Valencia

We made a quick stop in Valencia, mainly to visit the City of Arts and Sciences. The complex was designed by everybody's favourite bridge designer, Santiago Calatrava.

We spent the first half of the day in the Oceanarium.

The Scarlet Ibis.

The Beluga Whale

And some sneaky dolphins

We also went to the science museum where Yaz learned about X-Men by going on a gyroscope. She is the blur in the middle of the photo.

The complex looks even better at night.

We finished our visit with some paella, which both originated in Valencia and is best in Valencia.

Al-Andalus

Having already been to the capital of the region, Seville, we continued our exploration of Andalusia in Córdoba. The largest city in the world during the 11th century, the city has a rich history of Muslims and Jews in Moorish Spain.

Here is the pool at the Alcázar with one minor improvement to the statue.

The main attraction is the Cathedral which is a converted Mosque. As you can see they kept some of the designs from the previous owners.

We also visited one of three synagogues in Spain which had survived the inquisition. Built in 1315 its design is also clearly influenced by the Moors.

While there may not be any Jews left in Córdoba, we did find some falafel tapas at a Sephardic restaurant.

This is the prettiest street in Córdoba.

And the view of the old city from across the Guadalquivir.

Before leaving, we visited the ruins of the Medina Azahara.

Of course no quest to discover the Islamic history of Spain would be complete without a visit to the Alhambra in Granada. It's an amazing complex of palaces, towers, ruins and gardens. 

We can write a lot about the place but it would be better if you just go and see it for yourself. Here are a few photos to whet your appetite.

The view from the Alhambra of the historic Albayzín neighbourhood.

The view of the Alhambra from the historic Albayzín neighbourhood (with the Sierra Nevada in the background).

Stay tuned for the next entry where not every photo will be of something older than 500.

Little Britain

This entry is going to be super small, in honour of the super small country that it features.

The day after arriving back on The Continent from Morocco, we paid a visit to Gibraltar.

Here is Josh landing on the airstrip.

We're still a bit confused whether Gibraltar was an island prior to the airstrip's construction. Does anyone have any superior knowledge to offer us (and our cherished readers)?

Gibraltar's main attraction is The Rock, named so creatively as the majority of the peninsula is a big limestone rock. We spent the day walking around said rock, looking at the beautiful view...

Watching the frolicking semi-wild macaques...

Looking at stalactites...

 And reminiscing about the wonderful places that we have recently visited.

Each of its 7 square kilometres will be forever remembered in our hearts.

More Morocco

Our second and final week in Morocco was as exciting and frantic as the first. We visited the small fishing village of Essaouira, the imperial capital of Fez and the artists' mountain town of Chefchaouen.

Essaouira was an important trading centre in the 18th and 19th century when Morocco was at its most powerful. The fortress from that time is still in good condition. Here is Josh showing how to shoot seagulls out of a canon.

As with everywhere else in the country we met some really friendly people and drank a lot of tea.

At the port you can choose your own fresh seafood and have it grilled for you over a coal fire. The red snapper and prawns were the best!

There's also a beach but it was windy and cold.

After a day on the bus and train we reached Fez (the city not the hat).

The Kairaouine Mosque

The Bab Bou Jeloud

The Habarim Synagogue

The tannery (for dyeing leather)

The man who makes carpets

The man who gets brains out of sheep

The woman who plays the lute

As well as the sites mentioned above, the best thing about the Fez medina is its 9,000 tiny streets.

Something else to mention which has been a highlight of Morocco is the Islamic architecture which is beautiful to look at and endlessly detailed.

We had some good food in Fez including a chicken and cinnamon pastilla...

And a camel burger

The last stop was Chefchaouen...

which is known for its blue buildings.

It's also a nice place from which to explore the Riff Mountains.

And it's a nice place to have breakfast