nativity Facade Center

]]> #photo 2.174743602289851,41.40381903366504,0 Walk to the Cathedral, the Park, and the Beach Today we will see the Barcelona cathedral, the main city park, and walk on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

13 July 2004

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2.198177104107273,41.38596474815476,0 2.197922964652946,41.38612913329678,0 2.197658711593974,41.38617533778056,0 2.197318306550912,41.386107120758,0 2.197074011848585,41.38590053379491,0 2.196541291106541,41.38575360637324,0 2.196044338928232,41.38608430010127,0 2.194798042047438,41.38700863741318,0 2.193983261186531,41.38757302940101,0 2.192839554902989,41.38704114380155,0 2.192406759309208,41.38712583470519,0 2.191832489835875,41.38638420340811,0 2.191490492570935,41.38602645814542,0 2.191055491373234,41.38564461171588,0 2.190462813762622,41.38531449896697,0 2.189760314005369,41.38503678642729,0 2.189130649759505,41.3848581655271,0 2.188528979221104,41.38479233630691,0 2.187919040303342,41.38481555693932,0 2.187351993929283,41.38492729197041,0 2.18687272739102,41.38507180082093,0 2.186259658047348,41.3854557428062,0 2.186196632216324,41.38558041901286,0 2.186230058801357,41.38569728984366,0 2.186783426644155,41.38616665966547,0 2.186925733744403,41.38633925558037,0 2.187117509129479,41.38647921572964,0 2.187890012862098,41.38673351059064,0 2.187978526361292,41.38681083509306,0 2.187978176671209,41.38689156261406,0 2.187223450071428,41.38780427244374,0 2.187103063429419,41.38789882492142,0 2.186783580626951,41.38789362939426,0 2.186548996986332,41.38798163911122,0 2.186607063230483,41.38809416604933,0 2.186499969219952,41.38819239469396,0 2.186381017206443,41.38835711223915,0 2.186266835762638,41.38849068505957,0 2.186198113332338,41.38863809417402,0 2.186276221518128,41.38883741290378,0 2.186363456597817,41.38897842005803,0 2.186451013572409,41.38927474854414,0 2.186118183903545,41.38912050218561,0 2.185934631346854,41.38901012791464,0 2.185704486630215,41.38891664930517,0 2.185371745489746,41.38883345045593,0 2.185168613686329,41.38879564297145,0 2.185044106173294,41.38877160322311,0 2.184959888928745,41.38871257360981,0 2.184825537083654,41.38853881264467,0 2.184501267874538,41.38830263751526,0 2.184431770053095,41.38825401035334,0 2.184343952298448,41.38827166114225,0 2.183965211998881,41.3885423083499,0 2.183381613402233,41.3889913983978,0 2.180795380301845,41.39098643486154,0 2.180668248417888,41.39106240106806,0 2.180554310835603,41.39109367268275,0 2.180385061883229,41.39111132160968,0 2.180191866163369,41.39111860542405,0 2.179713239775992,41.39101790770801,0 2.178341942740502,41.39047856069354,0 2.177677295601157,41.39023685558903,0 2.177471914195735,41.39015513285925,0 2.177275737694345,41.3900113510378,0 2.175741296579645,41.38881016179297,0 2.174952042530933,41.38825245328475,0 2.174921901553276,41.38821716496001,0 2.174921821070342,41.38817785481148,0 2.174944904354248,41.38813846727592,0 2.175424970484514,41.38774673148416,0 2.175641418589919,41.38758122533877,0 2.175670433118796,41.38753164723482,0 2.175642632905905,41.38746964865284,0 2.175174973309964,41.38699805636239,0 2.175119885312057,41.38691047891509,0 2.175116677707706,41.38682483591198,0 2.175151397613178,41.38675322941147,0 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2.176024996526252,41.38356961198739,0 2.175406420235376,41.38402225303901,0 2.174903718653852,41.38437056655099,0 2.174497435101358,41.38462793400657,0 2.174380896740715,41.38468777442101,0 2.174225488121735,41.38472175015301,0 2.174069636884681,41.38476272967968,0 2.173956178376756,41.38483170594996,0 2.173747484771198,41.38510770967203,0 2.173629051367541,41.38523287360945,0 2.172429143172835,41.38609780809004,0 2.171706436681291,41.38668344761668,0 2.171567737498336,41.38681071510546,0 2.171503161010065,41.38695719250649,0 2.171425269095423,41.38711002852583,0 2.171319468354,41.38722621038146,0 2.170793764559193,41.38767656253645,0 2.170622801580748,41.3878140870571,0 2.17055758135227,41.38793666021682,0 2.170573929778342,41.38806130038887,0 2.170654575740372,41.3881617331646,0 2.171680771712658,41.3885259200044,0 2.171755497237214,41.38856684049551,0 2.171776373966438,41.38863808918404,0 2.171768817154231,41.38870674899164,0 Barcelona Cathedral The Gothic cathedral in Barcelona is said to be the darkest cathedral in Europe, and it is indeed dark inside even with help from artificial lighting. This beautiful cathedral boasts, among other things, to have the crucifix from the mast of Don Juan's ship from the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

13 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.176531268173932,41.38404367214503,0 Cathedral Cloister This is the green, medieval cloister built in 1385. The geese have been here as long as anyone can remember. When my grandfather visited this cathedral in 1976, he too snapped a photo of the gaggle, which was presumably composed of elder relatives. The fountain is covered in moss with palms and plants surrounding this little oasis.

Cloister Plus Geese

We entered the cathedral from the side and came upon this beautiful cloister. Here, one can peer through the palms to see the great octagonal cathedral tower.

Gothic Cathedral

13 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.176188413128074,41.38373073283996,0 Cathedral Roof The view east from the Cathedral rooftop terrace. The cathedral is in the Barri Gòtic, said to be the best example of a medieval city in Europe. Two things struck me from this rooftop view. While I know the church is more powerful in Spain than in America, the number of cathedrals and churches within blocks of this mighty cathedral is incredible. I was also surprised by the presence of TV antennas. Clearly, satellite and cable has not hit it big here, further adding to Barcelona's charm.

Cathedral Terrace View East

The grand chapel tower, thankfully not encased in scaffolding as the entire front facade is.

The Cathedral Roof and Tower

Toward the north, La Sagrada Família is a conspicuous feature of the skyline. In the distance are the foothills, surrounding the city like a Hollywood stage set.

Terrace View North

13 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.176629540641983,41.38397079676275,0 Cathedral Apse (interior) The front of the cathedral with the altar and the crypt below. In the alabaster crypt is Saint Eulàlia, a 14-year-old girl who was martyred in the 4th century. The oldest part of this church is the right transept, dating from 1298. Before this mighty cathedral was built, there sat two other churches on this site. The first was destroyed when al-Mansur raided the city in 985. The second, a Romanesque church, was built by Count Ramón Berenguer I, who campaigned against the Moors in the 11th century. Two doorways survive from this church.

The Cathedral Apse

13 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.176758215725471,41.38388788353728,0 Palau de la Musica This is the Modernista-style music palace. Built in 1908, this ornate building is crammed onto the narrow Sant Pere Més Alt alleyway. Because the street is so narrow, it's impossible to get a picture of the entire facade without attaching a fisheye lens to your camera.

Palau de la Música

With its mixture of red brick, wild tile mosaics, and this figurehead sculpture on the corner, this building could be considered a work of art or an assault on the eye. I like the flashy look, myself. I won't soon forgive myself for chopping off the top of the corner sculpture though.

Palau de la Música

13 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.175582737695564,41.38752137527172,0 Arc de Triomf A formal entrance to the Parc de la Ciutadella, the arch was built for the 1888 Universal Exhibition. The eclectic arch is adorned with four crowns and made from ceramic brick. Beyond the arch is the Passeig Lluís Companys, which leads into the large park.

Arc de Triomf

13 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.180673864490714,41.39104710293387,0 Parc de la Ciutadella One of the main entrances to the park features this lovely elevated vista above a large fountain. This park was a sore spot for Catalans until it was used for the Universal Exhibition. When Philip V conquered Catalunya in 1714, he moved the university that once stood here out of Barcelona and built a massive fortification. In 1869, the land was sold back to the city. Part of it became this park and the rest was used for housing to finance the razing of the fortification's walls.

Parc de la Ciutadella

13 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.186560514935223,41.38931547080317,0 Olympic Village This is the Olympic Village for the '92 Summer Games. They are trying revitalize the area and parts of it were alive, but parts were vacant with weeds growing.

13 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.196209342204853,41.38619214197682,0 Beer on the Beach We took a rest here at this little beach-side cafe. We drank a beer while looking over the Mediterranean. I wrote in my journal a bit and Pram wrote some postcards.

13 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.190985696350651,41.37686447672355,0 Falafal We had a bite to eat at a Middle Eastern restaurant near here. There is a beach town feel in this area, with a lot of kids and ice cream shops.

13 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.187446651379489,41.38070192094033,0 Lazy Travelers We were so tired after our day of walking that we decided to take the train home from here. It is not too long a walk, but we were exhausted.

13 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.185463608223088,41.38233557760822,0 L4 Subway Home We decided to take the subway home after a long day of walking.

13 July 2004

]]> #train 1 2.172635645890423,41.38858760815875,0 2.173424466426226,41.38794508344022,0 2.174737985229939,41.38692009169971,0 2.175718184420901,41.38617140195934,0 2.176309044262439,41.38571828328843,0 2.176977680159425,41.38522705469898,0 2.178650476798353,41.38396292817488,0 2.180070079999467,41.38290850153906,0 2.181742508624382,41.38162197140361,0 2.182436698095913,41.38119614851038,0 2.182810575310185,41.38104925180976,0 2.183270781365565,41.3809969716532,0 2.183840808193992,41.38107933302884,0 2.184229579385857,41.38123326995996,0 2.184905890571443,41.38178004410242,0 2.185629140720849,41.38217559049754,0 Casa Batllo Exterior Another Gaudí's masterpiece, the Batlló house was given a facelift in 1904 by Gaudí at the request of its resident, Josep Batlló. There is something very "Grateful Dead" about this facade.

Casa Batllo

Had to get a picture of one of these Smart Cars before I left, what better background... If only these damn tourists would get out of the way!

The Smart Car

14 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.164997285916385,41.3917076694909,0 Casa Batllo Interior I'm having trouble deciding if I like this place or not. Could I live in this house? I like the many inventive functional designs, the ventilation slats in the wood and the use of light, but I'm not sure I like the overall style. I wonder if Señor Batlló did.

A Hallway from the Dining Room

In the center of the house is the light well, a giant sky light that spans all floors of the house. As the floors reach to the roof, the window size shrinks allowing less light in the upper floors, thereby keeping them cooler.

The Light Well

A hallway in the attic; Gaudí did love the parabola.

The Attic

14 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.16480469138078,41.3915617265015,0 Chimneys The chimneys, too, are covered in Gaudí's broken tile mosaics.

The Chimneys

14 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.164955754846616,41.39159374564622,0 The Terrace Entrance The large tiled terrace leads out from the dining room. Much of the decoration on the terrace takes the form of tile mosaics or exotic chain-link fencing.

The Terrace Entrance

14 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.164625048206645,41.3914551243499,0 L3 Subway to Parc Guell After the Casa Batllo, we took the subway up to Vallcarca near the Parc Guell

14 July 2004

]]> #train 1 2.144878340739822,41.41133949626922,0 2.145156020388157,41.4112475534121,0 2.145396731018053,41.41104814343094,0 2.145579298498248,41.41081919396476,0 2.145739606519498,41.41051414567533,0 2.145900722970353,41.41019799768681,0 2.146200150811012,41.40982630024281,0 2.147332788844381,41.40838932188946,0 2.147543841682904,41.40810645092835,0 2.14781355694798,41.40787931285409,0 2.148588398222131,41.40724400849213,0 2.150459624472504,41.40574320532655,0 2.15132087103467,41.40467613956217,0 2.151872750591323,41.40398594044611,0 2.151970155406516,41.40383295674454,0 2.152289139522722,41.40312229291882,0 2.152520662748103,41.40261130651044,0 2.152943701797156,41.4020954604673,0 2.153541729406669,41.40148445254897,0 2.154282860690785,41.4008530821766,0 2.156736455740372,41.39879946737701,0 2.157821343860888,41.3977794589041,0 2.159804462131746,41.39622851003309,0 2.164857255743726,41.39214979136189,0 Steep Climb Don't let this map fool you--this road climbs up a very steep hill. So steep that there are escalators for much of the trek. Unfortunately, none of them were working.

