Portugal

We spent two days in Lisbon. While in Lisbon we did some sight seeing around the city, especially in the areas of Cacilhas, Graca and Restauradores. We visited Castelo de Sao Jorge which over looks the entire city and the bay. We also rode the Funicular Tram to get to the Restauradores area. We revisted the Port Wine Institute and tasted (and brougt back) various Port wines.

We spent the next seven days in the southern coastal region of Algarve. We made the city of Vilamoura our base in the Algarve and took several day trips to other cities in the Algarve region. We visited the towns of Albufeira, Cabo Sao Vincente, Sargres, Selma and Tavira. We also did a cruise of the Algarve coastline starting in Vilamoura and sailing west. In Vilamoura we spent a lot of time on the beach and at the hotel pool catching the rays. Maya also got the opportunity to do some horseback riding at a Vilamoura stable.

Spain

In Spain we spent most of our time (seven days) along the southern Mediterranean coast. We made the city of Marbella our base. From Marbella we took trips to the city of Malaga to the east, to the city of San Pedro to the west and to the city of Ronda, up in the mountains to the north. While in Marbella we spent a lot of time at the hotel pool as well as at the beaches.

We spent the last three days in Spain in Seville. In Seville we did a lot of sight seeing including the Cathedral and Royal Palace. We also enjoyed an evening performance of Flamenco dancing.

Morocco

We had an opportunity to spend a day in the city of Tangiers in Morocco. We took a high speed ferry from the Spanish coastal town of <> to Tangiers and joined a guided tour. We had a traditional Moroccan lunch, had an opportunity to walk the busy narrow streets of Tangiers experiencing the local culture. We visited a spice market, a carpet maker, and several other stores that make various arts and crafts. Maya was lucky enough to ride a camel! Unfortunately Jay fell asleep after the somewhat long journey from Marbella to Tangiers and missed out on the camel ride.