Did we get turned around and are we back in Arizona?

Last night we sailed from Cadiz through the Straits of Gibraltar. Since we were passing through the Strait at 9:30pm we figured it would be too dark outside to see anything. We went outside just in case.

Since we were going east our ship had to stay in the eastward bound “lane” of the strait which put us about 2 miles north of Africa. Gibraltar sits on the southern most point of Spain or to our north. We were about 7 miles from the “Rock”. Those ships going westbound were closest to the Rock. Anyway we walked out deck and there before us, in the shadow of the city lights, we could see the exact outline of the Rock of Gibraltar as clear as day. It was beautiful. Lights from the city were at the base and the Rock itself was dark. But the lights in the distance allowed a backdrop for us to see its formation perfectly. We felt really lucky that even though it was nighttime, we still got to witness this famous “rock”. And no pictures since Jim didn’t have his camera and doesn’t know how to do nighttime pictures yet.

We awoke this morning in the city of Almeria, or as they say it, al-me-RIA with the accent on the 3rd syllable. When we finally got a glimpse of this area we thought we were back in Arizona! No kidding; except for the Moroccan influence, you would think you were back in the desert. Almeria is Andalusia’s easternmost province and is the most parched part of Spain. It has such large expanses of rocky semi-desert that it was used as the setting for all of the Italian spaghetti western movies! It has been very impoverished until recently when tourism came for a visit. Most of the residents don’t speak any English at all and though tourism has picked up the economy, it still looks poor compared to the other ports we have been to and are going to. Still it was worth a visit and we headed out.

We decided to find a taxi to take us to the top of the hill to visit the Alcazaba! If that doesn’t sound Moorish I don’t know what does! Alcazaba was built in the 10th century as a hilltop fortress to defend tiny Almeria from attack. Since Almeria is so close to Morocco and most of the traders were on their way there they needed protection. It is the most Fortress looking fort I have ever seen! But before I go on to Alcazaba, I have to tell you about our cab ride there.

The streets are very narrow and climb very steeply. The cars park on one side of the one way street, leaving enough room for barely another car. We wound our way in and out of streets all the way to the top. The cars have to go over curbs to make corners and you constantly hear the tires rubbing on the curbs as cars go round and round.

I figured the cab would take us to the Alcazaba which it did but we had a long, steep walk up old rock steps to get to the fortress. Up and up we went all the while admiring the vegetation that could have been in our backyard. They have used cacti everywhere, and climbing vines and flowers. It really was a pretty walk and we weren’t disappointed in the least with the extra effort it took to get up there. The views of the Mediterranean and the city were spectacular. All I could think of while we were up there is I wish I had a grandson or 2 with us to explore this real live fortress from eleven centuries ago.

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