The final curtain.........

This final blog has been several days coming, but we have been getting over a bug we picked up on the flight home, been to a funeral in Sydney, and have been trying to adjust to the return to "normal" living after visiting seven countries, 30 cities and towns and walking almost 300 kilometres. The overall title of our blog is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the recent ABC TV series "Kevin McCloud's Grand Tour of Europe", where Kevin retraces the footsteps of the young 18th/19th century aristocracy who, in their "gap year", travelled through Europe to the Mediterranean to see the architectural wonders of the world. We have also seen many of those wonders, including the Acropolis in Athens, the Colosseum in Rome, the Cathedral in Toledo and the Mezquita in Cordoba. But we have also seen many sights and had many experiences that, although not so grand, have made an indelible imprint on our memories, including the friendly merchants in the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, the short stretch of beach where ANZAC troops landed at Gallipoli, the old Roman theatre in Volterra (Tuscany), the thousands of little tortoises in an enclosure at Madrid Atocha Railway Station. We could go on. We have been privileged to see all these marvels and we have not just been bitten, but have been seriously and permanently infected, by the travel bug. Next - save madly for the next adventure.

The Dune Dudes Break Bread with the Bedouins

After a swim in the tepid waters of the Arabian Gulf,we were collected at 4.30pm for the final adventure of our holiday (sob). Khan is an affable, funny man who kept us entertained as he drove his 4-wheel-drive. After picking up a couple of German medical students we headed out onto the highway for a fairly rapid drive towards our destination (the 100kph speed limit must only be a suggestion). After about 45 minutes we turned off the highway and met up with three other 4WDs, let some air out of the tyres and set off in convoy for an exhilarating, nerve-tingling "dune-bash" on the Abu-Sallef Desert(nothing that Valium and Panadol won't fix) Straight up the side of a dune, hover on its top, then straight down the other side; sliding sideways through the sand; up the side of another dune - so it went for an hour before we made a brief stop to look at a small camel herd. Then up the dunes again, finally stopping near the top of what seemed the highest sand dune to watch the sunset. A short drive to a Bedouin encampment, where we were met with small cups of Arabic coffee and dried dates, camel rides, and finally a delicious meal of lamb, beef and chicken kebabs, Arabian salad, hommus, baba ghanoush and, of course, bread (otherwise the title of this blog wouldn't make sense). Then the sheshas - water pipes containing a mixture of tobacco, apple peel and honey - were brought out. (Sorry if the photo's a bit blurry - John took it just after he had his puff). Then back onto the highway for an equally rapid return trip to Abu Dhabi. A fascinating, thrilling, memorable night and a great way to (sob) complete our adventures. Next - early start to the airport, then home Tuesday morning. We will post a final wrap-up blog on Wednesday.

Abu Dhabi Mosque - masterpiece of design and engineering

Very early yesterday morning (Saturday) we arrived in Abu Dhabi, after an unsettled Thursday night on the train from Lisbon, most of Friday on our feet in Madrid, then a sleepless overnight flight to Abu Dhabi via Brussels. Fortunately, after a delicious breakfast at our Abu Dhabi hotel, the Hilton, we were able to catch up on a few hours sleep in our room overlooking the Arabian Gulf. In the evening we went into town and strolled through the market areas, with myriad small shops selling everything from clothing and textiles to electronics, then back to the hotel for a lovely Lebanese meal. This morning we took the hotel shuttle bus to the mosque. We thought we had seen everything there was to offer along out route over the last two months, but we were not prepared for the absolute magificence of the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Grand Mosque. The mosque, which has only been completed within the last decade, is principally of Moroccan design but embodies elements of the great mosques of the world. Around the main central square there are over a thousand columns and arches that remind us of Cordoba's Mezquita, and the huge, domed main prayer hall takes us back to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul (both described in previous blogs). The 22,412 square metre mosque site can accommodate almost 41,000 worshippers. It includes 82 domes, the tallest of which is 32 metres in diameter and reaches 70 metres above the floor of the main prayer hall, which in itself can hold more than seven thousand worhippers. The main prayer hall also contains the world's largest chandelier (10 metres diameter, 15 metres high and weighing over 9 tonnes) and the floor is covered by the world's largest hand-made carpet. We were both required to wear full-length robes (provided free of charge) - white for John, black for Elizabeth - and Elizabeth was given a wrap-around head scarf. This in itself added to the experience although at 46 degrees it also added to the body temperature. We are now back at the hotel and just about to walk across to the beach for a dip in the tepid waters of the Arabian Gulf. Next - out into the desert for a sunset dinner at a Bedouin camp.