14 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.149087660705009,41.41108689545896,0 A walk in Parc Guell Many areas of Parc Guell were designed by Gaudi. The park sits atop a hill, providing a grand view of the city.

14 July 2004

]]> #walk 1 2.156257073714727,41.4104283647602,0 2.155485810339613,41.41113874204419,0 2.154911875186684,41.41160359826781,0 2.152808985108635,41.41321356963425,0 2.153152725780174,41.41343812829972,0 2.152873810215766,41.41365458253231,0 2.152291290110128,41.41411643745426,0 2.151914531992176,41.41422640647154,0 2.151851332197381,41.41427377433074,0 2.151753704723035,41.41438574660808,0 2.151660627137332,41.41441766755249,0 2.151548953288568,41.41439545666916,0 2.15138443252512,41.4142498900559,0 2.151227558215268,41.4140624163536,0 2.151126281257874,41.4138574897567,0 2.151107495987631,41.41362619519923,0 2.151162210366365,41.41336417230211,0 2.151267793241075,41.41310428859332,0 2.151545868833992,41.41281206291616,0 2.151731297422856,41.41261385442599,0 2.151836327753415,41.41241899273567,0 2.151809573348743,41.41221072371053,0 2.151736927044638,41.41208364557047,0 2.151554478387496,41.41198903560522,0 2.151342520175234,41.41194376143279,0 2.151038722613961,41.41185509407431,0 2.150894303985552,41.41186008312373,0 2.150806986249535,41.41191754100767,0 2.150737745002502,41.41187006829301,0 2.150697001840925,41.41179663546276,0 2.150603614361742,41.41182122225818,0 2.150522895908836,41.41183397802206,0 2.150447902033576,41.41182466124999,0 2.148968614258791,41.41106369227713,0 2.147277609931194,41.41019269526252,0 2.146779842263072,41.4099491461646,0 2.146115007095787,41.4104938984879,0 2.145663942078414,41.41084228798935,0 2.145455640932255,41.41107302109086,0 2.145190616264784,41.41128902210846,0 2.144895813747922,41.4113888634658,0 Cooler hiking Our walk through the park was a little cooler in the forest. I was beginning to cool off after hiking up to the top of this hill on which the park sits.

14 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.151277810622247,41.41315873559059,0 Park Guell Park Güell is located in the northern part of town. Many parts of the park were designed by Gaudí, who lived in an elegant house here before giving it up to live a monastic existence at the Sagrada Família construction site. This is the park's terrace, looking back toward the porticoes and a house above the trees.

Park Güell

14 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.152333190805138,41.41407354006515,0 Casa-Museu Gaudi This is the house Gaudí lived in for 20 years. The house is inside Park Güell, a park in the north of town atop a large hill (that we climbed). The house overlooks the park and the city of Barcelona and is surrounded by wonderful gardens.

Casa-Museu Gaudí

14 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.153608373021626,41.41446582184224,0 Park Guell View The view of Barcelona from the terrace in Park Güell. In the foreground below is the park's entrance with Gaudí's gatehouses. The towers (and cranes) of the Sagrada Família are left of center. The two high-rises by the water are near the Vila Olímpica, where the athletes were housed for the 1992 summer games.

Park Güell View

From the terrace at Park Güell, looking east over the city and to the sea.

Barcelona View

14 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.152695980033045,41.41380492747982,0 Under the Terrace Hall of 100 Columns

Directly under the terrace is this great area filled with wide, Doric columns. The ceiling is tile mosaic and decorated where columns are absent. Inside, there was a man playing classical Spanish guitar and people resting from the afternoon sun.

Hall of 100 Columns

Under the terrace are more Gaudí creations, including this surreal scene. Made from broken rocks at this site, the natural forms of the broken rock or tile emphasize Gaudí's influence: nature.

Under the Terrace

14 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.152535006537434,41.41390754264491,0 Park Guell Entrance One of the gatehouses complete with Gaudí's double cross and mushroom-like cap. I wonder which came first, the gingerbread house or Gaudí?

Park Entrance

14 July 2004

]]> #photo 2.153053238620174,41.41353546463544,0 Bus to the Funicular We took a bus across town in the hopes of getting to Tibidabo Mountain. The funicular is an inclined tram that takes you to the top of the mountain.

14 July 2004

]]> #bus 1 2.137879427575541,41.41428679349108,0 2.137774228628629,41.41414030501874,0 2.137711828982049,41.41395288879205,0 2.137711585389654,41.41376120014272,0 2.138248736569281,41.41164778603854,0 2.138298971349144,41.41131519873655,0 2.138183090548694,41.41097742241824,0 2.137890966240121,41.4106003088439,0 2.137419741943233,41.41034867638471,0 2.137241115371026,41.41023039542478,0 2.13721057240565,41.41006749780692,0 2.137285138077559,41.40988236896844,0 2.137263104317753,41.40964459846167,0 2.13730714682184,41.40942541352258,0 2.139221246571026,41.40570995810604,0 2.139416163472987,41.40536154806235,0 2.139701153953069,41.40509017992111,0 2.140800426258437,41.40445619089144,0 2.142124977526564,41.40492886973276,0 2.143376968709205,41.40525355943102,0 2.145448069694325,41.40563490819267,0 2.146870165978598,41.40575638771372,0 2.147807883181457,41.40585678250274,0 2.148641054551419,41.40613270682537,0 2.150255930033325,41.40744906063282,0 2.150696717275224,41.40783650844304,0 2.151191034470543,41.4081254101886,0 2.153194914897881,41.40885488651343,0 2.154422205870276,41.40927683681829,0 2.155246501611273,41.40966330466893,0 2.156066319741186,41.41021829283476,0 Walk to the Tibidabo Tram We walked up to the incline station on this curvy road. It is a hike and the elevation is considerable.

14 July 2004

]]> #walk 1 2.13126614047755,41.41628855058087,0 2.13100045598145,41.41616138134538,0 2.130516513643641,41.41631757694618,0 2.130344899295594,41.41635670380172,0 2.130166396341195,41.41634376643723,0 2.129989353659639,41.41627518298533,0 2.129880372091137,41.41614533298284,0 2.129822076558682,41.41587999503622,0 2.129786774097141,41.41573205821985,0 2.129712831210782,41.41559083798523,0 2.12943806386842,41.41521985928836,0 2.129396876555276,41.41513866154258,0 2.129393558820496,41.41504867813216,0 2.129434515758405,41.41496923611022,0 2.129548153935772,41.41487658704675,0 2.129664200143623,41.41482716036675,0 2.129773672122312,41.4148102678303,0 2.12989832236569,41.41482427391026,0 2.130023180701841,41.4149144616744,0 2.130151635323159,41.4151281031156,0 2.130281442984881,41.41526099862881,0 2.130461302207394,41.41535554287707,0 2.130688776377895,41.41541785261317,0 2.130915115129056,41.41542836957819,0 2.131161334945034,41.41540612060501,0 2.131378971339104,41.41536470498072,0 2.132032899168252,41.41518441419667,0 2.132274155210595,41.41514093660896,0 2.132495803270729,41.41513684479587,0 2.132795851411529,41.4151840610866,0 2.133035446377875,41.41521065473194,0 2.133261176913223,41.41518982726147,0 2.133469909689538,41.41511162671117,0 2.133639207835742,41.41498560653574,0 2.134087627153193,41.41441865150991,0 2.134660109384868,41.41452701205404,0 2.13511130110399,41.41464214640827,0 2.135999420644723,41.41493411059826,0 2.136441010227372,41.41506639644771,0 2.136982461127388,41.41456245129719,0 2.137266487618746,41.41440940625805,0 2.137501769868138,41.41436951995108,0 2.137798772959115,41.41439711927556,0 Caio, Pelo Some bratty Italian kid said this to me as he was going down the hill. Pram laughed, having translated ("Hi, hairy") in his head.

14 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.130452772848614,41.41537145315932,0 Tram tickets? Finally made it up to what feels like the top, but is only the tram station. We walked in to get tickets only to learn we had missed the last ride up (at 8 o'clock) by about 20 minutes. Shit!

14 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.131258995915672,41.41636803431518,0 Bus down the mountain We took the bus down to John F. Kennedy Plaza, where we picked up the train home.

14 July 2004

]]> #bus 1 2.136618785184041,41.41029856610957,0 2.136752779493051,41.41036105080945,0 2.136798750519176,41.41045388691337,0 2.13679078809497,41.41057416585983,0 2.136162769164301,41.41136311975356,0 2.134621556297517,41.41343774527085,0 2.133923418800507,41.41435741814001,0 2.133570251953003,41.41482354556921,0 2.133438588684328,41.41495623773947,0 2.133308814212057,41.41504296526539,0 2.133152816853752,41.41509703660181,0 2.132981685899267,41.41510850248777,0 2.132514891715246,41.41505935668998,0 2.132257430687815,41.41505794775897,0 2.131994698487475,41.41510358600132,0 2.131352868963717,41.41528106028182,0 2.131144803111468,41.41531766631786,0 2.130926036069269,41.41533860948216,0 2.130709608011415,41.41533345486387,0 2.13050556506802,41.4152878709446,0 2.130360920424977,41.41521070882116,0 2.130233470237826,41.41509623413155,0 2.130103854999504,41.41487474387036,0 2.129986218732725,41.41477406612458,0 2.129850180478741,41.4147377951116,0 2.12967753336342,41.41474290536741,0 2.129493411919015,41.4148117925716,0 2.129349956874805,41.41491436906806,0 2.129296373484195,41.41502080522547,0 2.129290665668435,41.4151281579135,0 2.129313298201126,41.41522486008004,0 2.129618621368721,41.4156223108782,0 2.129684651632019,41.41575461384582,0 2.129715972506645,41.41588866090191,0 2.129791211297544,41.41615992703473,0 2.129907718877121,41.41631290892081,0 2.130116665816431,41.41642724824471,0 2.13033705132105,41.41645587796231,0 2.130570239262511,41.41643134275026,0 2.131008440738526,41.41632268295079,0 Train to the Hotel Took a commuter train directly to Catalunya, the large square near our hotel.

14 July 2004

]]> #train 1 2.169804393911519,41.38566029664172,0 2.169395148154948,41.38569162683788,0 2.167978313230861,41.38580338932426,0 2.167521511182954,41.38589229627826,0 2.167059977551574,41.38603097848072,0 2.166670718443314,41.38624109864226,0 2.165701418641234,41.38697611060729,0 2.158251552768149,41.39258174141904,0 2.154363699985765,41.39555726334936,0 2.1520412793312,41.39744259274369,0 2.151520004828171,41.39794173243494,0 2.151240261080005,41.39828408108016,0 2.150984351751077,41.39867033041683,0 2.15076570088533,41.39890714427421,0 2.150399115959701,41.39925463222369,0 2.150054340750117,41.39952190976953,0 2.147822608332405,41.40100738528786,0 2.146980086335148,41.40152894126497,0 2.145314034332443,41.40245613721255,0 2.145001775229005,41.40263406702481,0 2.144662144291573,41.40276716936323,0 2.143310188578667,41.40315654547913,0 2.142963046996869,41.40331486858243,0 2.142420452959414,41.40369656655152,0 2.142092885485326,41.40389227406816,0 2.141519970219818,41.40411321086178,0 2.140715571806794,41.40439416439221,0 2.139616448331054,41.40502404678305,0 2.139310489611959,41.40532612795261,0 2.139104784877972,41.40567319016269,0 2.137209386996972,41.409399486716,0 2.136953418339857,41.41004368132193,0 4 Cats Restaurant This is a wonderful restaurant and was a great place to have our last meal in Barcelona. We have to start for the airport tomorrow morning before sunrise.

14 July 2004

]]> #poi 2.173643847698401,41.38575034654515,0 Barcelona to Casablanca We flew from Barcelona to Madrid, where we jumped on another plane for Casablanca. As we taxied to the terminal in the bus, many of us saw a suitcase sitting on the tarmac that had fallen out of a bag carrier train. Laughter spread throughout the bus, but we all realized that some poor bastard will do without their clothes tonight.

15 July 2004

]]> #flight 1 -7.583308865601538,33.37504283332625,0 -3.571064789946278,40.46826164429646,0 2.077662782724346,41.30384112989075,0 Casablanca, Morocco 15-16 July 2004

From Barcelona, we took a plane to Madrid then connected to Casablanca. The flight from Madrid to Casablanca is about an hour and a half, but Morocco is two hours behind Spain. Now, instead of 6 hours ahead of New York, we were only 4 hours ahead.

