Ibiza made us feel like youngsters!

Gwinn told us about Ibiza (an Island off the East coast of Spain) and its reputation for being The Nightclub Capital of Europe. The first night we found an anchorage in Puerto de San Antonio. Of course we found the spot where the ferries run back and forth all night. Between the ferry rocking the boat and the Paradise Nightclub rocking our ears, it was a sleepless night for the crew. In the morning it was much calmer and so we finally pulled the dinghy motor out of the garage and with Gwinns help mounted it onto the dinghy. Off to shore we went. We walked around a bit to see the bungee cord ride that we only witnessed from the boat the night before. All we could see were the two huge poles all lit up with lights and the bungee harness which was also all lit up going up and down, up and down. It took us a while to figure out what it was. On shore, we sat at a bar and had early cocktails and watched the beach activity.

The next day we sailed to Formentera, another island nearby. We were lucky and came across an unused mooring in Puerto El Espalmador which we picked up for the night. Apparently you are supposed to call and "reserve" the mooring but the gentleman in charge told us we could stay on this one for the one night. The island is private and they have put in these moorings so people won't anchor but still some did. Around 11pm as I was going to bed I heard lots of popping noises outside. There was a huge yacht off our port beam that was firing off HUGE FIREWORKS. They were awesome and the whole harbour enjoyed the show. I can't believe they did that off of their boat??? Anyway, the next day we dinghied around and found a beautiful beach with crystal clear waters and a beach bar for the guys. We enjoyed that until around noon when we figured they might cut us off of the mooring ball so out we headed.

It was now Friday and the last weekend in August (for all those European holidayers) and we found out that the last Monday of every month is a holiday in the UK so it was an extra busy three day holiday weekend and crowded but we found a berth in Marina Botafoch in the Puerto De Ibiza. We got lazy and didn't ask the price before tying up so the $230 Euro per night rate was a bit shocking but it was a supply and demand thing...they told us it was High Season. We were going to stay two nights but decided one was plenty. The Island has a population of 72,000 of which a third live in the capital, Ibiza and they get about 65,000 visitors on a busy weekend. The city was founded during 6th century BC by the Carthaginians. They improved the agriculture, tunny (tuna) fishing, and olive cultivating. They also manufactured a purple dye from molluscs. By the 3rd century BC the island was minting its own coin. Anyway, so it is Friday and this is the day we decided to go do the Nightclub thing. With Gwinn as our chaperone, we started the evening around 9pm with dinner at K5...a place Gwinn had been before and we just loved it. There are 3 seatings for dinner, we were the first at 9pm. After dinner, you can enjoy after dinner drinks in the 'reception' tents which are rooms decorated like Arabian tents with lots of red lights and hookahs going around, etc. We were there until midnight or so and decided it was time to hit the nightclub. We had chosen "Pacha" for our evening. There are quite a few Nightclubs to choose from and the entrance fees vary quite a bit. This one cost $60 Euro per person. My first Coke Light drink cost me $8 Euros which is about $10 US dollars and is only 8 oz...amazing???? I really can't explain everything I saw that night...it is something everyone should witness at least once in their life though. We stayed until 5am to watch the DJ "Justice" since he was the star of the evening (sorry, I don't know my techno DJ's very well). There were still people everywhere when we left but none of us could hear very well. We had a great time...thanks Gwinn!!!!

Valencia At Last!

We made it to Valencia just in time to pick up our next guest, Gwinn. Gwinn is Johns cousin and we were very excited to have another guest onboard Jay Sea Dee. Due to the language barrier with the marina, we were having trouble finding our berth and found Gwinn there as we pulled in. Because it was a long run from Valencia to Ibiza we decided to sail back to Denia and head to Ibiza from there. So while in Valencia we did our city tour on foot using the metro system along the way. We found a great piazza with fountains and pigeons and just great people watching. Then we headed to The Oceanaquarium where Gwinn had made reservations for us for dinner...yes at 9pm. Along the way we passed some beautiful buildings with architecture that seemed almost unbelievable. Valencia hosted the last America's Cup sailing race and built up much of the old city into a new age venue. Our dinner was great! We had the fish swimming around us as we ate...it was just very peaceful to watch. The next day we were off sailing to Denia again.

East meets West...time to celebrate!

OK, we'll keep it simple. We hit the Prime Meridian and were at 00.00.00 degrees...yes, East meets West. Look at the "Position" Longitude on our radar...all zeros.

