Betsy's Briefings: Going South to Ceuta

Monday September 2

We said good-bye to our dear friends, George & Bj in Granada as they headed home and we headed south for Ceuta. Ceuta is in North Africa next to Morocco. First we had to get to the port city of Algeciras. We chose the coastal route along the water with the gleaming white houses tucked into the hillsides and some hugging the Mediterranean.

There are lots of tunnels though the mountains in Spain. Our granddaughter, Josie loves tunnels!

We found the ferry dock very easily and in plenty of time. We drove the car on board and got out to go up top for crossing the Straight of Gibraltar.

It was an hour and a half from shore to shore. Tom went way up to the very top for the best view. It was windy, but he got the best pictures.

One of the most spectacular sights was the Rock of Gibraltar. It's more than just a rock, it's a British Overseas Territory with 30,000 residents.

Soon, we were approaching Ceuta. It's a town on the very tip of North Africa, that is still under the Spanish government.

We found our Parador hotel, the La Muralla which means "The Wall".

There are 93 Parador hotels in Spain. They are owned by the Spanish government and are located in historical sites; Castles, Fortresses, and other historical locations. We are staying in three of them on this trip.
Hotel La Muralla is built into the side of an old fortress which forms part of the wall that guarded the city.

Our room is on the third floor with the most incredible view of the ocean and the fortress.

They have turned an old relic into a beautiful hotel.
We took a self-guided tour of the town and saw the immaculate parks and many historic monuments. There are so many amazing sights in this city. Everywhere you look there is something interesting. We walked all around and took pictures of historical structures.

I really liked the lion head mail drop in the hotel.

In the afternoon, Tom decided to shake things up and take me out of my comfort zone with a trip to Morocco. It was a little tricky crossing the border, as all the other crossings were just the wave of a hand. This one wanted documents! It took about an hour to get into Morocco. Once through, we were glad we made the trip. The countryside was breathtaking and the pictures don't do it justice.