Once we arrived at the airport, we rented a car and drove into the city. This city is almost impossible to navigate as there aren't many street signs and the entire city naming system is undergoing arabization. Even Royal decrees have played a part in swapping names around town. Add to this confusion the chaotic driving and the fact that we were leading a two-car caravan filled with people we had met on the plane, and it quickly became a nightmare. In the end, we picked up someone off the street who, after some confusion, ably led us to our hotel. I'd always heard people in Morocco were extremely generous; however, we were putting this to the test sooner than I'd hoped.

While I hate to disparage any place, both Pram and I did not care for Casablanca too much. So much so that within hours of arriving we canceled our second night and decided to head to Marrakech the following morning. But, Casablanca will forever be my first impression of the Muslim world. We spent the remains of our day on a long walking tour, from the Crowne Plaza to the medina, through Casablancan slums and around the glorious Hassan II Mosque, then back through the center of town.

]]> Airport We landed in Morocco with only a hotel reservation in Casablanca. We had no car reservations, no maps, and no fixed plans for the rest of the week but for our flight back to Spain in one week.

We rented a car, got some gas, and began driving to Casablanca.

15 July 2004

]]> #poi -7.579522865288369,33.37417156821458,0 Airport to Casablanca It took us about an hour to reach (or, more accurately, find) our hotel—don't let the smooth path fool you, I have no idea where we were. Without much in the way of street signs, we finally resorted to asking a stranger on the street, who jumped in our car and guided us to the hotel. I was not comfortable with this, but Pram didn't seem to have a problem.

15 July 2004

]]> #drive 1 -7.623676047776783,33.58383305280877,0 -7.623718373381223,33.58379369971406,0 -7.623640512594748,33.58372971371269,0 -7.62356538681415,33.58365843995713,0 -7.623554260471735,33.58356228698639,0 -7.623617333481747,33.58348671577965,0 -7.62371965427957,33.58346698410433,0 -7.62639972076019,33.58389574104086,0 -7.626854729160783,33.5840278986669,0 -7.627212035417315,33.58418820823304,0 -7.629578342781187,33.58557650549026,0 -7.630988624445777,33.58430030825033,0 -7.635806658671569,33.5793590353119,0 -7.638669632007037,33.5762820899383,0 -7.644125107137909,33.56929290559554,0 -7.644683014957593,33.55991261918272,0 -7.644057277101936,33.55218170312288,0 -7.643641971133988,33.5490609864794,0 -7.640789980921594,33.54054575640266,0 -7.631685777604702,33.5162974929431,0 -7.627923431253507,33.49887755254824,0 -7.633285522726525,33.4789462165007,0 -7.633098208037126,33.44910323794826,0 -7.627924688433481,33.43420693003821,0 -7.626455585151049,33.41196029362619,0 -7.620757201764761,33.399082101126,0 -7.620213660005448,33.39605349179625,0 -7.615089810360786,33.39435257975171,0 -7.611394263200665,33.3944806812772,0 -7.583550197578759,33.4076368523943,0 -7.580500648331678,33.40851406213103,0 -7.577040183029951,33.40857404123841,0 -7.573462365975416,33.40753333566155,0 -7.571745269078022,33.40665090674261,0 -7.570264131997946,33.4053912781419,0 -7.569145396498541,33.40396016954814,0 -7.568035953809343,33.401633027085,0 -7.567345983629295,33.39857958279489,0 -7.568567213661992,33.39693644283993,0 -7.565165538283126,33.38635846703231,0 -7.564833129157819,33.38427905478918,0 -7.565076713201535,33.38268108357195,0 -7.565548087154411,33.38128961532747,0 -7.566466776379856,33.37990132477796,0 -7.569251055577439,33.37801916046786,0 -7.573146308481114,33.37645345669244,0 -7.579522865288369,33.37417156821458,0 Crowne Plaza Hotel (July 15) This hotel is the pits. It smells, it's dirty, and the beds are crap. Perhaps it is a difference between standards between Spain and Morocco, Europe and Africa.

]]> #hotel -7.623894236111127,33.5836702961051,0 Casablanca Walk Once we checked in and cleaned up, we took a walk around town. I had little idea what where we were going and what we were getting into.

15 July 2004

]]> #walk 1 -7.623659381120006,33.58358396848309,0 -7.623482632140438,33.58372988438271,0 -7.623250668057593,33.58406384532751,0 -7.622292396140667,33.58591016856542,0 -7.621231870566108,33.58778496240046,0 -7.625081679733668,33.58935644519491,0 -7.625317505319174,33.5894424619113,0 -7.625522567944174,33.58946375562532,0 -7.625727859487824,33.58943878121841,0 -7.625948743993945,33.58945296218985,0 -7.626221856637571,33.58958058240727,0 -7.626719685309396,33.58992707283448,0 -7.62705975563516,33.59034925162634,0 -7.627273109844182,33.59074701129978,0 -7.627456602946665,33.59128194198101,0 -7.627658064658903,33.59173334509968,0 -7.628064316375401,33.59239040523191,0 -7.629429547212396,33.59395456438276,0 -7.630270726206532,33.59528550580933,0 -7.630946934258419,33.59647486867962,0 -7.631446487605175,33.59727647452632,0 -7.631707086078592,33.59765218483126,0 -7.632005608859643,33.59803713130883,0 -7.632247932319501,33.59831332115365,0 -7.632344337251667,33.59858156876864,0 -7.632520533040179,33.5994615926373,0 -7.632980977968955,33.60151211611211,0 -7.633243216021116,33.60260013015289,0 -7.633495726512095,33.60370439783934,0 -7.633700908355493,33.60449090832296,0 -7.633918123056233,33.60555058054632,0 -7.633531041246029,33.6056473180189,0 -7.633534595179398,33.60576923876073,0 -7.633475475759241,33.60588792109944,0 -7.633395413835373,33.60601244808381,0 -7.633367342973571,33.60615406862771,0 -7.633380910929872,33.60625215942748,0 -7.633346212307629,33.6063069165594,0 -7.632949017443663,33.60647951761864,0 -7.63280752235545,33.60656003108853,0 -7.63272478116842,33.60667779350034,0 -7.632707574520879,33.60683872883124,0 -7.632769620262891,33.60708015097188,0 -7.632890785248719,33.60729593598997,0 -7.633064967085277,33.60746254526138,0 -7.633164254757715,33.60756087113676,0 -7.633210396134515,33.6076782892919,0 -7.633086507025226,33.607757826115,0 -7.632929135974323,33.60778205708952,0 -7.632785306202123,33.6077471193172,0 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-7.617907691809051,33.59628364905755,0 -7.617911130377252,33.59617726812189,0 -7.618300232740623,33.59584977313066,0 -7.618593314206549,33.59553866481523,0 -7.618375338531365,33.59529997903991,0 -7.618351628215252,33.59516743161176,0 -7.61835164206849,33.59496849459607,0 -7.618299367349792,33.59476720152615,0 -7.618287307657013,33.59454523682014,0 -7.618605597120478,33.59346519536728,0 -7.618820692497536,33.59263252271171,0 -7.619089472499013,33.59170742053418,0 -7.619475179957348,33.59083741778741,0 -7.619973966004522,33.58987924161058,0 -7.621231870566108,33.58778496240046,0 -7.622292396140667,33.58591016856542,0 -7.621483086535621,33.58622583907561,0 -7.621275010483387,33.58601495525883,0 -7.621483086535621,33.58622583907561,0 -7.622292396140667,33.58591016856542,0 -7.623250668057593,33.58406384532751,0 -7.623482632140438,33.58372988438271,0 -7.623659381120006,33.58358396848309,0 Lunch We were hungry so we found a cheap restaurant along this road. It was not the greatest food, but it was cheap. Pram used their bathroom and came back to reveal that it is simply a hole in the floor.

15 July 2004

]]> #poi -7.621275010483387,33.58601495525883,0 Palace Mohammed V The royal palace for King Mohammed V, who was the sultan when he was exiled to Madagascar by the French in 1953. France was trying to cope with a nationalist movement in Morocco and viewed Mohammed V as too sympathetic to the cause. Mohammed V returned two years later and on March 2, 1956, the French pulled out of Morocco. Mohammed V would become king in 1957 and prime minister in 1960 before dying suddenly a year later.

Palace Mohammed V

15 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.617769409767106,33.59091517270847,0 Casablanca Post Office We stopped in here to mail some postcards. While Pram figured out how to get stamps, I was staring at the intricate interior of this great building. There is a fusion of French and Moorish styles in the architecture here.

15 July 2004

]]> #poi -7.618930881505435,33.59266768816847,0 Hyatt Regency We stopped in here briefly to check out the restaurants and bars in case we needed a trust-worthy meal tonight. We were underwhelmed by the selections and its touristy nature; it seemed so out of place.

15 July 2004

]]> #poi -7.618802893668175,33.59604430953059,0 Medina Entrance Entry to the Casablanca medina, a maze of streets and alleys that make up the oldest section of the city. We had no idea where we were going and did not know what this would be like, but we ventured in regardless. If a choice was before us, we always took the wider, more traveled street.

I can't say we were greeted with open arms in the medina. Around each corner we were stared at and we saw no other tourists. We were alone, and we stood out.

15 July 2004

]]> #poi -7.617774509513538,33.597332358203,0 Out of the Medina We finally found our way out of the medina, but as we were leaving, this crazy guy kept harassing us for money. We went to stand in front of the cafe on this corner where two police were sitting, but they did nothing. Finally, people from the medina came out and convinced him to leave us alone.

At no time was I frightened of this person, I was just frustrated that he would not leave us alone.

15 July 2004

]]> #poi -7.62326435276472,33.60230745844294,0 Pit Stop Pram used the bathroom at this gas station. Once again, it was the hole in the floor variety. We were walking in a local neighborhood at this point. I felt pretty safe, but after coming out of the medina, where everyone was staring at us, perhaps the wide-open streets here give us the illusion of safety.

15 July 2004

]]> #poi -7.627166334479397,33.60660110527772,0 Hassan II Mosque This is the second-largest mosque in the world. It is, by far, the most pristine part of Casablanca, and perhaps all of Morocco. It holds 25,000 inside and another 80,000 outside on the plaza. Today is Thursday and the plaza is filled with couples taking a stroll before the day of prayer tomorrow. It is a peaceful place.

Hassan II Mosque Sahn

15 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.632785306202123,33.6077471193172,0 Hassan II Mosque Plaza Pram on the grand plaza. The satellite image shows the ornate pattern formed by the paving stones.

Hassan II Mosque Plaza

15 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.633064967085277,33.60746254526138,0 Hassan II - Another Shot A distance shot of the Hassan II Mosque.

Hassan II Mosque

15 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.633531041246029,33.6056473180189,0 Casablanca to Marrakech Our drive from Casablanca to Marrakech was not too pleasant. We had the usual problem getting out of the Casablanca; adding at least 30 minutes spent lost in the streets of the city. We also stopped by the Casablanca airport to ask the car rental guys about the red, exclamation point light that appeared on our dashboard this morning (out of brake fluid, that's all).

I was hoping for a four-lane highway to Marrakech, but I was too optimistic; the road is two-lane and very crowded. While the distance is only 150 miles, it took about 4 hours, dodging over-packed trucks, buses with people hanging from the doors, taxis going from town to town, and wealthy, Moroccan sports car drivers.

