Planning for Morocco and visiting the Alcázar of Niebla

So, in 3 days time I fly back to the UK and then on to Los Angeles with my two brothers to spend a week with my sister.  When I return to Punta Umbría and recover from my jet lag (which I really don't want to think about!) we will be starting our trip proper.  We will move on through Seville, Jerez, Cadiz, into Gibraltar and then a ferry across to Morocco.

We haven't done a great deal of planning for our year away, other than setting a weekly budget and devising a spreadsheet to keep account of what we spend on food, fuel, campsites, etc.  That way (fingers crossed) we won't run out of money before the end of the tour!  We have a rough idea of the route around Europe that we want to take, but the main plan is to go where the mood takes us, and stay in that place as long as we want to.  However, Morocco is a country we have never visited before with very difficult cultures and we want to find out as much as we can before we go there next month.

It is a big country, and we’ve only got a Green Card and insurance for 6 weeks, and we want to do it at a leisurely pace, so planning is key.   So, armed with a map of Morocco, our laptop and tablet, and of course a strong cup of tea the planning begins!

Four years ago, when we bought our first motorhome and dreamed of giving up work and travelling around Europe, Scandinavia and beyond.  It was then that we started following a blog called ‘Europe by Camper’, written by a young couple Sophie and Adam, who started travelling and blogging in 2008 and have travelled through over 20 countries.  They have a lot of useful and helpful information on their blog that we have been able to use, especially on Morocco.  Another blog we have been looking at – ‘Our Tour’  is written by a couple in their 40’s who have been travelling and blogging for about 4 years, and again we have managed to glean a lot of info on Morocco. 

Planning almost done, we had a drive up to the Niebla, a village just outside Huelva enclosed in the remains of its old castle walls and overlooking the Rio Tinto.  The Alcazar (Moorish castle) was built early 15^th century. 

One of the entrances into the old town of Niebla

Also within the city walls is the church of Santa Maria de la Granada, an old Byzantine cathedral that was turned into an Arab mosque, only to be transformed into a Gothic-Mudejar Christian church in the 16^th century.

And, San Martin church,that was built over a western mosque and only the rear façade remains.

The remains of San Martin Church

Then a walk around La Palma del Condado, the next town to Niebla. Plenty of storks nesting in the tops of the Iglesia del Valle.

Iglesia del Valle (built in the 15th century

Sally x