October and November are always a great time. The weather is comfortable and the bargains are great. In fact it has been exactly one year since I was in Austraila. Great travelling bargains and no Americans. Most Austrailians thought I was Canadian....Ahhh. I guess there aren't too many Americans in Austraila during our Thanksgiving season. I never travelled until I was 30 years old. Now I have been to 23 countries in 3 years. It is probably one of the best things one can do. One can only learn so much from books......Take care, Chris

Thanks Chris

Our last, and for that matter, only time in Spain, was in November 1999. I have to confess that Spain was never high on our "Must See" or "Have to See" list of countries, but a friend of ours met a Madrilinos (Sp?) Senorita here in Australia on an overnight train journey, fell in love and married her in Madrid. We went to Madrid for their Wedding and fell in love with Spain.

I'm glad that you enjoyed Australia, and sorry, I suppose, that you were mistaken for a Canadian, although they tend to get upset if they are mistaken for an American.

Thanks for the assistance.

David

David,

G'day from a former Australian...we emigrated to America when I was a child. Still have family in Sydney though...

I just completed the itinary you posted except in reverse. I definitly advise you take the bus from Seville to Tarifa. Spend the days and nights at Hotel Alborada. Nice and clean, front desk was helpful, even though I spoke very little Spaniish, we muddled through. Great place to eat in Tarifa is in the Old Town by the church...(I will have to send you the name, right now I am at work.) Go to the beach, relax and admire the Atlas mountains. You could also do a day trip to Jerez to visit the sherry bodegas, or even go to Cadiz, which I heard was great! You can buy a tour to Morrocco, (onlu EU Citizens can go to Morocco from Tarifa..Why? I do not know...Spanish logic? you just go with the flow.)which we did, but I hated going with a group. You can take a taxi to Algeciras from Tarifa.Or you can take the bus, there is one almost every hour. The bus station is on the main street in Tarifa, right out side the old town. You can buy your ticket to Algeciras on the bus. The schedule is posted on the outside of the office. Then take a taxi from the bus station to the port. Then buy your round trip tickets to Tangier at the Port. The boat ride is 3 hours. When you get to Tangier, you must hire a guide. Morocco is overwhelming even when you do this, otherwise you will not know what to do or where to go. The street vendors will still follow you everywhere. Negotiate a price. Say US$25.00 . This way you will get to see what you want to. We got stuck with a tour, spending all this time in Teutoan, and the taking an 1.5 hr bus ride to Tangier, and back. We had to eat at a prescribed restaurant with a fixed menu. WE hardly had any time in Tangier, and there is great stuff to see! But with an organized tour, you only go to the shops where they get a kickback. Definitely hire someone who is young ...every one is very entreprenurial and Morocco is very, very, overwhelming.( you will understand free range meat is everywhere.) I wish I could have spent the night in Tangier. I loved Morocco, and plan to go and delve into the country more, but my friend hated it. To her, the poverty was overwhelming. It was the furthest I have been from America/Europe, and I do not mean by mileage. PLan on getting up early, and take the first bus over...the boat leaves around 9:00am from Algeciras and returns from Morocco @ 20:00. Keep in mind you gain a couple hours in Morocco.

Gibralter, is tremendous. A geology lesson as well as a history lesson. PLan on spending the day there, and spend the night there as well @ the CAnnon B&B. Watch out for those Barbary Apes! They are cute, but they can jump on you when you are not expecting it! I loved Gibralter....take the cable car up the "Rock", and hike down, visiting all the sights down. They are worth it. The town itself is charming. After 10 days in Spain, it was refreshing to speak English again. Again, another distinctive Spanish experience. In the morning, the Rock is shrouded in fog; it took until about 11:00am for it to burn off. Take a jacket, it is very windy at the top!

Write back if you have any more questions, I will dig out my notes. When we went, it was 9 days after the World Trade Center attacks, so there were no Americans anywhere, except students studying abroad. We had a great time..people were very kind to us once they heard we were from America. HAve a great trip. My favorite city in Spain was Seville..though I do have to warn you , it is noisy even at 2:00am.. Check out Museum of Culture and Folklore in the PLaza Espana area as welll as the Fine Arts Museum in Seville. It is a gem. It is in an old convernt, and just a jewel. Wander the streets on both sides of the river. I thought and felt safe in Seville, just be aware.

Muchas Gracias Senga

And a G'day to you from Down Under. Just remember that "you may take the person from Australia, but you'll never take Australia from the person". You'll always have that link back here no matter what happens.

Anyway, what a great amount of very good information. Please be free to send more information once you have found it. I agree with you about the tour thing, although sometimes it's the safest, and only way to go.

A quick question re the time zones. You mentioned that you gain a couple of hours in Morocco. Was this during the Daylight Saving period in Spain, or is it a permanent thing. Checking on the Time/Date setting in Windows it appears that Morocco is on GMT and is 1 hour behind Spain, which would relate to the 2 hours you mentioned.

I know about Seville, and agree with you about it being my favourite city in Spain.

Once again, many thanks

David