16 July 2004

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-7.598715513732259,33.31473478377909,0 -7.602240745909143,33.31767228175734,0 -7.604690539779201,33.32063047971047,0 -7.618456579242874,33.35859365818168,0 -7.620721293017908,33.37044066281118,0 -7.621551678156324,33.38097708037834,0 -7.621190310894364,33.38314982440912,0 -7.620028492833698,33.38578439421498,0 -7.619588477907897,33.3875199906982,0 -7.620213660005448,33.39605349179625,0 -7.620757201764761,33.399082101126,0 -7.626455585151049,33.41196029362619,0 -7.627924688433481,33.43420693003821,0 -7.633098208037126,33.44910323794826,0 -7.633285522726525,33.4789462165007,0 -7.627923431253507,33.49887755254824,0 -7.631685777604702,33.5162974929431,0 -7.640789980921594,33.54054575640266,0 -7.643641971133988,33.5490609864794,0 -7.644057277101936,33.55218170312288,0 -7.644683014957593,33.55991261918272,0 -7.644125107137909,33.56929290559554,0 -7.638669632007037,33.5762820899383,0 -7.635806658671569,33.5793590353119,0 -7.630988624445777,33.58430030825033,0 -7.629578342781187,33.58557650549026,0 -7.627212035417315,33.58418820823304,0 -7.626854729160783,33.5840278986669,0 -7.62639972076019,33.58389574104086,0 -7.62371965427957,33.58346698410433,0 -7.623617333481747,33.58348671577965,0 -7.623554260471735,33.58356228698639,0 -7.62356538681415,33.58365843995713,0 -7.623640512594748,33.58372971371269,0 -7.623718373381223,33.58379369971406,0 Marrakech, Morocco 16-19 July 2004

After hours of driving south from Casablanca, we came upon a huge congregation of adobe buildings in the distance. The haze hanging over the flat, sub-Saharan plain was daunting. I don't precisely know what my impression of Marrakech was before I arrived there, but it's safe to say that whatever they were, they were wholly wrong. Marrakech is not the European-like city of Casablanca, rather, it appears like an oversized oasis in the middle of the desert. The red-orange buildings reflect the hue of the surrounding earth and, aside from the minarets sprinkled around town, none appear to be over three stories tall.

]]> First hotel rejected Our first stop in Marrakech was at the Sheraton. The prices here were high, but more importantly it was out in the middle of nowhere.

The hotel is filled with French families who flew down to Marrakech to sit by a pool inside a compound.

We picked up a small map and now had our bearings.

16 July 2004

]]> #poi -8.010003329877858,31.61786560386154,0 Pulled Over This was the first time we were pulled over for speeding. Pram skillfully begged his way out of the 400 dirham (about 45 USD) fee, which must be paid on the spot.

Once in the city, We parked the car just inside the medina and walked around looking for a place to stay. At times we were guided, other times we were on our own. We ended up splurging for a nice resort hotel that cost a lot, but was a nice refuge from the bustling city.

16 July 2004

]]> #poi -8.013008829644036,31.61599005426244,0 A First Look Having just left the cops, we drove toward the medina. Somehow we found this parking lot, where we decided to park the car and look for a place to stay on foot.

When we parked, the attendant came up and wanted to show us a few places. I was skeptical, but Pram was willing to see what happened.

He took us to a few Riads (Riads are the traditional Moroccan homes with interior gardens), but we wanted to keep looking.

Once we got back to the car, he tried to extract cash from us. We gave him some, but he demanded more. I, being naive, was trying to talk to this person; Pram just kept telling me to get in the car. I finally did and Pram did too. And they let us out of the parking lot without.

16 July 2004

]]> #poi -7.985256758071444,31.6220722725956,0 Hotel - Les Jardins de la Koutoubia Our little lap of luxury on this trip. We splurged and stayed at this hotel while in Marrakech. I engaged the young (and more progressive) receptionist in discussions in world politics, the future of Morocco, and what his everyday life is like. Really nice guy.

]]> #hotel -7.991853398450871,31.62595124578354,0 Hotel Pics This is a five-star hotel and the gardens in the courtyard were a welcoming sight after trouncing around the hot, dirty, noisy, smelly medina all day.

Our View

A fireplace in our hotel. Looks like the fires occasionally get too big.

The Fireplace

Between the time we made a deal on the room and picked up our luggage, they had come in and prepared the room with scented air, made beds, and deposited these flower petals in our bathroom. Needless to say, the petals did not last long.

Room Service

]]> #photo -7.991964828023271,31.626086685731,0 Koutoubia Mosque This is one of the largest mosques in town with a 230-foot high minaret. It was built in the 1100s by the newly empowered Almohads, the ruling Muslim Berber dynasty whose kingdom encompassed much of modern day Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Muslim Spain. Each side of this minaret is different, providing a classic example of Moroccan and Andalucian architecture. The minaret used to be covered with painted plaster and colored tilework, but this has all been removed. All that appears from the modern era is the loudspeaker at the top that calls people to prayer five time a day.

Koutoubia Mosque

17 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.993245960228224,31.62414600317656,0 Behind Koutoubia Mosque Behind the mosque, heading toward its large plaza.

Koutoubia Mosque

17 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.993127854848012,31.62354195730811,0 Medina Walk Out to explore the Marrakech medina. I was hoping it was not like the Casablanca medina. It turned out to be completely different. The feeling was not one of hostility but a welcoming vibe in the narrow alleyways.

17 July 2004

]]> #walk 1 -7.992168674017535,31.62479093276126,0 -7.991843644482414,31.62461363006627,0 -7.991603770002073,31.62448357717018,0 -7.991301027112883,31.62426962905484,0 -7.991065614798628,31.62408287247245,0 -7.990829445498037,31.62387185418592,0 -7.990572427180396,31.62348467517639,0 -7.990089847232255,31.62277744174516,0 -7.98982370913663,31.62236144688876,0 -7.989599793627661,31.62215952699876,0 -7.98932390143773,31.62195990592977,0 -7.988053553873656,31.62106027125516,0 -7.987840442009045,31.62091051762672,0 -7.987594694411882,31.62077610757115,0 -7.987226460507926,31.62064075984629,0 -7.985890855597119,31.62015490010425,0 -7.985353256400258,31.61998378638354,0 -7.98524177790766,31.61996588927779,0 -7.985161474880911,31.61992986662702,0 -7.985053626505774,31.61978822686957,0 -7.984926976901136,31.6197015250937,0 -7.984764058655202,31.61967993994402,0 -7.984456878751018,31.619734933927,0 -7.984494170973548,31.61989895604465,0 -7.984288195966969,31.61993400692248,0 -7.984251840570493,31.61983834662548,0 -7.983851528440724,31.61994283065307,0 -7.983998910436741,31.62038850237773,0 -7.984210340892048,31.62035719578643,0 -7.984310630731145,31.62081729339305,0 -7.984321047899726,31.62099698524889,0 -7.984487377845127,31.62156931080722,0 -7.984751304702954,31.6223009353868,0 -7.984985006478496,31.62303015113055,0 -7.986063024929395,31.62278772975252,0 -7.986771115184325,31.62262006339912,0 -7.987085814764953,31.62336216043265,0 -7.987489567372805,31.62426929603617,0 -7.987715331843633,31.62478063930861,0 -7.987850663328729,31.62513565869203,0 -7.987981813491345,31.62531317957814,0 -7.988113406095493,31.6254433929797,0 -7.988280694965226,31.62553477555596,0 -7.98849037908876,31.62559923930779,0 -7.988705165063763,31.62562528407209,0 -7.988997404666718,31.62559413336401,0 -7.990504314443811,31.62513787114129,0 -7.99166784167322,31.62475878972757,0 -7.991856940075864,31.62472984830902,0 -7.992037976260988,31.62474220176911,0 -7.992168674017535,31.62479093276126,0 -7.992280768924488,31.62486153926553,0 -7.992365575293191,31.62493935219551,0 -7.992389141434018,31.62504115331325,0 -7.992384059096395,31.62513841413165,0 -7.992351534825276,31.62522565991889,0 -7.992012804640055,31.62552329790583,0 -7.991788481428428,31.6257383347919,0 -7.99175859199083,31.62581459857268,0 -7.991789973634184,31.62588119566086,0 Typical Medina Scene This is a typical scene in the Marrakech medina. The medina here is relatively spread out compared to Casablanca and Fes and dates to the year 1060, when the city was founded.

Street Scene: The Medina

17 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.987281957073123,31.62387544126107,0 Side Street in the Medina A nice connecting road between the Rue Riad Zitoun el-Qedim and Rue Riad Zitoun el-Jedid. We had parked the car and were wandering around through the medina looking for a place to stay when we came upon this nice scene. Both of us were hoping we could find our way back to the car. We did.

The Medina

Directly opposite from the previous picture, we wanted a picture of this door. The man beside Pram moved to the side, but Pram motioned him to be in the picture if he liked. I have no idea what this place is. It could be religious or it could be a hotel.

New-Found Friend

17 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.98633054213609,31.62273557906147,0 Weaving Weaving in Morocco is always done by hand and always by boys and men. We had met a store owner nearby and he started talking to us. He had been to New York and, it turns out, his brother lives in New York and, as he put it, "never comes home." Always going to some place called Fire Island, he said. Pram and I just looked at one another. This guy took us to a house where we watched these boys and men weaving. He told us of the high profile fashion types who place orders with him. Even sent someone to another house to get an eight-by-ten of him with these famous fashion people. He seemed nice though. This was one of a half-dozen textile manufacturers we toured in Morocco. Imagine doing this 8 hours a day.

Weaving

17 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.985430760317711,31.62296603054964,0 Souq (Market) We stumbled upon this spice market inside one of the many qissarias, or covered markets. It was so visually stunning that it stopped us dead in our tracks. Each of these conical towers is a powdered spice. Below them are buckets of incense (front), cinnamon, and mint tea, to name a few.

Spice Souq

Pram gets a lesson in pouring spices.

Heapin' Spices

Now that Pram had had his picture taken, the spice man told me I had to have one too. He seemed like a nice enough guy, kept telling Pram and me he also does massage. Not exactly sure what his intentions were with that. The people of Morocco are not afraid of physical contact the way people are in the West. It is common to see men holding hands in the streets here. Boys all the way up to old men. It seems as though the one taboo here is for unmarried women and men to be physically intimate in public, but boys, no problem. It is also forbidden by law to have an unmarried man and woman share a hotel room, but two men, no problem. Of course, sex between men is punishable.

Brian and the Spice Man

17 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.98443708311052,31.61988111794771,0 Ave Houmane el-Fetouaki On the edge of the medina, where Avenue Houmane el-Fetouaki meets Rue Riad Zitoun el-Qedim is this small square. The main mode of transportation seems to be these motor bikes. These are the type you pedal to get going, then they go at a slow clip. Taxis are also very common in Morocco, as most people do not own cars.

Street Scene

17 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.9858156436093,31.62002358722071,0 Street Scene On Avenue Houmane el-Fetouaki looking toward Avenue Mohammed V and the Ville Nouvelle (the new part of town). Hauling goods by donkey is common in Morocco, shirtless guys on bikes are not—tourist. The trees a few blocks up are on the Place de Foucauld that leads into the main square, Djemma el-Fna.

Street Scene

17 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.990401254032349,31.62298312033346,0 Mohammed V Walk After our walk through the medina, we continued toward the "New Town" section up Avenue Mohammed V. Here it is less of a city than a spread out town. The streets are wide, the lots large.

17 July 2004

]]> #walk 1 -8.007194023572154,31.6319274439064,0 -8.005223240959509,31.63081938971831,0 -8.00457347442331,31.63045607578756,0 -8.004332382975875,31.63086514093625,0 -8.00457347442331,31.63045607578756,0 -8.003648255900913,31.62992495555766,0 -8.003526025876553,31.62989098406436,0 -8.003418408781414,31.62988439624911,0 -8.003298005464572,31.62990468179691,0 -8.003187930774331,31.6299148240142,0 -8.003068158483401,31.62989258074231,0 -8.002962223461381,31.62983936523503,0 -8.002888980961927,31.62977206344148,0 -8.002830263057476,31.62969883652446,0 -8.002805124215442,31.62959211839535,0 -8.002799158521142,31.62950207706765,0 -8.002756673777483,31.62943226190005,0 -8.001431216045191,31.62868946786374,0 -8.000756727051737,31.62834201305133,0 -8.000135872328087,31.6280978884855,0 -7.999664029199409,31.62797838881916,0 -7.999043958895756,31.62787039348163,0 -7.99848958981346,31.62774577471252,0 -7.998008839608246,31.62759766266467,0 -7.997246868245085,31.62736012955839,0 -7.996705847246403,31.62714959084094,0 -7.99622147584428,31.62691054827021,0 -7.995783098992646,31.62669099623843,0 -7.995213810866659,31.62633048206672,0 -7.994937078754858,31.6261486127855,0 -7.994538914744851,31.62587610721834,0 -7.994113093075584,31.62560730882738,0 -7.993748572690052,31.62540500964308,0 -7.993358691980305,31.6252080477108,0 -7.992902875978615,31.62501375531093,0 -7.992780263144426,31.62499421448113,0 -7.992670913664483,31.62500712010736,0 -7.992552727379134,31.62508353896349,0 -7.992351534825276,31.62522565991889,0 -7.992012804640055,31.62552329790583,0 -7.991788481428428,31.6257383347919,0 -7.99175859199083,31.62581459857268,0 -7.991789973634184,31.62588119566086,0 Rooftop View I snapped this photo of the main square, called Djemma el-Fna, from our hotel roof. It's near sunset and the square is just getting going. Said to be one of the world's greatest spectacles, the Djemma el-Fna is a large square filled with activity, including food vendors that send smoke into the air, juice markets with some of the best orange juice you'll taste, performing musicians in outlandish costume, snake charmers, performing monkeys, and a large crowd to support it all. After passing through the square a few times, I came to dread it a bit. I took no pictures in the square as you are hounded the moment you get near any of the square dwellers. From this vantage point, I can hear the music of the snake charmers, the beating of drums, and a cheering crowd.

