September 20, 2016
Joann and I spent about 3 hours at the Prado today, then took a Hop-On, Hop-Off tour of the city. We just stayed on the bus, however. I think we were both too tired to hop off and hop back on. Madrid is a lovely city--lots of interesting architecture. There are also lots of trees in the parts of Madrid that we saw this afternoon, but they are left natural--unlike the pollarded ones in France.

Joann is coming down with a bad cold, but she is being a real trooper. I'm not sure that I could do as well as she is doing. She's taking a little nap now, and we plan to return to the tapa restaurant this evening. She has also inquired about flemenco music, which the desk clerk says is not far from here. We'll see if she feels like it.

I chose this hotel--the Hotel Ibis Prado--because it is within walking distance of the Prado. I have stayed in a number of Ibis hotels in France, and I have always been pleased with them. Joann says that they look like they've been furnished by IKEA, and I agree. It turns out that this particular hotel is also in an interesting part of the city. Last night after dinner, we walked around a bit--lots of people out walking We felt very safe. There are also lots and lots of tapa restaurants within easy walking distance of our hotel, but the one we went to was recommended by our desk clerk.

By the way, the henna tattoo that I got in Marrakesh is still on my hand, so some of you will get to see it when I return.

I'm hoping that this blog gets published. The wi-fi here is interittent, something I have experienced with every hotel I've ever stayed in. I probably won't blog again until I am home. I plan to post a few photos--probably not until Thursday, 9/22.

September 19, 2016
Joann and I arrived in Madrid about 4:30--lost an hour between here and Marrakesh. I had arranged for a shuttle from our hotel--The Prado Ibis-to pick us up, but I was instructed not to call them until we had picked up our baggage, which took an inordinate amount of time. We finally made it to our hotel about 7:00. We checked out our room, which is just what we wanted, then went out for tapas about 8:00. We really like that idea--small portions, reasonable prices, and no doggie bags.

We walked around afterwards, and the ambiance reminds me of Paris--lots of people out for the evening.

I didn't blog yesterday because there were problems getting on the internet. I had signed to go shopping in the souk (the market) with a tour yesterday. I bought some Morrocan curry and some argan soap.

Tomorrow, we plan to spend some time at the Prado and take a tour of the city.

September 17, 2016
It's almost 11:00 p.m. and Joann and I are just back from having a glass of wine and a nice conversation with some women that we have met here--one from Texas, one from Atlanta, and one from Washington D.C.

Joann and I had both signed up for a hot air balloon ride for this morning, but it was postponed until tomorrow morning because the royal family arrived in Marraksh today, and they want the skies to be clear--or something. We found out this afternoon that the hot air balloon ride has now been canceled because the royal family is still here. Tomorrow afternoon, I have signed up for a tour of the souk--the market place--and Joann has signed up for "Marrakesh That Was," the one that I did Friday. I still have 450 dirham left--about $45, so I will try to spend it in the souk tomorrow. Dealing with foreign currency is always a pain--do I spend it all before I go to the airport, or save some for last minute things and perhaps get stuck with some of it?

This afternoon, Joann and I tried to find a couple of people to play bridge with, but could only come up with one, so no game. Joann wanted to go to the casino, which is about 2 blocks from our hotel. Her goal was to find a duplicate bridge game and get a point (or a partial point) in Marrakesh but the only card game they had there was black jack. She put 100 dh (about $10) in the slot machine, and won about 19 cents. (I have no understanding for folks who like to go to casinos.)

I think Joann is asleep already, so I suppose I should close and get ready for bed.

I did a walking tour this afternoon: "The Marrakesh That Was." We boarded the bus in front of the hotel at 1:15, and were taken to The Medina--the old walled city. We walked and walked and walked and boarded the bus to return to the hotel about 5:00. First of all, it is pretty hot here, but also very dry, so the heat is somewhat more bearable than in Wichita. Our guide took us down numerous ally-ways, which were mostly pedestrian, but there are lots and lots of small motorcycles/mopeds that come zipping along. Today I saw one of them carrying four people on it--2 adults and 2 children. There are lots and lots of beggars here as well, indeed some very pathetic individuals. Everything looks ancient, and one is not impressed with the sanitation. We ended up at the main square, which probably covers at least 15 or 20 acres and there are lots of people selling things. I saw at least 3 groups of musicians and snake charmers. If you take photos, you are expected to give them a coin--about 50 cents. Some of the guys are also standing around holding snakes, and they offer to let people touch them. I even saw a boy--probably 10 years old--with one draped around his neck for a photo. I declined, but I did take a photo and donated a coin. I saw several cobras doing their thing. I'll try to post that photo when I come back from "Dinner in the Medina" this evening. We will be taken back to the walled city by a horse drawn carriage, I'll give a report on the food when I get back.

