Author Archives: Mike

We loved lodging in the riad in the Tangier medina, but found another equally charming one in our next stay in Chefchaouen, which is also known as the Blue City, because many of its buildings in the old town are washed in variations of blue paint. This friendly city is perched high in the RifContinue reading “The Blue City, Chefchaouen”

Because we knew there would be challenges with the language and culture in Tangier, and because we were lodging in the Medina, we knew we would need a guide. Renae had commissioned the services of one for the 13 days we were traveling throughout Morocco. Sami picked us up at the airport in his largeContinue reading “Tangier”

Yes, Morocco! As I mentioned in an earlier post, we had been staying with our friend from the Camino, Renae, at her apartment in Marbella, Spain. She had been trying to put together a trip to Morocco and needed a few friends to join her and to help defray the costs of the trip. SheContinue reading “Wait,…… what? Morocco?”

While staying with our friend Renae in Marbella, we were able to make a couple of day trips to historical cities in Andalusia. One visit was to Ronda, an ancient village located in the region noted for its many Pueblo Blanco (white house) villages. Ronda is famous for its homes straddling the 390 ft. massiveContinue reading “Ronda, Marbella and Malaga”

After touring the Algarve area of Portugal, Carrie and I drove east along the Costa del Sol to Marbella, Spain, a toney enclave hugging the southern shores of Spain along the Mediterranean. The views from our friend Renae’s apartment were stunning. As you can see from the photo above, not only do you get toContinue reading “Marbella and Gibraltar”

Carrie and I have been sunning and strolling on the pristine white beaches that appear everywhere along the Algarve coast. We visited the rocky point in Cape Sagres where Henry the Navigator supposedly ran a school for potential sailors in 1420, later built as an 18th century fort. We wandered just beyond here to CapeContinue reading “Portugal’s Paradise: The Algarve”

Carrie and I loved Porto. It’s a little bit gritty, with crumbling buildings, grafitti everywhere and more homeless men than we’ve seen so far on this trip. But when you look past those negative aspects you can see a great historical city where the elaborate designs of blue and white tiled walls meet the flowingContinue reading “More On Porto, And Then South To The Algarve”

After completing our walk on the Camino, Carrie and I spent a few days in Santiago de Compostela planning the remainder of our 90 days here in Europe. We had spent months planning for the Camino, but we had not scheduled one step of the remainder of our trip, other than we have a flightContinue reading “After The Camino”

Most pilgrims end their long journey in Santiago, but a few continue on to Fisterre (end of the world), a tiny seaside village, which was in ancient times considered to be the most western point in Europe. We also traveled there, and to Muxia, but in the cushiony comfort of a tour bus. This wasContinue reading “To The End of The World (And Back)”

We are finally in Santiago! We arrived here on Friday, after 38 days of traveling to get here. Upon entering the plaza facing the cathedral we were met by the sounds of bagpipes from local musicians and throngs of joyous pilgrims hugging each other and posing for group photos. It was a scene of joyContinue reading “Santiago, At Long Last”