It has been a busy 10 days since my last post.  Malaga, Cordoba, Ceuta, M'diq, Chefchaouen, Tanger, Tetouan. The last four cities are in Morocco.  Then Vejer de la Frontera, Cadiz, Jerez, Alcos de la Frontera, Grazalemaand Ronda.  Now that the foot is in top condition, Johanne and I are making up for lost time.  So where do I start?

Malaga again.  With a purpose.  The Museo Automovilistico.  The combination of rare Automobiles and fashion from the beginning of the automobile through to the 1960's.  Each car was shown with the fashion of the day.  Models representing Hispano Suiza, Bugatti, Delage, Packard, Auburn, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Mercedes, Ferrari etc.  The beauty of this museum is how artfully the positioning of fashion helps to convince the unwitting wife that it is not just a bunch of cars.  Which of course it is.  Surprisingly the concept of fashion and autos works very well.  The auto industry was among the first to recognize the importance of the mother-in-law.  They incorporated a brilliant method of keeping her close but not too close.  See the car below and notice the very nicely appointed mother in law seat.  An excellent place for her to complain to her hearts content.  The messages quickly blown away by the fresh air.

Above, feast your eyes on the hood ornament attached to this Delage.  It is vintage crystal by Lalique.

This little blue number was nicknamed "The Noon Devil". Built in 1937 specifically for the French Playboy's of the day.  The steering wheel  was in the centre to allow for a female passenger on each side of the driver.  Sadly it had little commercial success and died a quick death.

Very cool place. They also had John Lennon's Rolls Royce, the 007 Aston Martin.

Next up, a visit to Cordoba.  The rains are back so we wonder if the day is going to be a washout. Not so.  Cordoba is a very special place.  An Iberian and Roman city. It was estimated that Cordoba was amongst the largest inhabited city during the 10th century.  The Great Mosque/Cathedral of Cordoba and the Roman bridge are the key areas to visit.  It has the second oldest jewish quarter *old town* in Europe.

The columns inside the mosque are an architectural feat.

We toured the city without much interference from the world of tourists that usually invade this town. Maybe the rain kept them away.  After a few hours of walking we had worked up an appetite.  Wow isn't that a surprise!  It took this long into the blog to mention food.  Our tour landed us back in the Juderia quarter.  After a careful review of the tapas menus of a few hundred restaurants we settled on a nice little cafe across from the main entrance to the walled city.

The menu offered 10 tapas and wine.  Perfect for lunch.  Key in the process of choosing this restaurant was the unique local offerings.  The most interesting being the Bull's Tail.  Slow roasted in red wine reduction it looked like Osso Bucco.  It tasted rich and delicious.  Another food box ticked off the bucket list.  I didn't even know I had that on the list.  After the tapas and a few samples of the local wine we jumped on the bus for the return trip.   Next up three days in Morocco.

In between trips i managed to squeeze in 3 rounds of golf at Torrequebrada Golf Club.  Home of the 1977 Spanish Open.  Jose-Miguel Jimenez, Malaga born PGA tour player, is often seen playing here when he is not on tour.  It is hilly but walkable, small greens and tight driving make this one a challenge.

Morocco.  6.30am.  Off we go to the port town of Algeciras to catch the fast ferry to Ceuta.  This seaport is a part of Spain even though it is on the African continent.  Our time here is limited to lunch ina beautiful stone manor by the ocean and a quick tour of the old town.  The real goal was to get through the boarder into Morocco.  The boarder was chaos.  Four lanes become one, and no one is giving an inch. we are in a bus, no one cares.  Drivers never divert their attention from the goal of staying as close to the back bumper of the car in front of them.  Four lanes become three.  The battle lines are drawn.  It is clear we are going to run over a a black Mercedes circa 1986. The Merc is beside us and refuses to yield to our size advantage.  Directly below my position on the left side of the bus, I can see a woman in full Moroccan dress sitting in the passenger seat.  She is motioning at the bus and vigorously waving her finger at her driverˋ-husband.  It seems that she is strongly suggesting that he better get in front of that bus if he knows what is good for him. The next thing we see is a very animated discussion between our soon to be introduced Moroccan guide and the aforementioned woman.  The police then get involved, there is a lot of finger pointing and gesturing.  Not much of it looks like an invitation to tea.  In the end, size matters and we proceed.  More to come in my next post regarding our Morocco adventures.  Here is a picture of the blue city to keep you wondering.

Be well