Djemma el-Fna—The Square

After a hot, 100-degree day, the sun is finally setting. Not the best sunset I've seen, but pretty nonetheless. Here, from the roof of the hotel, one can see the neighboring buildings, many falling apart but with satellite dishes mounted on the roof. In a minute or two, when it's officially sunset, we'll be hearing from our neighbors praying over the loudspeakers again.

Koutoubia Mosque at Sunset

Sunset from the hotel roof. A telephoto lens would have been perfect here, but, alas, I have to settle for the 70-mm view. Sunset is when Marrakech wakes up. The streets become packed with people, the square turns into a hive of activity, and people jam the many cafés in town. The daytime is too hot.

Sunset

17 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.992110058692972,31.62590686329729,0 Diamond Noir Friend We met this guy in the Diamond Noir night club. The Black Diamond disco is the only disco in town, and probably the only disco for hundreds of miles.

Yankees hats are seen everywhere in Morocco.

New-found Friend

16 July 2004

]]> #photo -8.004154680021259,31.63086299242277,0 Hustled Encountered a hustler here as we walked back from the disco at 3 AM. He offered everything for 5 dirham, about 50 cents.

16 July 2004

]]> #poi -8.001564356046501,31.62878471959457,0 The Square (Djemma el-Fna) Said to be one of the world's greatest spectacles, the Djemma el-Fna is a large square filled with activity, including food vendors that send smoke into the air, juice markets with some of the best orange juice you'll taste, performing musicians in outlandish costume, snake charmers, performing monkeys, and a large crowd to support it all.

After passing through the square a few times, I came to dread it a bit. I took no pictures in the square as you are hounded the moment you get near any of the square dwellers. From this vantage point, I can hear the music of the snake charmers, the beating of drums, and a cheering crowd.

]]> #poi -7.989004202697017,31.62585552994156,0 Escape from the heat We walked up into the new town on the Ave Mohammed V. It was close to 100 degrees and the sun was roasting my arms and face.

We took some shelter in a sidewalk cafe near here. A policeman and his wife or girlfriend were sitting nearby on his lunch hour. We had some orange juice, water, and ice cream.

17 July 2004

]]> #poi -8.006903855174713,31.63181760707866,0 5 Prayers a Day Five times a day, prayers are broadcast over a loudspeaker from this mosque. One day we were sitting by the pool and the man cleared his throat in the middle of the prayer.

]]> #poi -7.993654900030891,31.62403372318386,0 Al Fassia Restaurant Somewhere near here is Al Fassia, a restaurant we frequented. The food is all cooked by women.

We arrived at about 9 PM and the place was packed. We waited a half-hour for a table. We ended up sitting beside a French family. She spoke English, but her husband did not. Their kid fell asleep. We chatted for awhile about our travels around the world and what to see in Morocco.

17 July 2004

]]> #poi -8.005815192569969,31.63116427535226,0 Cafe de France We were going to meet our friends from France, Gregory and his partner, at this cafe tonight, which has rooftop tables overlooking the menagerie in the square.

18 July 2004

]]> #poi -7.987606034772612,31.62637171232095,0 Marrakech to Fes 19 July 2004

]]> Along Road N8 We begin with our drive from Marrakech to Fes. Starting in the low desert around Marrakech at an elevation of 1,500 feet, we skirted the High Atlas mountains as we drove northeast to Fes. Some of the distant peaks reach over 4,000 meters (over 13,000 feet). Along the way we passed through many towns, several wilayats, or provinces, and lost our way a few times (which should surprise no one by now).

19 July 2004

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-7.992520616546372,31.62500259139409,0 -7.99249644691794,31.62513199589692,0 Hut Outside Marrakech, near here on the N8 road; I decided to take a few shots of the country through the car window. This is a hut beside a farm. The climate is very arid here so I'm not sure what they grow. We did see a lot of olive trees and cactus groves, where they harvest the fruit for eating, but that was about it.

Hut

19 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.868408002232512,31.64468439483735,0 Settat Junction Street signs are rare in Morocco so I thought I'd take a picture of a couple. Here we are at the crossroads for Casablanca and Fes. The car in front of us is a taxi, equipped with curtains for the rear window.

Street Sign

19 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.344263127964524,32.08808482557411,0 Sub Saharan Driving Break Up on a plateau of sorts, we continue to climb toward Fes. Here it is much drier and vegetation is more sparse. Pictured is our tiny Nissan Micra that got us around Morocco for a week. It was a decent car with air conditioning, but it did not enjoy going over 60 miles per hour.

Rest Stop

I think the heat is getting to someone... I want to know what the graffiti means on this sign, turning the town of Azilal into Bazigar.

Pram Directing Traffic

I don't know if I've ever seen such a lifeless environment. Death Valley, perhaps.

Lonely Trail

19 July 2004

]]> #photo -7.059235288904574,32.14622319688748,0 Ifrane, Morocco At over 5,000 feet in elevation, Ifrane is a respite from the hot desert we traveled through earlier today. In the winter, this is a ski resort, like a transplanted town from the Alps.

Ifrane has a very Western flavor. There is the Al-Akhawayan University, an English language private college where many of the instructors are American. It is a vacation spot for families who want to visit the closest thing to an alpine town in Morocco. And, the King's summer residence is here. All because of the cool climate.

19 July 2004

]]> #poi -5.112941937864194,33.51838752922118,0 Fes, Morocco 19-21 July 2004

Fes is the great imperial city of Morocco. Founded in the 800s, it remains the lifeblood of the country. Fes is altogether different from both Casablanca and Marrakech. Tucked between the Middle Atlas and Rif mountain ranges, the city is more compact than other large cities in the country.

We arrived in Fes and were quickly picked up by a faux tour guide who was on his motor bike. He showed us to some hotels in New Fes, but it was too far from the Fes el-Bali medina. He then took us to a riad just inside the walls of the medina, the Dar Masmoudi, where we decided to stay.

The entire Fes el-Bali (Old Fes) medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It contains nearly 10,000 narrow streets and alleys covering 740 acres (100 acres smaller than Central Park in New York City). Within this medieval medina live about 160,000 people, 223 people per acre or 142,454 people per square mile. Compare that to the highest population density areas in New York (Upper East Side) that are around 100,000 people per square mile. And, since most buildings are under four stories in Fes el-Bali, the population density in Fes is all the more meaningful than in New York, where we have 40-story apartment buildings.

]]> Hammam (Public Baths) Pram in the hammam, or public bath. We visited this bath on the evening of our arrival. According to our tour guide, it is over 350 years old. Hammams typically have a room for changing, such as the one pictured, then a series of rooms, each warmer than the last until reaching the back room, which is a sauna. In this back room are two tubs of water, one hot and the other cold. Here, you rinse with hot water and lie on the floor to allow the steam to loosen your muscles. Buckets are provided to scoop the water out and take it to the next room where you wash. We had someone wash and massage us, then shampoo us. After rinsing off, you go to the next room to cool off before retrieving your clothes in the changing room. Men, modestly, do not take it all off, but typically wear bikini underwear.

The Hammam

Peaking in another doorway, we were shown how the water is heated for the hammams. In this room was a small street-level room with a cot and about 6 cats sleeping. Below ground, this man was taking wood chips and shavings from this pile and putting them in the fire. The huge oven lies under the tank that holds the hot water in the steam room of the hammam.

Heating Water for a Hammam

19 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.979226055423165,34.06444365035419,0 Riad Dar Masmoudi After being stalked, we hooked up with our stalking faux guide. After several showings, we chose to stay in this Riad inside the Fes medina.

Coming from the roof, I snapped this photo looking down on our Riad's courtyard from the second floor. We had just finished breakfast (pictured on the table) and our faux guide (sitting on the sofa) was about to take us out into Fes. Our room is through the door in the upper part of the frame. The intricate tilework, called Zellij, is influenced by mosaics of the Byzantines, Moorish Spain, and Arabs. It is forbidden to represent living things in the mosaics, only geometrical patterns, of which there are hundreds to choose from.

In our Riad

Aside from the fact that I'm a white guy and Pram is an Asian guy, it is pretty easy to spot tourists here. Clothes are a dead give away. Most Moroccans would never wear t-shirts out in public, preferring collared shirts or the traditional jellaba, the full-length, kaftan-like garments. Many will wear short-sleeved shirts, but never shorts. I figure I'm going to stand out, so I may as well not put too much thought into fitting in. Pram had it worse than I, often we would come upon a group of young boys playing in the medina who would yell "Jackie Chan" at the first sight of him. I only gained the attention of people who assumed I was French and started speaking to me. If French didn't work, they would move on to Spanish and Italian, eventually making their way to English. When asked where I was from, I would always answer "New York."

Tourists

This was one of the staff members at our Riad. He seemed like a gentleman. He took us up to the roof, guided us from the Riad to nearby restaurants, and helped us with our luggage. Everyone in the Riad was quite nice, particularly the manager. He was a warm, thoughtful person. I could tell he was filled with faith and had a humble attitude toward life and those around him.

One of the Riad Workers

Fes started out as a small Berber settlement around the Oued (River) Fes. By the year 810, thousands of families escaping Al-Andalus in Spain had settled on the west bank of the river. Joining them on the east bank were Arabs from modern day Tunisia. These two groups settled in one medina called Fes el-Bali, or Old Fes. The second medina, Fes el-Jdid, or New Fes, was settled by Jews in the 14th century. Here, the Arab town is in the foreground and the Andalucian quarter is in the distance tucked into the base of the hills. Separating them still is the Oued Fes, a river that tunnels under much of the medina supplying water for the mosques, communal water fountains, and hammams.

View from the Riad Roof

20 July 2004

]]> #hotel -4.973372212149386,34.06862291663838,0 Fes Driving Tour Our guide got behind the wheel of our car and took us on a tour of Fes. We started at the Merenid Tombs, then headed toward the Fes el-Jdid, the Jewish medina near the Bou Jeloud Gardens, and continued on to the south ridge of the city and the Andalus quarter of the medina.

20 July 2004

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-4.987197435814139,34.06266043139757,0 -4.986478430922759,34.06254651423927,0 -4.98607692488963,34.06341494088608,0 -4.985450054099005,34.06394043157542,0 -4.984389460599672,34.06479916588733,0 -4.982692876215367,34.06614953813295,0 -4.982275761368797,34.06655905876575,0 -4.981846511539247,34.0671863994675,0 -4.981495864667522,34.06771978176029,0 -4.98110052873497,34.06805681983874,0 -4.980591432470931,34.06829753299326,0 -4.980061843160186,34.06843859228113,0 -4.978933928253966,34.0684765916741,0 -4.97836202472496,34.06863852777072,0 -4.977739470659131,34.06893400194465,0 -4.977134356746859,34.06908905724585,0 -4.976903974886597,34.06917773633631,0 -4.976757273286893,34.0693535141715,0 -4.976683290596711,34.06959067829246,0 -4.97671841948042,34.06980858026424,0 -4.976829628366929,34.07023175831739,0 -4.976764100631286,34.0704635925505,0 -4.976585544118707,34.07061663705609,0 -4.976362738609708,34.0706838047849,0 -4.97606257311115,34.07060059692687,0 -4.975947878214627,34.07040275753315,0 -4.975904732044995,34.07010680275941,0 -4.975807822879418,34.0695731010091,0 The Merenid Tombs The Merenid Tombs are a remnant of the time when the Merenids ruled Morocco in the 14th Century. Built atop a hill, one can get a view of the whole city from here. The Merenids built New Fes, which served as their capitol. Soon thereafter, Europe came a-knockin' and the Portuguese and the Spanish soon overwhelmed local kingdoms to take pieces of the country.