Marvellous Mafra, Old-fashioned Obidos

Our last blog from Europe (sob!). A most enjoyable penultimate day, spent on a bus tour - first to Mafra village, 40km out of Lisbon. The enormous palace, built in the 18th century by King John V, dominates the village. It occupies 38,000 square metres (3.8 hectares) of building space and at the time was the largest building in Europe. The first stone was turned in 1717 and the beautiful Basilica, in the centre of the palace, was consecrated in 1731. The palace also includes a Franciscan monastery and a hospital to service the monks. We viewed many of the rooms including the kitchen, distillery, games room, hunting room and the sparse monks´quarters. The library (see photo) is spectacular both in decoration and capacity for old volumes - a place Caitlin would kill for (except that every night several small bats are released to eat any insects that might damage the books...... very creepy, but apparently effective). The hospital contained just one large ward with twenty separate private ´rooms´, each partitioned by curtains (see photo). Next stop was an old village inside fortified walls. Obidos is quaint and pretty and we wandered the narrow streets, admiring the local handicrafts in the many shops. We were treated to their local liqueur, ´Ginjinha´, 19% proof and made from sour cherries. It was delicious, especially as it was served to us in an edible chocolate cup. During this outing we also learned that, just a short time ago, Portugal was home to the largest photo-voltaic centre in the world. We arrived back in Lisbon in time for dinner, then boarded the overnight train back to Madrid. Next - Abu Dhabi.

A day in the Sintra mountans.......

We spent a delightful day yesterday on a bus tour to the village of Sintra, about one hour north of Lisbon. After crossing the Sintra mountains we drove through the village and arrived at Pena Palace, a 16th century palace perched on the top of one of the highest peaks. It looked like it was straight out of a fairytale with very colourful and ornate turrets and other fortifications - including a drawbridge. The palace rooms were smallish, as was fashionable at the time. There was a mix of cultures, Arabic and European, in the decore and furnishing styles but all were beautiful. The king's bed was short, to reflect the custom of sleeping partly upright so that you would not wake up dead in the morning. We had an enjoyable and relaxed meander through the village, together with a substantial lunch at a local hotel. We then travelled to the Colares region and boarded another tram for a short ride down the hill, then rejoined the bus and travelled to Cabo de Roca, the western-most point of continental Europe, 140 metres above sea level and the wind almost blew us away. So now we have stood on the border between Asia and Europe, in Istanbul and also achieved the other extreme, standing at the western end of Europe - and have a certificate to prove it. We drove along the coast on our way back to Lisbon, visiting the upmarket beach resort of Estoril and this completed a most enjoyable day. Next - a bus tour to another Portugese village this afternoon, then back to Madrid on the overnight train, a day in Madrid, then off to Abu Dhabi via Brussels.

Lovely Lisbon

We arrived in Lisbon early Tuesday morning after a reasonably comfortable sleep on the train from Madrid. Lisbon has been the least spectacular capital city so far - just looking a little tired with no really outstanding features. On the other hand, it is quieter and more ordered than the madness of Rome or Athens for instance. We enjoyed a bus tour of the city that included a 90 minute stroll through the Alfama quarter, the oldest part of Lisbon. As Lisbon is based on seven hills, naturally our walk was up and down steep, narrow, cobbled streets. We stopped along the way to sample some Portugese port then took a tram up to the highest point, where the ruins of an old castle and fortress remain. Here we took in panoramic views of the city and the port (shipping, not liquid). We could see down to the old town square, which was packed with locals watching their home team play in the World Cup, on a huge wide screen. We also found time to take our own quiet walk through the main city park, seeing swans and ducks and merchants selling their wares on the side of the road. Next stop - a day out of Lisbon to visit a local village.

Captivating Cordoba

There is much more to Cordoba than the Mezquite, as dominant as that is. Yesterday and today we have been exploring other aspects of this delightful city. First developed as a prominent city by the Romans, it was then capital of the Moorish kingdom in this region from early in the eighth century until it was reconquered by the Christians in 1236. Cordoba is a magnet for history lovers. Naturally, we have explored as many of its treasures as we could find in the time available to us, including the Mezquita, the Alcazar (fortress) and the Medina Al-zahara. The Alcazar was built by the Christians in 1328. It contains a castle of 4,100 square metres with walls that connect the four corner towers (one of which we climbed) by walkways. Inside the castle are Moorish-style baths, a hall that housed the former chapel of the Inqusition (and it was quite chilling to sit in a hall where so many were sentenced to torture and death) and mosaic art from the second and third centuries CE. The highlight for Elizabeth was the garden - 55,000 square metres of pure delight - columns of cypress pines, fruit trees, ornamentals, ponds and fountains. Another brilliant experience was our short bus trip to the Medina Al-zahara, once a mighty Muslim city-palace, established in the tenth century. We spent hours wandering through the ruins (an archaelogical site since 1910) which include residential quarters, guards' quarters, the city square, stables, gardens, the sultan's private quarters and entrance gates, and a mosque which is said to have the truest direction to Mecca anywhere in the Islamic world. We ended our visit there with lunch - we had no idea what we were ordering, but enjoyed our couscous salad, sliced pork, fried egg and chips. Today (Sunday) was an easy day - a leisurely stroll through the ancient Jewish quarter; a visit to a tenth century house that has been kept in its original condition; back to the hotel and a swim in the beautiful pool (28 degrees today). Tomorrow - back to Madrid, then an overnight train to Lisbon, Portugal.