London

Our day in London began with souvenir shopping.  London has wonderful shops and is a very nice city to visit.  We then boarded a Hop On Hop Off Bus for a city tour.  We stopped at St. Paul's Cathedral on the way to the Tower of London.

At the Tower of London we learned how to fire a medieval trebuchet.  We saw the site where the infamous Henry the 8th had his wives beheaded and examined the Crown Jewels.  We enjoyed a fabulous tour given by a "Beefeater" guard.  These guards were know as "Beefeaters" because part of their salary was paid in beef, a precious food reserved for the elite.

For our grande finale of touring we took a cruise on the River Thames .... Great views of the London Bridge, Big Ben and the London Eye.



St. Paul's Cathedral
London, United Kingdom



Beefeater
Tower of London
London, United Kingdom



Matthew & Nicole with a Guard
Tower of London,
London, United Kingdom



London Bridge
London, United Kingdom



Big Ben
London, United Kingdom



London Eye
London, United Kingdom

Paris

Bonjour!

Departing from London, we travelled underneath the English Channel on a High Speed Train to Paris!

Our first stop: La Tour Eiffel

The Eiffel tower is an amazing steel structure.  It was built in 1889 for the the World Exhibition as a tribute to the French Revolution of 1789.  It was designed by two French architects who worked for a French Man named Gustave Eiffel.  Monsieur Eiffel financed a large portion of the project and thus the tower bears his name.  We took an elevator to the top of the tower for an excellent view of Paris .... On the way back down we walked from the second floor to the base .... over 700 steps!

Here are some pictures of our day in Paris .... Viva La France!
 

Matthew & Nicole
Eiffel Tower
Paris, France



View from the Top
Eiffel Tower
Paris, France



Notre Dame
Paris, France

 

The Louvre
Paris, France



Seine River
Paris, France



Morocco

Since the continent of Africa is so close to Spain, we decided to take a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangier, Morocco.

In Morocco, we "Rocked the Kasbah," rode camels by the Atlantic Ocean, saw Hercule's Cave, and ate at a traditional Moroccan restaurant.



Burg Family on Camels
Tangier, Morocco



Nicole on Camel
Tangier, Morocco

 

Matthew on Camel
Tangier, Morocco



Hercules Cave is a cave with an outlet to the Atlantic Ocean.  The cave outlet is very unique, in that it is shaped like the continent of Africa.  The legend of the Cave is that it was long thought to be bottomless.  It was believed that the Cave was the entrance to a subterranean tunnel over 15 miles long which passed under the Strait of Gibraltar and emerged at St. Michael's Cave in the Rock of Gibraltar.  Legend has it that Barbary Apes entered the Rock of Gibraltar from Morocco this way.  It is also believed that Hercules lived and slept in this cave before doing his 11th labor, stealing the golden apples of the Hesperides, located in what used to be the Atlas mountains in North Africa.  While on his way to the garden of the Hesperides, Hercules had to cross the mountain that was once Atlas.  Instead of climbing Atlas, Hercules used his superhuman strength to smash through it.  By doing this, he connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and formed the Straight of Gibraltar.  One part of the split mountain is the Rock of Gibraltar, and the other is the Jebel Musa (Mountain of Moses in English).  This is why it is called "Hercules Cave."



Hercules Cave
Tangier, Morocco



We next stopped at a traditional Moroccan restaurant, where we ate.  Here is Matthew eagerly enjoying a traditional Moroccan beef stew of beef and prunes.



Matthew Eating Moroccan Food
Moroccan Restaurant
Tangier, Morocco



Burg Family
Moroccan Restaurant
Tangier, Morocco



Finally, we "Rocked the Kasbah."  The Kasbah is a bazaar with very narrow cobblestone streets.  Merchants and venders line the streets selling everything from fish to authentic Moroccan "Magic" lamps.



Nicole Shopping in the Kasbah
Tangier, Morocco



Seville, Spain

Sevilla (Seville in English) is the bull fighting and flamenco dancing capitol of the world.  The Spanish Empire flourished here in the 16th century.  The explorers Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan and Amerigo Vespucci sailed from Sevilla - at that time the River Guadalquivir provided an excellent harbour, and Queen Isabella liked Sevilla because it was far enough inland to afford protection from pirates.

Today, Sevilla has its share of impressive sights - the grand Cathedral of Seville, the Alcazar, the Plaza de Toro, the labyrinth Santa Cruz Quarter and Maria Luisa Park with its Moorish style Plaza de Espana.  The riveting flamenco shows feature strumming guitarists, traditional dancers and passionate singers.  Flamenco has a strong Muslim influence since the Moors ruled this part of Spain for seven centuries until 1492. 



Matthew & Nicole at the Oldest Bullfighting Ring in Spain
Plaza de Toro
Seville Spain



Flamenco Show
Seville, Spain



Horse Carriage
Maria Luisa Park
Seville, Spain



Nicole with Horse
Seville, Spain



Plaza de Espana
Sight of the 1929 Worlds Fair
Seville, Spain



The Alhambra Palace, Granada

The Moors held Granada until 1492.  Who were the Moors?  They were a group from North Africa of "Berber" descent.  They conquered Spain in 700 AD.  While most of Europe slumbered through the Dark Ages, Moorish civilization advanced in mathematics, engineering and art.  Built mostly in the 14th century, their Alhambra Palace shows off the refined and elegant Moorish lifestyle.  Since water is both rare and precious in most of the Islamic World it was the purest symbol of life to the Moors.  The Alhambra is filled with fountains and fancy gardens built and planted over 600 years ago.  Moorish engineers built aqueducts and an extensive system of running water / irrigation.  Fountains were set to tell time, with sculpted lions spouting at 2 pm each day.  After the Spanish re-conquered the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, the powerful Moorish Sultan, "Boabdil" went home crying in retreat; his Palace, the Palacios Nazaries, and its amazing engineering and architecture fell into disrepair.  But even so, when you visit the palace today you can still see the carved wood ceilings, stucco "stalactites" mosaic ceramic tile and filigree windows.  The finely carved Arabic script "only Allah is victorious" is repeated 9000 times though out the palace.



Alhambra Palace
Granada, Spain



Matthew & Nicole
Alhambra Palace
Granada, Spain




Alhambra Palace Gardens
Granada, Spain



"Rock of Gibraltar"

Gibraltar is an unusual place.  It is a territory of the United Kingdom.  To cross the border, you have to enter through Spain, and take a bus that drives right across the airport runway.

Airport Runway with Road Crossing
Gibraltar

In Gibraltar, we went to the "Rock of Gibraltar" (426 meters high) and took a cable car to the top. 



View from the top of Gibraltar
Gibraltar

Climbing, jumping, and swinging all over the Rock of Gibraltar, are hundreds of Barbary Apes.  The Barbary Ape is the only breed of monkey/ape/chimpanzee in Europe.



Barbary Apes
Gibraltar



Nicole with the Barbary Apes
Gibraltar

Inside of the Rock of Gibraltar lurks St. Michael's Cave, a beautiful cave that is thousands of years old.



Matthew & Nicole
St. Michael's Cave
Gibraltar



St. Michael's Cave
Gibraltar



Portugal

Here we are on Portugal's sunny southern coast: The Algarve.  The beaches are lovely, with plenty of sand and sunshine.  The flowers and exotic rock formations in Lagos are quite spectacular.


Beach
Carveiro, Portugal

Flower
Lagos, Portugal

 

Coastline
Ponta da Piedade, Portugal



Coastline
Ponta da Piedade, Portugal



Sea Cave
Ponta da Piedade, Portugal