Merenid Tombs

The view from the Merenid Tombs looking over the medina. The Old Fes medina has close to 10,000 maze-like alleyways that leave you confused, at best. The medina is surrounded by walls that date from the 1100s (the original walls were destroyed). There are about a dozen gates, called babs, that allow access to the medina. In the old days, the gates were closed at 9 o'clock; if you didn't make it in, you slept outside the city. And, back then, there wasn't a whole lot outside of the walls, aside from cemeteries.

View From the Merenid Tombs

North of Fes there is little sign of civilization. In the distance are the Rif Mountains along with some olive groves, but no towns are visible. It amazed me that one side of this hill is packed with mud-brick buildings, seemingly piled on top of each other, while the opposite side of the hill could be hundreds of miles from anywhere.

Looking North from the Merenid Tombs

20 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.979133172801298,34.06954162007297,0 Bou Jeloud Gardens What must be the Central Park of Fes, this is the nicest park in the city according to our guide. It was nice, but not too clean, and not the lush park I usually have in mind when I hear gardens. What makes this park special is that there are no parks in the medina; over 99 percent of the land in the medina is developed.

Bou Jeloud Gardens

20 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.988086290918987,34.05942235518276,0 Royal Palace Entrance to the Royal palace. The Moroccan flag is red with a green, 5-point star in the middle. There is some significance to the seven doors, but I forgot what that means.

Fes Royal Palace

20 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.993543340221763,34.05292972514433,0 Medersa as-Seffarine Medersas are colleges where students come to live and learn the ways of Islam and Muslim law. The Medersa as-Seffarine is the oldest in Fes, built in 1280, and, while the tilework and woodwork are amazing, it is in such a state of disrepair that I wonder where my 10 dirham is going.

Medersa as-Seffarine

View from one of the windows upstairs. The rooms upstairs are the residences for the students and look out on the open-air courtyard. The camera does not pick up the intricacies of the carved cedar. It is amazing.

Medersa as-Seffarine Upstairs

20 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.972606569909516,34.06397921412356,0 The Ceramic Co-op Because of the smoke and pollution, the ceramic factories are always on the outskirts of town. Rich in tradition, boys start apprenticing at a young age so that they can work in this respected Moroccan profession. Here we have two tracing out patterns on the ceramic tile. With a stencil, they paint a white outline on the tile, resulting in the painted tiles in the lower right. These will then be hand carved into individual pieces.

Tracing Patterns

Here is another young man carving out small shapes from larger block tiles. The surrounding tile is carefully chipped away until the decorative piece remains. The decorative piece can be in the shape of a square, a diamond, a triangle, a hexagonal star, or other polygonal shapes. Rarely circular, though.

Young Carver

A room of chiselers, carving small tile pieces from large, glazed tiles. The small pieces are placed in piles and taken to another room where they are placed in a mosaic.

Chiseling

Here these men are taking the carved tiles and building a mosaic from them. These are all done by memory; the pieces are upside down, hiding their color. Examples of their work can be seen everywhere in Morocco, on the walls, floors, tables, and public fountains and spaces.

Mosaic Builders

20 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.950328613724196,34.06095733322202,0 An Entry Gate This is one of the dozen or so gates, or babs, to the medina. These are the only way in or out of the medina and few are wide enough to allow cars to pass. Much of the freight that is delivered from outside the city must be off-loaded onto donkey at these gates.

An Entry Gate

20 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.991103186088836,34.05820485880446,0 Andalus Mosque Pram and Eunice, our no-so-trusty guide, in front of the Andalus Mosque. We are now in the Andalus Quarter of the medina, where thousands of families fled the rule of Al-Andalus in the Cordoba region of Spain and settled here in the 9th century.

Andalus Mosque

The decorative entrance to the Andalus Mosque. This mosque was first built in 859 and later additions took place in 956, 1203-1207, and 1295-1296. This portal was among the later constructions and is made from carved stucco and colorful tiles with a carved cedar cornice (out of frame).

Andalus Mosque Entrance

Looking down into the medina opposite the Andalus Mosque. On the right is a photo store.

Andalus Medina Scene

20 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.967830660230987,34.06284447784405,0 Kairaouine Mosque This is the main mosque in Fes. Built between 859 and 862, the mosque is completely surrounded by buildings, belying the fact that it can hold over 20,000 people. Non-Muslims cannot enter, but we peeked through one of its many doors on a surrounding alley. The university inside is one of the most respected institutions for Muslim learning in the entire world, and has one of the finest libraries in the Muslim world. There are typically over 300 students in residence. In the distance are the Merenid Tombs atop the hill.

The Kairaouine Mosque

20 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.973940878384298,34.06483058397996,0 Textile Mill On the roof of the textile co-op. This is our trusty tour guide for the textile mill, where traditional Moroccan fabrics are made. We talked with this guy for some time. He lived in East Harlem for awhile before coming back to Morocco. We talked about politics, living in Fes, and, oh, about weaving.

The Textile Tour

Adjacent to the textile co-op is (apparently) the only double minaret in the world. The newer white tower is the standard mosque minaret. The closer tower was an observatory used by astronomers. In the history of astronomy, Arabs are credited with carrying astronomy through the Middle Ages, when there were not too many advances in Europe.

The Double Minaret

In one of the rooms in the mill was this young one spinning. Apparently there are no chairs in Morocco.

Young Weaver

Sales pressure. In the textile co-op where they sell jellabas, or kaftans, for men and women. I'm sporting a traditional jellaba, men always wear theirs long-sleeved, women wear the short-sleeved variety. How about that hat?

Sales Pressure

20 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.973874236683386,34.06475685723109,0 Tannery Tour The sign for the tannery off the street in the medina.

Entering the Tannery

On another roof, this time to see the tannery, where leather is made. The techniques used in these tanneries have remained the same since medieval times. First, the hides come in and are stripped of their hair. Conditioned in the white tubs, they dry and then are dyed in the various colored tubs. Along the way, the leather is treated in, among other things, pigeon droppings and cow urine. Where does one get pigeon poop? "In the market," according to our guide. Seems like a logical place, I thought.

Tannery

I zoomed in to see the men working in the tannery. Pelts in various stages of the process are hanging in sheds, lying about drying, or being dyed in vats. The dyes are all natural, including indigo for blue, saffron for red, henna, and other plants.

Close-Up on the Tannery

20 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.975971124662109,34.06439132684207,0 End of the Day Finally, we are back to the parking lot outside the Bab Jamai; our riad is just inside the medina walls. It was a long day filled with so many sights, sounds, and smells. I am completely drained. One more surprise was about to come from our lovable tour guide. He requested that we bestow him with something "western." He seemed to be leaning toward a shirt. Of course, all my shirts are completely plain, so he was leaning more on Pram for this and Pram was not happy about this. In the end, he gave him a shirt from Dickies, the clothing company, which Eunice put on straight away. It fit like the casing on a sausage.

End of the Day

20 July 2004

]]> #photo -4.975671065977053,34.06936884173454,0 Pulled over (again) Pram was pulled over again around here. He demanded we pay 400 DH and we had calculated our money pretty closely so we didn't have too many dirhams left.

Pram tried the Indonesian muslim connections and whipped out some "salamu lekum," but the cop was not buying it. The cop then peeked his head in the car and asked me where I was from. I replied, "New York." The cop responded, "Since you are English, I will give you a break." He dropped the fee to 200 DH. Pram had hidden 200 DH in the side pocket of the car door, so we told him we only had 160 DH, and Pram took all the money out of his wallet to prove it. The cop took our 160 DH and we were off.

We have 200 DH. Can we make it to Madrid?

21 July 2004

]]> #poi -4.996850671456215,34.05952230346632,0 Fes to Casablanca Finally, a highway. We drove a 2-lane road toward Meknes, but then hooked up with the highway. The toll on the road was 32 DH, eating into our remaining dirhams.

The speed limit on the highway is 120 km/hr (75 mi/hr). No danger of getting pulled over here, our mini Nissan shudders at about 110 km/hr.

For the most part, the terrain from Fes to Rabat was grassy, rolling hills. Once at Rabat, we drove down the Atlantic coast to Casablanca.

21 July 2004

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-5.003274111860179,34.05852766105806,0 -4.993776867155461,34.05987764614262,0 -4.992737994168053,34.05995301255405,0 -4.992326447100268,34.06005531031424,0 -4.99192635651383,34.06021409769,0 -4.99178669962059,34.06026066897023,0 -4.991503645050358,34.06033403399571,0 -4.991157291070266,34.06037237673002,0 -4.99056824840163,34.06035148338179,0 -4.989034425329848,34.06023429788194,0 -4.988514772377741,34.06025045042232,0 -4.988042693227072,34.06037208603629,0 -4.98771484454187,34.06052345929241,0 -4.987394864329574,34.06075293874233,0 -4.987189330822261,34.06093488661373,0 -4.986897812854082,34.06137606962872,0 -4.986731178656555,34.06187182989877,0 -4.986484989098102,34.06291831281536,0 -4.986396029513429,34.06330196166819,0 -4.986290366431732,34.06358210387137,0 -4.986160043296451,34.06380749285508,0 -4.985941043866319,34.06403548548551,0 -4.985629055850481,34.0642285733291,0 -4.984695331419502,34.06465497809467,0 -4.984389460599672,34.06479916588733,0 -4.982692876215367,34.06614953813295,0 -4.982275761368797,34.06655905876575,0 -4.981846511539247,34.0671863994675,0 -4.981495864667522,34.06771978176029,0 -4.98110052873497,34.06805681983874,0 -4.980591432470931,34.06829753299326,0 -4.980061843160186,34.06843859228113,0 -4.978933928253966,34.0684765916741,0 -4.97836202472496,34.06863852777072,0 -4.977739470659131,34.06893400194465,0 -4.977134356746859,34.06908905724585,0 -4.976903974886597,34.06917773633631,0 -4.976757273286893,34.0693535141715,0 -4.976683290596711,34.06959067829246,0 -4.97671841948042,34.06980858026424,0 -4.976829628366929,34.07023175831739,0 -4.976764100631286,34.0704635925505,0 -4.976585544118707,34.07061663705609,0 -4.976362738609708,34.0706838047849,0 -4.97606257311115,34.07060059692687,0 -4.975947878214627,34.07040275753315,0 -4.975904732044995,34.07010680275941,0 -4.975807822879418,34.0695731010091,0 Casablanca, Morocco 21-22 July 2004

]]> Hotel Azul (July 21) This is where we stayed after visiting Marrakech ad Fes. We had one night in Casablanca and then we fly to Madrid. Of course, we were not too excited about coming back to Casablanca, but we would stay on the beach this time. Perhaps the change of scenery would be better than our experience a week ago.

The conditions of this hotel are what we've come to expect in Casablanca. Dirty carpets, old beds, and a sparkling lobby. We paid 724 DH for the room, but we would only be here for one night.

We are eager to get back to Spain.

21-22 July 2004

]]> #hotel -7.676955151061506,33.59555480788736,0 Thai Dinner We ate dinner at a Thai restaurant somewhere near here. We talked with the owner for awhile. He was Moroccan but lived in the U.S. for three years.

The beer was good after a long day of driving. The food was not great.

21 July 2004

]]> #poi -7.677707271121704,33.59316244312025,0 Drive: Casablanca to the airport The drive from our seaside hotel to the airport where we will fly to Madrid. Getting to the airport on-time was a challenge since we always get lost in Casablanca. We left extra early.

