Felines

In Morocco and Portugal there were cats and kittens everywhere.

We noticed "street cats" first in Morocco, unfortunately most were scrawny and unkempt. We spotted them on the street, then in the Medina, a Mosque, beside a market stall and in gardens. 

Apparently the prophet "Muhammad surrounded himself with cats and doted on his favourite Muezza.  One day Muhammad woke up for the dawn call to prayer and found Muezza asleep on the sleeve of his robe.  Rather than disturb his pet he cut off his sleeve and went on his way.  When he came home later, Muezza bowed in gratitude. The prophet stroked Muezza three times thereby granting her nine lives and the ability to land on her feet.  Muhammad was known to give sermons with a cat on his lap and to share food and a water dish with Muezza."* 

I couldn't bring myself to take photos of all the unhealthy cats so here is one of the healthier cats in Tangier.

In Salema, Portugal we were old that the resident cats are wild. They looked healthy because visitors feed them in the tourist season but they go hungry in the winter when no tourists are around. Our hotel manager said she buys kibble for them in the winter.  Here is a Tabby patiently waiting for scraps under our restaurant table - she was rewarded.

The remainder of the cats in these photos are in Lisbon and Porto. Unlike the stray dogs that followed us in Mexico and elsewhere as you can see from these photos the cats ignored us.

* https://www.followmefaraway.com/

Doors

When I travel I like to take pictures of doors, especially in the Mediterranean.  Since people live in apartments or attached row houses it is their door that often distinguishes their home.  In the Iberian peninsula and Morocco there were lots of interesting wooden doors in homes, palaces and cathedrals. I love the different colours and textures. In some cases the photo is more about what is around the door than the door itself and in some cases the door compliments it's surroundings.  Here are some examples.

Tangier, Morocco

 In the Kasbah - Tangier, Morocco

Portimao, Portugal

Portimao, Portugal

Salema, Portugal

 Castelo de Sao Jorge, Lisbon

Decorated door - Lisbon

Porto, Portugal

The following are doors in cathedrals and palaces.

The Alhambra, Granada

Interior door in the Real Alcazar, Seville

The Granada Cathedral 

 In Jeronimos Monastery, Lisbon - around the door are faces of people from 
all over the world , seen by Portugese explorers.

Favourite images from the trip

The following photos are some of my favourite images from our vacation in Spain, Morocco and Portugal in September both for their beauty but also the memories they evoke. Enjoy! 

I had forgotten how narrow the streets can be in parts of Europe.  The taxi driver, who took us from the airport, sped through the narrow roads on our way to the hotel - normal for him, terrifying for us! 

Seville 

Water was ever present in the palaces, both the Alhambra and the Real Alcazar in the form of irrigation channels, jets, ponds and pools as depicted in the next few photos. I loved the almost perfect reflection of the palace in the pool.

The tranquility of one of the many pools in the Alhambra, Granada

A fountain in one of the gardens of the Alhambra, Granada

The ornate Moorish architecture of the Alhambra, Granada

The underground women's bath in the Real Alcazar

Urban Art

One of the first things that struck me being back in Europe was art everywhere I looked.  Whether it was functional like a bridge or a lampost or a fountain or decorating a business or purely there for people to enjoy - art was everywhere. In many cases artists worked with architects to design beautiful structures.  Some of the art was centuries old, other was recent.  In all cases it was important to the people of the community. 

Here are some examples.

Puente del Alamillo (bridge) in Seville

Fountain in Seville

Another fountain in Seville

Lamp in a square in Seville

Flower pots outside a restaurant in Seville

Fish sculpture in Tarifa, Spain

The iconic bull in southern Spain

The iconic Portugese 'cock'

Street art by Bordalo II in Lisbon

Street art by Bordalo II in Vila Nova de Gaia

Fountain in Porto

Another fountain in Porto -
probably the community's water supply at one time. 

Sadly, I have felt deprived of urban art in many cities and parts of Canada.

Azulejos

Azulejos means "tile" in Spanish.  From the Islamic architecture of the Moors in the Alhambra in Granada to the more modern day green 'subway' tiles on a building in Porto to the tiles that tell the history of Pinhao on the Douro River in Portugal we admired beautiful, colourful and artistic tiles everywhere we traveled. 

Our room sign at the Plaza Nuevo Hotel in Granada, Spain

Islamic tiles in the 9th Century Alhambra in Granada

Ceiling tiles in the 12th Century Kasbah, Tangier, Morocco

Moorish tiles in the 16th Century Real Alcazar, Seville

Tribute to Barcelona at the Plaza de Espana, Seville

House sign in Salema, Portugal

Painted tiles on an apartment in Lisbon, Portugal 

'Subway' tiles on a building in Porto, Portugal

Ornate Islamic Tiles in the Palacio da Bolsa, Porto, Portugal

Tiles depicting the landscape of Pinhao, Portugal on the side of the Train Station

Rose Yukola

A happy little spirit came into this world in February. Her name is Rose Yukola (after Keith's Mother) and she is Kristine and Jeremy's second daughter.

Keith and I holding Rose when she was a couple of weeks old.

                                    Big sister Mary holding Rosie (as she calls her)

The family came for a visit last week and we had so much fun!   Rose is a an active little person, her legs never stop kicking and one arm is always moving up and down.  At 5 months of age she has mastered rolling over and is just about crawling, up on her knees and arms and managing to make her way a few feet.  She has so many facial expressions and is either letting out joyful screams, cooing or giggling and always has a smile.

Rose just manages to put a smile on everyone's face!