Ensenada De Mazarron, Mar Menor, and Denia

Another beautiful anchorage, Ensenada De Mazarron (photo #1). We swam in the beautiful water again today but then I was scared off by a Sea Nettle (jellyfish). At night the old fort was lit up and was just a beautiful sight from the boat.

The next day we headed to Mar Menor which is an inland sea. It is separated from the Mediterranean by a narrow band of sand. There are three entrances but we entered from the deepest one, Puerto de Tomas Maestre. There is a fun lighthouse at the entrance (photo #2). The bridge opens every two hours beginning at 10am so we were there at noon (photo #3) and made it through the bridge along with about 10 other boats. It amazed me that they kept the bridge open as there were ambulances (WITH THEIR LIGHTS ON) on both sides of the bridge waiting to get across but the bridge stayed open the entire 20 minutes that we were told it would(photo #4). We enjoyed a real nice sail around the lake and then anchored behind Isla Perdiguera (a small island that blocked the swell for us). There were caves all over but we just enjoyed it from the boat since the dinghy motor was still in the "garage". There were a lot of boats there and many of them dragging anchor so it was a great day to stay aboard and protect the boat anyway.

Our next stop was Denia and we pulled into a marina since the boat needed a good washing by now. We were hoping for internet but it wasn't working at the marina so we had to find a restaurant with WIFI and buy a few drinks to pass the time and pay for our seats. Then we headed to the pool to cool off. This was a pool to die for. They had Cabanas with huge sofas and fluffy pillows overlooking the marina. They all seemed 'reserved' but one of the servers found us a cabana since we were only going to be there a short while. We felt like The Rich and Famous for sure...too bad it only lasted a couple of hours. The town seemed deserted up until 9pm when people came out of the walls (or should I say water) for dinner. We are slowly adjusting to this Spanish time schedule.

Costa Blanca here we come

Our first stop in Costa Blanca was at Caserio de San Pedro. We got up early...sunrise actually (photo #1) and enjoyed a long day of sailing. We decided to try our first anchorage because it looked so inviting (photo #2). As we got closer, things just got more interesting. First, there is an old castle ruin on top of the beach area (photo #3). Then you notice that there are no roads leading here, only trails along the hillside. Then you notice that there are a lot of tents and a lot of nude people. Who can blame them, the beach looked awesome with white sand and turquoise waters. We still didn't have our dinghy motor out of the garage so there was no going ashore so we just sat on the back of the boat and enjoyed the people watching. Then came Antonio (photo #4) and his friends. There were five persons having a lot of fun in a motor boat and pulling a tube behind and going round and round our boat. They finally stopped next to the boat and introduced themselves and we invited them onboard. It was great talking to them and it helped a lot that Antonio spoke some English. He is a teacher of Nautical (mostly scuba diving) at a University. He sat and told us all about the beach area. He told us it was a gypsy camp and because it is not accessible by car, not too many police visit. He told us it was a big place for Europe's Most Wanted. He told us how it is a known drug area. Well, by the time they left we were locking ourselves inside the boat hoping for a nice peaceful evening. We got it and moved on in the morning.

Granada and The Alhambra

We caught the bus from Motril to Granada, about 5.4 Euros each. Once there, we knew from our map that the 'Estacion Autobus' was far from our Hotel San Anton so we caught a taxi. Our Hotel included a tour with an English speaking guide to Alhambra for the next day. That was a great way to get a ticket, otherwise you have to go early in the morning and wait in line since they only allow 350 visitors per half hour. So we checked in and headed out to check out the town. We found the Royal Chapel (see photo with John on the steps...it is huge) where Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand are laid to rest. There are four royal tombs carved in 1521 from Italian marble...quite impressive. Then you go downstairs and see the actual coffins. You think, "These are the people who made Spain what it is and gave Christopher Columbus the Go Ahead"...amazing. We dodged the gypsies who offer you a twig of some herb in exchange for a fortune telling and then expect payment...mucho payment. We finished strolling through the shops and the Plaza's and stopped for a beer and a coke light.

We went to a grocery store as we enjoy doing. They had the perfect Rum and Coke combo pack for only 12.45 Euros...just waiting for John. Waiting for Jodi...twisted Cheetos!

We wanted to see a Flamengo show but they were on holiday so we headed back to the hotel to watch CNN...the only English channel on TV. The hotel had a beautiful view of Alhambra and the river. John got a great photo of it at night (see photo).

