We felt we needed a break from the wine and the tapas so we
thought lets go to Morocco where technically alcohol is banned and there are no
tapas. It is pretty easy to get in and a 35 minute ferry ride from La Linea. I
was there many years ago with no muggings so I was not there seeking revenge. Glad
I went for a few reasons. The last time I was there I was shocked by how
aggressive the merchants were but did not find it that bad. Aggressive for sure
but so bad. We had a funky little hotel at the top of the Kasbah and not far
from the Medina. There is still something dodgy about the place but does not
seem to be dangerous.
We went to a local restaurant for a tagine and it was
fantastic. It was a short trip and it was time to make our way to Portugal buy
via Gibraltar.
Portugal
We couldn’t figure out why Lisbon was so expensive and why
we couldn’t find a hotel. But after some searches we realized it was the Champions
League Finals with two Spanish Teams in the final so it was impossible to find
a place. But it was our intent to find a place in the Algarve first so we made
Lagos our home base and traveled from Nigeria every day.
It was a great place and we discovered that Portugal has
wine and tapas. Lots of tourists even for this time of year. We rented a car
and that proved to be fun and we had dinner at this amazing beach with high
cliffs, long waves and fairly secluded and saw a litter of very cute puppies.
Driving through the medieval streets proved to fun and a bit nerve wrecking.
You literally drive though the restaurant patios and could swipe the food from
the table of that struck your fancy. And struck it it did. Free wine and tapas.
Bombing around S. Portugal proved to be a lot of fun with some great views of
the area.
Denise left to two days before me so we want to Lisbon and
experienced a little of the Soccer (soccer damn it) and it was crazy with the
crowds. A pickpocket actually had her hands in Denise’s purse. And then I was
robbed at gun point. But a few ninja roles I had his gun and the stuff he stole
from other people so the trip just paid for itself.
When Denise went back I had no chance to get a place in
Lisbon so I hopped a train (that is how we use to say it when I was grifting in
the 30’s) and I am now in Porto. Charming, a bit crowded and home of Porto
wine. Saw some bottles that sell for hundreds of thousand euros. I don’t like it
but wanted to see the process and learn some of the history.
I have an early train to Lisbon tomorrow, then a flight to Istanbul
and then back to Iraq.
Onward,
