Back in Spain

On the ferry to Tarifa, it was a bit choppy so a few people were feeling seasick and they put on music like 'We All Live in a Yellow Submarine' and other sea ditties over the sound system to make them feel worse. How appropriate. When we returned to Spain from Morocco, we had a day to spare so we decided to head over to the Rock and see what it was like. It was SOOOOO incredibly, unbelievably comforting to be in a country where the official language is English and no one says 'Ni hau' or 'Konichiwa' to you. Actually, the people have a bit of a bizarre accent. They sound british but a bit europeanised. I think most of them speak Spanish as well and their Spanish had a foreign accent to it. (Photo: me on ferry back to Spain. I look incredibly classy. Because all my clothes got wet from the bus to Rissani, I had to wear Lisa's stuff but the pants were too big so I put a belt on to hold them up and her pyjama bottoms on underneath to keep me warm. But then they were too long so I tucked them into my orange socks to stop them from trailing on the ground.)

Gibraltar has so much history and intrigue for a piece of limestone that doesn't produce anything and has a population of 300 000. We did the official 'Rock Tour' which was fascinating. Mario, our guide, took us up to the national park, we saw the caves, the tunnels, the monkeys, the views... slightly disconcerting to be standing on british territory and be able to see a part of Spain in one direction and across the water, the continent of Africa. (Photo: gibraltan rock ape looking at gibraltan rock ape stuffed toys)

We headed to Cordoba that night, but didn't get there till 2:15 am. Absolutely exhausted, especially after our 14 hour bus ride from Rissani. There were two babies on the bus from Rissani who wouldn't stop bawling. Lisa was ready to murder them but I thought they sounded hilarious. Sort of like they were being tortured and branded with firey pokers. There was absolute silence on the bus, except for the crying, and then I started giggling and couldn't stop and ended up nearly crying myself, with glee. The sound of their anguish sustains me. (Photo: Lisa with ape on her shoulder)

Our hotel was right opposite the mezquita and in the old town- perfectly situated. The mezquita is utterly indescribable so I won't even try. It's a mosque from the moorish times of Spain but when the catholics took over, they sort of built a cathedral in it, so you go in and see the muslim design, and when you enter further into the bowels of the mosque, you see a cathedral with christian motifs. (Photo: mezquita from the inside)