22 July 2004

]]> #drive 1 -7.579281854176855,33.37347032396898,0 -7.572024238957695,33.37531397377487,0 -7.56921996510026,33.376063457593,0 -7.567708814404426,33.37703788613571,0 -7.565813868093073,33.37950868102351,0 -7.565120867902068,33.38119766621155,0 -7.564860276249888,33.38264594881531,0 -7.564833129157819,33.38427905478918,0 -7.565165538283126,33.38635846703231,0 -7.568567213661992,33.39693644283993,0 -7.567345983629295,33.39857958279489,0 -7.568035953809343,33.401633027085,0 -7.569145396498541,33.40396016954814,0 -7.570264131997946,33.4053912781419,0 -7.571745269078022,33.40665090674261,0 -7.573462365975416,33.40753333566155,0 -7.577040183029951,33.40857404123841,0 -7.580500648331678,33.40851406213103,0 -7.583550197578759,33.4076368523943,0 -7.611394263200665,33.3944806812772,0 -7.615089810360786,33.39435257975171,0 -7.620213660005448,33.39605349179625,0 -7.620757201764761,33.399082101126,0 -7.626455585151049,33.41196029362619,0 -7.627924688433481,33.43420693003821,0 -7.633098208037126,33.44910323794826,0 -7.633285522726525,33.4789462165007,0 -7.627923431253507,33.49887755254824,0 -7.631685777604702,33.5162974929431,0 -7.640789980921594,33.54054575640266,0 -7.643641971133988,33.5490609864794,0 -7.644057277101936,33.55218170312288,0 -7.644683014957593,33.55991261918272,0 -7.644125107137909,33.56929290559554,0 -7.644432119197532,33.5694911545675,0 -7.648085819281079,33.57217782786174,0 -7.653384670007156,33.57690270302563,0 -7.656079271407151,33.57946524236855,0 -7.656504631767335,33.57979309187285,0 -7.657025818953612,33.58013272412956,0 -7.661111718690721,33.58225578135346,0 -7.661369291449006,33.58233364694744,0 -7.661661648149219,33.58237562884242,0 -7.662582732102905,33.58243367214668,0 -7.663468000373983,33.58252583535324,0 -7.664612582142112,33.58267478555901,0 -7.665927911674288,33.58289415997139,0 -7.666773257477304,33.58306807056395,0 -7.670295912237676,33.58389568543127,0 -7.671238568783679,33.58408211784011,0 -7.671505435009863,33.58412554234306,0 -7.671699838039387,33.58418321726545,0 -7.671843221469617,33.5842800988217,0 -7.67194508256847,33.58443650229085,0 -7.672743277016224,33.58680426221618,0 -7.672849856637328,33.58701745875501,0 -7.672944176013829,33.58712080037946,0 -7.673104540114239,33.58719869158805,0 -7.674238325636067,33.58757947627805,0 -7.674683479241637,33.58782911630472,0 -7.675031701617513,33.58816850520694,0 -7.676315399561289,33.58966025274686,0 -7.677048987463451,33.5908164790315,0 -7.677546686770142,33.59176059473991,0 -7.678498542999224,33.59355182226279,0 -7.678583934603211,33.5938929481246,0 -7.67856674888867,33.59419693740006,0 -7.678428621809758,33.59465759332181,0 -7.678297019855109,33.59491697855349,0 -7.67811342426694,33.59517962329424,0 -7.677873873190606,33.59542130978502,0 -7.677565212500257,33.59564924024319,0 -7.676984839675384,33.59501358389375,0 Casablanca to Madrid Woke up a bit late today. We rushed out the door and headed to the airport. We didn't have a lot of time to spend lost in Casablanca, and with our track record, that was a factor in getting to the airport today. Of course, we're taking Iberia Air, and they are always late.

We did get lost, but not for long. We returned the rental car and went to customs and security. After stamping my passport and wishing me well, one of the customs officers asked if I was in the military as I walked away. "No!" I answered.

Our next obstacle was security. You see, our plan involved carrying our luggage on the plane because we did not intend to take our connecting flight to Barcelona, completing our round trip ticket. We wanted to see Madrid.

Well, the security guard refused to let us take our luggage on the plane. After pleading with him, we went to the Iberia office, Pram worked his magic on them, and they gave us tags for our luggage so that we could carry them on. We returned to the guard and he began lecturing us when we showed him our tags. he had to let us through.

Everything is going according to plan.

22 July 2004

]]> #flight 1 -3.571064789946278,40.46826164429646,0 -7.583308865601538,33.37504283332625,0 Madrid, Spain 22-26 July 2004

We will spend four nights in Madrid, then I will fly home to New York and Pram will return to Amsterdam to continue his travels. Although Madrid is a larger city, I preferred Barcelona to Madrid. I felt there was more cultural richness in Barcelona. However, Madrid, with a population twice as large as Barcelona, has the critical mass to foster an energetic, bustling feeling on the streets. Since there are very few bars and clubs in Morocco, we were back on our schedule of sight-seeing and Spanish nightlife.

]]> Train to Our Hostel We took the train into town. It took two transfers, but we finally made it to the center of Madrid and the hostel.

22 July 2004

]]> #train 1 -3.703233953087505,40.41683215167106,0 -3.702151356700512,40.41886285489097,0 -3.701555372336174,40.42025124696276,0 -3.700991956244351,40.42181074561265,0 -3.70071407668749,40.42311108090178,0 -3.700671686253913,40.42435239157201,0 -3.700984450039286,40.42554989764919,0 -3.702242511193589,40.4286821179149,0 -3.697722001675245,40.43249406618846,0 -3.691466468044936,40.43694615534258,0 -3.690996571493031,40.43749946513908,0 -3.690798070537086,40.43803791669319,0 -3.690876875023633,40.4385699791798,0 -3.691239023222806,40.43964728470527,0 -3.691473469909923,40.44070817939484,0 -3.691487759142022,40.44244860709547,0 -3.691154842187103,40.44590516901602,0 -3.690922738505265,40.44680395917823,0 -3.690396472281904,40.44747429287558,0 -3.689367539498164,40.44867598092532,0 -3.686327185474354,40.4513300862162,0 -3.685487552583254,40.45227740413108,0 -3.684356742525865,40.45360692395475,0 -3.683768493232109,40.45415385506086,0 -3.680893820661253,40.45646103546441,0 -3.679648708169069,40.45746979211592,0 -3.678102724736632,40.45827142850873,0 -3.676731330382794,40.45865138782692,0 -3.670608167045231,40.45854461844329,0 -3.665702724668165,40.45985380629751,0 -3.664236660977181,40.46039452042915,0 -3.663031880503084,40.46123031334906,0 -3.658141271026055,40.46546923143552,0 -3.657394544830482,40.46599366658317,0 -3.656479795447652,40.4664179583683,0 -3.655042311521981,40.46684093342431,0 -3.651113326010901,40.46731775521076,0 -3.650169566831736,40.46750103411284,0 -3.642526618085058,40.46951321895426,0 -3.638307481333996,40.46939404317376,0 -3.633064528457751,40.46886244788019,0 -3.63021367763112,40.46857783985881,0 -3.628176555846906,40.46820912716591,0 -3.626806796692422,40.46792860053775,0 -3.625665944846759,40.46751266402667,0 -3.62452039027005,40.46697962241502,0 -3.623003428293729,40.46566084275597,0 -3.621852071938164,40.46466542025262,0 -3.620652582575403,40.46422232981862,0 -3.619200991576407,40.46406445620693,0 -3.616411633136536,40.46442535497922,0 -3.571149340789205,40.46822951577666,0 Puerta del Sol Hostel This is where we stayed in Madrid, the Puerta del Sol hostel. It is a nice, cheap place to stay right in the heart of town. The proprietors loved New York City, so much so that they put up ads from their favorite New York bars.

]]> #hotel -3.702458171479506,40.41722618442734,0 Met Felipe After cleaning up, we went out for a walk. Pram was shopping in Zara, and I was frustrated that none of the clothes were made for people like me.

I let Pram continue shopping while I went for a walk. I walked around this area and passed a cutie on the street. Our eyes met, but we kept walking.

About 10 minutes later, we passed one another again and our eyes met again. This time we stopped and began talking to one another. We talked as best we could and then went to the El Corte Ingles and chatted over a fresh orange juice.

22 July 2004

]]> #poi -3.703758994038395,40.42026513115003,0 Afternoon Walk Pram and I went out last night. I believe I was home by 3 or 4 o'clock; he was back well after sun-up. While he slept, I got myself ready to see some sights. Tonight I was planning to see Felipe, but this afternoon I will see a few other attractions in Madrid.

I walked over to the Plaza Mayor, then to the Royal Palace, and finally over to the parks surrounding the Prado Museum. It is blisteringly hot--it must be around 100 degrees--and the Sun is strong.

23 July 2004

]]> #walk 1 -3.702442806971874,40.41717204360217,0 -3.702331981020578,40.41702062556959,0 -3.702287700534142,40.41668661583736,0 -3.702295936421963,40.41606567278908,0 -3.702289027338808,40.41515765603012,0 -3.701342776501705,40.41507459007059,0 -3.701287583671714,40.41466845626217,0 -3.701227221960849,40.41459745193207,0 -3.701123211032638,40.41455609117985,0 -3.700674465372671,40.41453944022305,0 -3.700304669635543,40.41452583292855,0 -3.70023874277085,40.41451762691208,0 -3.700195762803276,40.41448916839357,0 -3.700096674247789,40.41388251953929,0 -3.698987561703504,40.41365773348951,0 -3.698153807701104,40.41349860306511,0 -3.696941282915873,40.41324029692515,0 -3.69564093559582,40.41300697039617,0 -3.69506893367442,40.41292593201129,0 -3.694244698879629,40.41277591615376,0 -3.693832141552761,40.41269437591679,0 -3.693624901816249,40.41266079759711,0 -3.693500694374777,40.41257752461816,0 -3.693432696741183,40.41242432701001,0 -3.693211710260186,40.41244060980184,0 -3.692668932868528,40.41252150690161,0 -3.693121355745262,40.41432286358793,0 -3.693331064944701,40.41530245104008,0 -3.693467460370485,40.41550120749445,0 -3.693747041221812,40.4155850428017,0 -3.694072883721162,40.41557547400122,0 -3.694358200287325,40.41552506074036,0 -3.69458887989208,40.4156185374876,0 -3.694687113395119,40.41579772046383,0 -3.693794743035611,40.41888153747747,0 -3.693810886005068,40.41900502958655,0 -3.693922392993642,40.41909435092255,0 -3.694072656397864,40.41910402165479,0 -3.696611842919482,40.4185625624871,0 -3.698580772143913,40.41810693811466,0 -3.700177439211757,40.41764128489399,0 -3.70220525480957,40.41711495375029,0 -3.702883985086899,40.41686054358069,0 -3.703627870249576,40.41669571196501,0 -3.704676835152156,40.41658435887817,0 -3.705772652089521,40.4164390494189,0 -3.70696787229096,40.41628723028924,0 -3.707918930092363,40.41614710665593,0 -3.709137718799752,40.41592567772335,0 -3.709442653757989,40.41586036029687,0 -3.709573686272279,40.41610525715817,0 -3.709823762053432,40.41622209491065,0 -3.709802825084425,40.41666254151878,0 -3.710216200376237,40.41671049472895,0 -3.710611001150965,40.41667229844906,0 -3.711117355189217,40.41668773626871,0 -3.711473487474649,40.41689163736504,0 -3.711938075797178,40.4171057776387,0 -3.713036755195674,40.41720476247541,0 -3.713199594460705,40.417165046562,0 -3.713309218346907,40.41705506792714,0 -3.713409082701602,40.41640319435926,0 -3.714400789257496,40.41634952178187,0 -3.713409082701602,40.41640319435926,0 -3.713309218346907,40.41705506792714,0 -3.713199594460705,40.417165046562,0 -3.713036755195674,40.41720476247541,0 -3.711938075797178,40.4171057776387,0 -3.711473487474649,40.41689163736504,0 -3.711117355189217,40.41668773626871,0 -3.710650908706256,40.41656747823065,0 -3.709573686272279,40.41610525715817,0 -3.709442653757989,40.41586036029687,0 -3.709137718799752,40.41592567772335,0 -3.708332557189948,40.41569580273294,0 -3.708101147515052,40.41559304942245,0 -3.707876547089271,40.41545863563009,0 -3.707613451670227,40.41540749167537,0 -3.70724807510058,40.41542664159066,0 -3.706872083638615,40.41576557639097,0 -3.70696787229096,40.41628723028924,0 -3.705772652089521,40.4164390494189,0 -3.704676835152156,40.41658435887817,0 -3.703627870249576,40.41669571196501,0 Plaza Mayor This is the grand Casa de la Panadería on the north side of the square. This building dates from 1590 and, among its many functions, was where kings were crowned. The square, the Plaza Mayor, is grand in size, paved in cobblestone, and is a gathering place for people to watch performances and concerts and, most importantly, eat and drink.

Plaza Mayor

23 July 2004

]]> #photo -3.70742687568837,40.41575780093289,0 Casa de la Panaderia Close-up of the Casa de la Panadería, showing the murals on the facade. Murals on this building were first painted in the 17th century, but were repainted in 1992. Bold, like Spain itself.

Casa de la Panadería

23 July 2004

]]> #photo -3.707333184481172,40.41580590956402,0 Plaza Mayor Calle Toledo Looking south down Calle Toledo, this is the oldest part of town and provides a rare glimpse of 15th century Spain in Madrid. This square comes alive at night; when I took this picture there was a heat wave with temperatures close to 40° C (over 100° F).