As we were waiting for the tour bus the next day I went into the gift shop to browse. I had my camera around my neck and the gentlemen behind the counter got all excited as he took out his camera to show me that it was similar to mine. I just thought he was a big goofy but then he handed me one of those city guides for Granada and in our broken languages to each other, he explained that he was the photographer for that book. He insisted that I take the book and not pay him for it. I told him no but he insisted. It is a beautiful book and I will treasure it forever. Did you know Granada is at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range? They get snow there and people go there to ski. It was so hot that it was hard to imagine snow falling but it reminded us of home.

The Alhambra is the Moorish/Christian Castle built by the Nazarids when Granada was the regional capital of Spain. The Moors are actually the Muslims for those of you who don't know...I didn't know at first. Then when the Christians took over in 1492 Charles V built his own palace by taxing the muslims. The funny thing about the whole thing, he never lived there. The capital moved to Madrid and the work on the palace stopped.

The reflecting pool (see the photo) really is green. They leave the algae in it so it will reflect better is what we were told. It is a beautiful place with beautiful gardens and a stark contrast between the Moorish Palace and the Christian Palace. The shield photo (see photo) is only one of 9,000 times it is repeated in the palace...in Arabic it says "Only Allah is Victorious". It was here at Alhambra that Columbus asked Isabel and Ferdinand to finance a sea voyage to the Orient.

On the way down the hill, the streets were lined with park benches...the problem was one side was shorter than the other. I guess that is to compensate for the steep hill???

The town has no metro but plenty of taxis or buses are always available. It has quite the European flavor to it which we loved. Having dinner or a late night snack while people watching is just great fun...apparently the locals love it too. You would see four elderly gentlemen enjoying the evening together on a park bench...also people watching. They really do take their siestas seriously. Everything (except the grocery store) and I mean everything closes around 1pm and does not open again until somewhere between 4 and 6pm. At one point we were walking along and realized there was nobody around us...just like the world stops!!!

We really enjoyed Granada!

Habla usted Ingles?

If the answer is no...best to move on. That is our recommendation after our experience in Puerto De Motril. John, using his best High School Spanish, called on our way to the marina to see if there was "room at the inn". No habla usted ingles. So we go anyway. There are no dock spaces open, they do not understand us on the radio and there are no more marinas within the next few hours. John tries to get me to jump onto the dock while he does a "pass-by" with the boat. Thank God a marina employee finally waved us down and literally "squeezed" us in. Then we had to try and register without understanding what each other wanted. Again, using our best Spanish, we filled out the forms but had to have them re-done as what we put in the "box" was the wrong information. This is not a good marina if you are looking to re-provision as the facilities are pretty far away and the actual town of Motril is over 3 miles from the marina as we found out the hard way. We walked to town,found the bus station and picked up the schedule to Granada. The restaurants we saw all had the Jambone's hanging inside or in the windows. They had some very artistic graffiti artists so I had to take photos. The next day we were rockin' and rollin' with the swell. We had made reservations to go to Granada and see Alhambra so we decided to get more fenders to protect the boat. We secured the boat and headed on.

Leaving Gibraltar

Back to face the traffic of tankers, tugs, cruise ships, etc. We had been told by several other Yachties to buy our fuel in Gibraltar...there would be no lower price in all the Med. So we pulled up to the Fuel Alley where you bargain fuel prices as you dock alongside. The first station, 54 pence per litre, the second was 47 pence per litre and the third was busy...so the second it was. We filled up for about half the price we have found since...good suggestion.

I can't resist lighthouses so here is the one off Europa Point heading East from Gibraltar.

In Tetouan, Morocco

Arriving in Tetouan we were told over and over to remain with the Guide. Otherwise, you will be approached by many beggars and pick-pocketers and worse of all...people selling their goods (if you even look at their goods once, you are followed and hassled for a long time). I had to ask John not to speak to them so they would stop following us...he likes to play games with them. So we followed Ahmad (our guide) like a herd of cows into the Medina. The Medina is a Unesco World Heritage Site. The entrances are shaped like key holes. The one shown in the photo is the Queens keyhole. This is a neighborhood of Spanish and Muslim influence built around 1306. It is a massive structure of caves and mazes of streets that is home to about 25,000 persons today. We found the city to be very dirty compared to our standards but it is VERY old. There is trash everywhere and flies on the food in the market. It was Friday, which is Market Day so it was very busy with a very diverse cross-section of people. Another reason to stay with the guide is so you don't get lost...it is literally a maze.