I'm back from dinner, which was quite an evening--although, I would confess before I'd do it again. We had cous-cous (boiled chicken with semolina and vegetables) as a main course. There was Morcocan music all during dinner, which is very repetitious, no decernable melody and lots of drumming--eventually quite irritating. There was also entertainent, first a woman who came out with a tray balanced on her head, and about 14 lighted candles on the tray. She danced for a long time, and eventually got down on the floor and danced with her hips-lasted way too long. Then there was a belly dancer--great body and scantilly clad, but again she danced for a very long time.

I just tried to upload a photo, but it was taking forever. I think it's the problem with the wifi in this hotel. I think I will probably just wait until I get home to put more photos on the blog.

It's 10:30 p.m. in Marrakesh, and Joann and I are just back from the Medina, the old walled city. We went with a couple of women that we met here, so we felt relatively safe. This is the night before the sabath so the square--forgot the name--was packed. A man on a bicycle began to ride along beside us at some point and directed us--supposedly to help us. I knew that he had an angle, and sure enough he did. He took us down a narrow street to a spice store where they sell all kinds of spices and argan oil. For those of you who have seen the "Goats in the Trees" video, that's the product that is dirived from the seeds after the goats eat them and eliminate them, making them soft enough so that the native women can crack them and drain the oil from them. It's supposed to have some very special qualities. I bought three bottles and Joann bought three jars of cream.

At some point, we came to a very busy crowd with lots of loud music coming from the middle. We were told that that's where the snake charmers are, but we decided to put that off until daylight--too many people. I think I even saw a woman wearing a burka.

And finally, I have discovered how to insert photos, as you can see below. I couldn't resist taking a photo of Joann with the contents of her suitcase spread out on her bed.

More tomorrow.......

We were told when we left the hotel that the square was a 20 minute walk. I think it was farther, but we had a great time, and we hired a kind of taxi, which was a little covered vehicle pulled by a moped--50 dirhams for the four of us back to the hotel. The dirham is worth about 10 cents on the dollar, so divided four ways that was a pretty cheap way back to the hotel.

We arrived in Marrakesh about 2:00 p.m., about 5:00 a.m. Wichita time. We had a very easy trip, a couple hour lay-over in Dallas and about 4 hours in Madrid. I was able to take 2 or 3 naps--one of the easiest  international trips I have ever made.
It's hot here, but very arid. Joann and I spent a couple hours around the pool this afternoon, and she took a dip in the pool. This is a very nice hotel, surrounded by palm trees and other vegetation, but on the way in the scenery was very different--very dry and dessert like.

We haven't decided on our dinner spot this evening, but Joann is changing out of her swim suit as I write this. We'll decide soon. It's about 5:40 now, but I don't think most places open for dinner until after 7:00.

I'm still not able to upload photos from drop box, but I'll keep trying.

I'll try to post another entry this evening before I go to bed.

September 9, 2016 Count Down 
I just spoke to Joann, my traveling companion, and we're trying to decide on a tour in Madrid. The two we're considering are a Hop On, Hop Off tour with TourCrafters and the 3 hour City and Royal Palace Tour with Avanti. We're leaning toward the latter. If anyone has experience with either of these companies, I would enjoy hearing about it.

We plan to spend some time at the Prado, which appears to be within walking distance of our hotel, but I'm not good for much more than three hours in a museum, and I'd like to make the most of the one day that we'll have in Madrid.

Both of our sons are horrified that we're going to Africa, but according to a bit of research that I've done, Marrakesh is not only safe, it is very popular with French tourists, some of whom own property there. Joann and I have signed up for dinner in the Medina, the old fortified city, and a tour of the souk, which according to Wikipedia is "the largest traditional market in Morocco." I have also signed up for a hot air balloon ride, which promises a view of the Atlas mountains and includes breakfast in a Berber family home. Joann did not sign up for that experience and offered it to her son as evidence that she is actually more levelheaded that I am. So far, I don't think her son is convinced, probably because of other evidence to the contrary. Of course, that same evidence is one of my reasons for asking her to accompany me on this trip. My impression is that she has a strong sense of adventure without being foolish, which is more or less how I view myself. We'll see!

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My next trip is to Marrakesh, Morroco, stopping in Madrid for a day on the way home. I leave Wichita at 3:45 p.m. on September 14, 2016 and arrive in Marrakesh September 15th. I will be traveling with Joann Keiter, one of my bridge buddies. We will be staying at the Farah Kenzi Hotel in Marrakesh and the Prado Ibis in Madrid. We will be back in Wichita September September 21st at 5:55 p.m.