Saturday, 20 April 2024
Tangier, Morocco
This part of our journey by sea is half over and the blog is almost a week behind. But I will catch up. We docked in Tangier at noon today on the first day of bad weather--it rained on and off all day. Luckily, when I was here in 2017 I had gorgeous weather--so I might have to pass off some photos from that trip to give a sense of what this northernmost Moroccan city is like. But now I return to
Tuesday, 16 April 2024
San Sebastian La Gomera, Islas Canaria, Espana
La Gomera is the second smallest of the Canary Islands. Like Gran Canaria, it is almost perfectly round. The north side of the island is lush with tropical vegetation, while the south is mostly desert-like. La Gomera's main historical claim is that Columbus spent time here before sailing his ships to the West Indies.
We are on a Seabourn shore excursion this morning: "In the Footsteps of Columbus." The tour begins with a walk through the small city of San Sebastián. Our guide seems a bit tongue-tied and unsure of himself, but he improves as the group later moves into the mountain heights. It's almost as if he hasn't had his second cup of coffee yet. We admire some of the old-town architecture and view two small churches. We also see the fortification tower built by the Spanish in the 15th century. It was originally on the waterfront, but is now quite a way inland as more acreage has been reclaimed from the Atlantic.
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| A Very Rare Red and Black Spider Outside a Cafe |
The second part of the tour takes us on another spectacular mountain drive up the center of the island. We first stop in La Degollada de Peraza for panoramic views over the island . . .
. . . and then continue upwards to the Natural Monument of Los Roques, located within Garjonay National Park.
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