They take you around the Medina but never stop, never giving you a chance to buy souvenirs. They show you the Mosques where they pray five times a day. We got to witness one of the praying sessions. They all face East because that is the direction to Mecca from there. Only the men are allowed in the mosque, the women have a seperate section to go to. Most of the women there wore the Head Scarves if not the full Berqa. It is their decision whether or not to wear them and it is based on religious beliefs. We found very few women run shops, mostly men selling the goods...women were mostly selling food. Notice the chandeliers in the photo of the Mosque. They also have very beautiful tile work.

Lunch time they took us into a Moroccan restaurant where we had a show of men in costume dancing, one with candles on a tray (see photo). We had Snake Soup (at least that was the translation), Cous-cous with Chicken and cabbage. For dessert it was a cookie and hot mint-tea (supposedly good for digestion) but it was very sweet.

After lunch, they herded us off to the Carpet Store where our group was seperated into small groups (John and I had our own carpet entreprenure). They demonstrate how the carpets are made and then have a "community young man" come in and starts un-rolling all the carpets for you to see. After there is a pile of 30 or more carpets, you are to choose which ones you would "consider" purchasing. When you have three or four left, they bring another gentlemen in (the owner we presume) who gives you a quote for the one you like most. They tell you they accept, Euros, Pounds, US Dollars, The Dirham (Moroccan) or Plastic...they are quite flexible. The price is VERY outrageous so you bargain back and forth until you say you will not pay that price and start walking out. Then you tell them "your final price please" and make a deal. The young man works on rolling up all the carpets again. They ship it home for you as well so we hope our package makes it home with our purchases in it. I have photos and their address, just in case.

After that, it is back onto the bus to go to Tangier, the capital of Morocco. We noticed how good the roads are. There is a lot of construction going on but it seems that a lot of it is only partially done and looks like it has stopped. There was a HUGE Seaport under construction on the Northern coast as we drove along in the bus. We passed many beaches that were beautiful and crowded. As we passed more and more we noticed mostly men at the beaches. If there were women, they were fully dressed, not in their swimsuits. There were very few in swimsuits, probably tourists.

Going back to Gibraltar was pretty much the reverse of getting to Morocco except when we arrived off the ferry back into Spain, it was 22:00 hour and after our taxi ride back to the Spanish border it was too late to catch the bus so we walked...but we had to walk across the airplane tarmac to get to through Customs. I don't think I've ever had to walk across a runway before. Then two miles back to the boat...WHAT A DAY! WE WERE EXHAUSTED!!!

On The Road To Morocco

To get to Morocco is an ordeal but very much worth it if you are into adventures!!! You literally do three countries in one day (UK, Spain, Morocco). We first tried to find the tourist office in Gibraltar who told us we had to go to a travel agent. She gave us a list of agents and off we went with our Map of Gibraltar. First agent we found would put us on a list for the tour but if not enough people signed up then the tour would be cancelled. We didn't like that option so we went to a second agent. Yes, she could book us on a tour for 59 Euros each. You get the Ferry from Gibraltar to Cueta, a Moroccan lunch and the English speaking guide. We booked for the next day. So the next morning we woke up early, caught a local bus to the Spanish border. You get off the bus, walk across the border to find a taxi...you are now in Spain again. You take a 20 minute ride to the Ferry Terminal, find the "Guide" who puts a sticker on you (now you are labeled a tourista), takes your passports, and tells you to wait here. We could tell we were the only Americans on the tour by the colors of the other passports. So our English speaking tour consists of Ahmad (the name of our guide) telling everyone else the tour in Spanish or French and then we get a revised version of that (it seemed it was a quarter of what he told everyone else). The ferry only took about a half hour, then we were herded off to the bus. We were a bit confused because we noticed all the signage was in Spanish but we thought we were in Morocco. We did learn that there is a small part of Northern Africa that is still owned by Spain. So the bus heads to Morocco but you have to go through Spanish Customs/Immigration AND Morocco Customs/Immigration. We were told that there were to be No photos until after both border passings and No photos of the policemen. No problem at the Spanish border but we were held for quite a while at the Moroccan border. Plus...we had a doctor board the bus and take EVERYBODY's temperatures. The only thing we could figure out was it had to do with the Swine Flu. I guess everyone passed and off we headed. They have many round-abouts and every single one has policemen there who stop cars at random. There are also the big red Moroccan flags at every round-about. John and I thought it was a bit much to have the policemen at every round-about but maybe they have a problem with drug trafficking and that works to keep it to a minimum. The countryside was beautiful...beaches everywhere and very mountainous elsewhere. Over an hour later we arrive at Tetouan.