Plaza Mayor

23 July 2004

]]> #photo -3.707696620873763,40.41519850366241,0 Royal Palace This is the Palacio Real built for Philip V in 1738. Sitting on a bluff of the Río Manzanares, the palace has 2,800 rooms and was last used by Alfonso XIII, before his untimely exit in the 1930s. Kind of sterile.

Royal Palace

23 July 2004

]]> #photo -3.714447924803693,40.41653520445792,0 Felipe I arrived back at the room around 4 o'clock after my walk. I cleaned up and walked to Felipe's apartment. We had a nice time. He is a very generous person. Interesting conversation, albeit challenged by our different languages. His English is good, though.

He had friends coming over around 8:30, and I was going to meet them. I felt a little awkward about this, but I just rolled with the punches. After they arrived, I took a walk with Felipe and we said our goodbyes.

23 July 2004

]]> #poi -3.6986232847689,40.41500247547014,0 Truco Bar Pram and I headed out about 10 PM and began the evening at this bar called Truco in La Chueca. Think of a Spanish version of a pub and this is it. Most of the people, including ourselves, mingle and talk on the small sidewalk surrounding the bar. Only occasionally do people get clipped by passing cars on the narrow Calle de Gravina. We were here for about an hour and met many nice people. An nice Argentine latched on to us and we ended up going to get some sushi with him before going to the Liquid bar.

23 July 2004

]]> #poi -3.697487863473654,40.42298615313788,0 Liquid Bar After some sushi, we got a drink at Liquid Bar. This is a trendy, popular bar that is packed with people. Madrid does have a bit of a herd mentality, so everyone goes to one bar between 10 and midnight, then they all trickle into another bar between midnight and 3, then it's a disco after that.

Within a few minutes, I looked across the bar and standing about 10 feet away was none other than Felipe. He was with his friends so I went over to say hi for a minute. How wonderful to see him one last time.

23 July 2004

]]> #poi -3.69560000000001,40.42001,0 Arena Discoteca Around 3 AM, we headed over to Arena, the popular disco on Friday nights in Madrid. We had a German fellow in tow from the Liquid Bar, he was a nice guy.

The place was hopping and the music was good. I was thankful that the bass was not so high as to rattle my innards around like some clubs in New York. Pram introduced me to a few people he met the night before while I continued to guzzle the vodka y limons.

By about 6 AM, I decided to head home. Miraculously, I was able to find my way back to the hostel. To my surprise, Pram was already in bed.

23 July 2004

]]> #poi -3.711899999999997,40.42447999999999,0 Walk to the Park We slept very late today. The cleaning staff continued to knock on our door, but we didn't get going till 2 in the afternoon. Pram and I had tapas over a quiet table. He was going to do some shopping and my plan was to walk over to the Botanic Garden and see the Parque del Buen Retiro.

24 July 2004

]]> #walk 1 -3.702442806971874,40.41717204360217,0 -3.70220525480957,40.41711495375029,0 -3.699215822741806,40.41807407472387,0 -3.697326002658656,40.41870056709144,0 -3.69652651600515,40.41902160061431,0 -3.695422664511341,40.41917349803303,0 -3.693960505502716,40.41944760015244,0 -3.693795309907856,40.41949234716484,0 -3.693670735322499,40.41959948941289,0 -3.693501617971421,40.41979999114827,0 -3.693186860193421,40.41986258123728,0 -3.692991344383643,40.41990481311656,0 -3.692873205190452,40.41998914915511,0 -3.692569848075067,40.41987476715521,0 -3.692326174184942,40.41973760637605,0 -3.69219384020623,40.41965769456133,0 -3.692043541656802,40.4196474771398,0 -3.689821700454132,40.41995610608098,0 -3.689668852218361,40.41999180690735,0 -3.68957433416719,40.42005006576646,0 -3.689453262094958,40.42017959972062,0 -3.689321047105295,40.42032547019107,0 -3.689169994986329,40.42042764459573,0 -3.688993500371311,40.42049283575174,0 -3.688804507023334,40.42052337345561,0 -3.688581707204606,40.4205119018025,0 -3.688360471815428,40.42044870988425,0 -3.688174684127262,40.42035042550997,0 -3.688010294105765,40.42024671323492,0 -3.687946466657252,40.4201183066604,0 -3.68791755209304,40.42001143730196,0 -3.687917564768441,40.41991583165796,0 -3.68794353195608,40.41982623220255,0 -3.687929351399987,40.41974517255255,0 -3.687851604471589,40.41967953363946,0 -3.687496650934321,40.41951757578106,0 -3.685761521338478,40.41876235810666,0 -3.685603207657181,40.4187321142077,0 -3.685475793987024,40.41872678472385,0 -3.685359997711274,40.41868968847565,0 -3.685317701759558,40.41860031456579,0 -3.685338272281513,40.41847875976846,0 -3.685340204939251,40.41836335519186,0 -3.685288969284712,40.41818379664402,0 -3.684346370079497,40.41581714084764,0 -3.684302626805249,40.41568153585956,0 -3.684283395763501,40.41556871457589,0 -3.68431200199791,40.41547747762274,0 -3.68439989226539,40.4153980423595,0 -3.68450639601474,40.41535418438624,0 -3.685465568306583,40.41535420099162,0 -3.686028924909849,40.41532751472289,0 -3.686210118298035,40.41530634703604,0 -3.686261969008157,40.41524383668364,0 -3.686355360072028,40.41511859292025,0 -3.686478620253709,40.41505130616209,0 -3.686669404873741,40.41500986371489,0 -3.686768940635204,40.41503454865587,0 -3.686849355942016,40.41508957030339,0 -3.686910668617998,40.41517512291016,0 -3.686977993346289,40.41522742010369,0 -3.68706506069428,40.41524427817614,0 -3.688408642882763,40.41520137207522,0 -3.68911297872127,40.41507635841997,0 -3.689905283089915,40.41505121413671,0 -3.690736573827082,40.41513646785886,0 -3.69146464323498,40.41512573073792,0 -3.693122583116619,40.41513517962365,0 -3.693205689802326,40.41511858595997,0 -3.693258610451451,40.41508759451561,0 -3.693274753646264,40.4150418383335,0 -3.693121355745262,40.41432286358793,0 -3.692668932868528,40.41252150690161,0 -3.692452933014367,40.41250681330146,0 -3.692008920773986,40.41244356885828,0 -3.69190149863995,40.41213680764598,0 -3.691535007905856,40.41220898871635,0 -3.691150213326353,40.41221260905042,0 -3.690417470094601,40.41184266594157,0 -3.690061441953404,40.41033672350251,0 -3.691696848358305,40.41014740232893,0 -3.692140531202583,40.41194915792468,0 -3.69190149863995,40.41213680764598,0 -3.692008920773986,40.41244356885828,0 -3.692452933014367,40.41250681330146,0 -3.692668932868528,40.41252150690161,0 -3.693211710260186,40.41244060980184,0 -3.693432696741183,40.41242432701001,0 -3.69424604443303,40.41455952947734,0 -3.694349838884008,40.41474078300114,0 -3.694579756167201,40.41478917431205,0 -3.694805268169476,40.41491343725468,0 -3.694980255586856,40.41535200941297,0 -3.695063975727052,40.4154208794773,0 -3.698278523487005,40.41642241507836,0 -3.698768332722736,40.41653983045411,0 -3.699189561598544,40.41657518176968,0 -3.700755686236278,40.41665964088651,0 -3.702287700534142,40.41668661583736,0 -3.702331981020578,40.41702062556959,0 -3.702442806971874,40.41717204360217,0 Royal Botanical Garden The Royal Botanical Gardens were started in 1755 and contain more than 30,000 species. Many from Asia, the Near East, and a few from America. Locust trees seemed to be exciting enough to bring back from North America. Many cacti too. This is a statue of a botanist whose name escapes me. This shot would have benefited from a telephoto lens.

Royal Botanical Garden

24 July 2004

]]> #photo -3.691778345022172,40.41111117236171,0 Parque del Buen Retiro Winnie the Pooh and a TeleTubby too. It's nearly 100 degrees and here are these costumed characters out for euros. I can't image how hot they are. This is the Central Park of Madrid. Large lakes, fountains, and beautifully landscaped walks. Not as "wild" as Central Park, more stately in its appearance.

Parque del Buen Retiro

24 July 2004

]]> #photo -3.685564752928272,40.41869771872282,0 Writing in the Grass It was heading toward early evening and it was still hot out. I decided to lie in the grass and work on my journal and cool off. I soon realized that this was where the drug dealers hang out. One of them come over to talk, but I kept my distance. he seemed like a nice guy, not like the dealers we have in the states. And, he got my message land left me alone. He was probably just trying to see who I was.

24 July 2004

]]> #poi -3.686100109950985,40.41912555843508,0 Palacio de Comunicaciones Nothing too special about the goings-on in this building across the circle, I guess this is the spanish equivalent of the FCC. It's a grand Spanish facade in the setting Sun.

Palacio de Comunicaciones

24 July 2004

]]> #photo -3.693355312227766,40.41979601384371,0 Prado Museum I went to bed early last night so I could spend some time seeing the some art on my last day before returning to New York. The Prado was established in 1818 and is one of the finest art museums in the world. It is also huge. I arrived a little before 10 AM, and I would have to breeze through it to see the other museums I would like to see today.

This rendition of Castor and Pollux was sculpted in the first century A.D.

Castor and Pollux

Depiction of the creation of the Milky Way, this was one of several breast-spraying paintings in the Prado. The more disturbing showed a holy man receiving milk from Mary (I think) as he was kneeling on the floor. How sexual is that?

The Formation of the Milky Way

25 July 2004

]]> #photo -3.69237560642435,40.4137865368006,0 Reina Sofia Museum My second museum today, I arrived at the Queen Sofia Museum at about 1 PM. This is the largest modern art collection in Madrid. I was disappointed to see many Dali works out on loan, but the collection was great and the edifice was wonderful too.

25 July 2004

]]> #poi -3.69405366205433,40.40857178828875,0 Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum Finally, I visited the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum at 3:30. I was working fast. This museum has a variety of works mainly from famous European artists. I do recall a few Americans in the mix.

25 July 2004

]]> #poi -3.695042399644778,40.41606252999294,0 Taxi to Airport I departed mid-morning to head for the airport. My flight is at 11 AM. I said my goodbyes to Pram and got in a taxi to the airport.

26 July 2004

]]> #drive 1 -3.571027721666256,40.46399409033024,0 -3.573598132826334,40.46260526111607,0 -3.576038058183314,40.46211600027852,0 -3.578092609344452,40.46227181250165,0 -3.579342072956892,40.46277719918823,0 -3.580111082175804,40.46335456480044,0 -3.580587560255225,40.46398106824853,0 -3.58091604773378,40.4646842529928,0 -3.581045032810366,40.46546596913187,0 -3.58129141076934,40.46641797956082,0 -3.581827965269155,40.46717829005679,0 -3.582647458808722,40.46784567513421,0 -3.583316489157113,40.46817336776812,0 -3.584097918579602,40.46840410057783,0 -3.585058643892169,40.46853527022431,0 -3.592600340509435,40.46872447330506,0 -3.598135450296212,40.46859371397308,0 -3.599811351224901,40.46866886235914,0 -3.601301528238352,40.46899482916761,0 -3.602461956637441,40.46946457317732,0 -3.604293621660389,40.47050695572837,0 -3.605683496431396,40.47112137560244,0 -3.607205026027374,40.4715743508574,0 -3.608514034725716,40.47177585423895,0 -3.610423033536549,40.47187382330775,0 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-3.709655383898125,40.41843462654482,0 -3.709323632415234,40.41841122556714,0 -3.709196652684852,40.41838140672156,0 -3.709123980853491,40.41830549496471,0 -3.709139216702965,40.41797773049998,0 -3.70906375864601,40.41788817226733,0 -3.708920906151733,40.41785501977155,0 -3.708675050229219,40.41781672844109,0 -3.708441840942768,40.41777642834032,0 -3.705687932485945,40.41706006681121,0 -3.704475321942497,40.41680657009918,0 -3.704107171359312,40.4167823671726,0 -3.703625285859899,40.41680796398079,0 Madrid to New York The flight home was smooth. We took off at 11 AM from Madrid and landed at JFK at 1 PM, with a 5-hour time zone difference. My trip was coming to an end, and I was mighty sad. I had a wonderful time on my first trip abroad. I hope to fly over an ocean again very soon.

26 July 2004

]]> #flight 1 -73.78443817582917,40.64572522271597,0 -3.571064789946278,40.46826164429646,0