50th post!

To celebrate my 50th blog post of my voyage/experience/life, I would like to dedicate this one to the amazing people with whom I have been privileged to work. It is such a blessing to have wonderful castmates on this journey, and as the end is actually approaching rapidly, I am so delighted to not have to say "goodbye" to them; 7 of us live in NYC and I will never lose touch with the dear one who doesn't, my roommate-turned-favorite-friend. Please meet my cast:

Todd, my talented, sweet and handsome crooner

Brooke, my gorgeous showgirl Rockette treasure of a roomie

Angelina, the stunning and practically-perfect Mary Poppins Disney princess

Chase & Ryan, consistently stylish and tickle my funny bone in a way that no one else can

Jessica, the watermelon firecracker who never ceases to surprise and entertain us all

Joe, the boss, who is FUNNY!!! + Ang = the happy married couple

Jess and Ry belting love duets till they're blue in the face

Me with Brooke and Chase, gettin' real serious with "Birth of the Blues" strut kicks

Ry, Todd and Chase, singing "My Cherie Amour" in a perfect blend

The whole gang: Brooke, Todd, Ang, Ry, Joe, Jess, Chase and me in our "You Can't Stop the Beat" costumes

Me, Jess and Brooke before Stardust opening number

ALways laughing together

My man and me

Sevilla, Spain

My heart is bursting with Spanish pride! It gave me such a peacefulness to return to this wonderful country after 6 years. My Spanish was rusty at first, but just hearing the pure Castilian accent flooded my mind with memories and vocabulary. I was a "madrugada" (girl who wakes at dawn) for "desayuno" (breakfast) and then I helped with excursions and got to join a tour called Stunning Seville. 

Interesting fact: Ads are prohibited on the highway so you're not distracted trying to read while you're driving. 

Common Spanish nicknames:

Javier: Javi

Jose: Pepe

Enrique: Kique/Kike

Francisco: Kico

Manuel: Manolo, Lolo

Dolores: Lola

Maria Isabel: Maribel

Maria Luisa: Marisa

Ana Isabel: Anabel

Lunch at the Macarena Hotel: gazpacho, sangria, patatas, cheeses, meats, beets and olives.

                      80% of Spanish oil is made in Andalucía. Over 100 species of olive trees. 

Alcazar= fortress of the palace for the king. Eva Peron gifted the trees at the entrance in 1947. But the ancient wall is from the 12th century. 

Bottom has Moorish influence, top is Italian Renaissance style. 

Garden of the Dancer

Where is Christopher Columbus from? And which one is his tomb? There are many claims for both. But this tomb was actually sent to Texas for DNA testing and confirmed to be him. The problem is: there was only 20% of his remains...where's the rest? Perhaps he was hiding Jewish ancestry. 

Largest Gothic church in the world. At 23,000 square feet it holds the Guinness Book World Record for largest area! Organ has 7600 pipes. 85 German and Flemish stained glass windows.

Tangier, Morocco, Africa

It smells like fish and garbage, you see run-down buildings coated with dirt and narrow streets twisting through dozens and dozens of open-front shops. Kids and men are dangling goatskin drums, wooden camels, bags of pine nuts, curved daggers and leather bags in front of your face saying, "No pressure no pressure, I am friendly I give you friend price no pressure!" One guy even tried to sell me a "carpet- magic- it flies!" They stick their arms as far into your tour bus as they can without 'stepping foot' inside. 

I remember getting my Yellow Fever vaccine because I had wanted to visit Morocco while I was living in Madrid, but I never wound up going because I couldn't find a group with guys who wanted to go. Knowing now what I didn't know then: I'm so glad I didn't! I guess it's like college kids wanting to go to Tijuana. It sounds like fun...but...when you get there it's dank and corrupt and you pray you make it back home without landing in prison first for no reason. I think better advice would have been: "make sure you bring small bills in case you have to bail yourself out of anything." I was glued to Todd and the middle of my tour group the whole time. It was a good choice to pay for safety in numbers!

The tour I bought today for $64 included a walking tour through the Kasba and La Medina, a show with acrobats, folklore music, Bellydancing, refreshments, a horse show and a camel ride. Well...that sounded pretty amazing to me, but...

The acrobats were brother and sister 12-year-olds who did a back tuck and some back walk overs (really gymnastics, not acrobatics.) The refreshments were a shot of cavity-sweet Moroccan tea and tea cookies. The belly dancer ran in late and was decent, not excellent. The horse show turned out to be three horses with riders running down a stretch of grass three times (under 10 seconds each,) while the center rider twirled his rifle over his head, and then they wanted a tip. The camel ride demanded a tip too, and was pretty much just mounting, walking on a lead and dismounting. Luckily Todd spotted me a dollar to make this dream come true because I was told not to bring ANY money for fear of pickpockets. I took the advice literally and only wore my sunglasses on my face, and white-knuckled my camera case (with credit card and ship's ID) which I wore around my neck. 

I was also told to wear long sleeves and pants out of respect for the culture. Most women wear full-length dresses and have a birka on their head; some with only a slit for seeing. The culture felt a lot more Middle Eastern than African to me...being as they are mostly Muslim, they speak Arabic and French, and they're skin is tan. I did not see one black person! I didn't expect a safari atmosphere by any means, but I did think I would be seeing black people and more of a village than a city. 

Bucket list: camel ride in Africa...check!

Coca Cola and hot, sweet Moroccan tea

Belly dancer and live musicians

A very short horse show

Local kids diving in Hercules' Cave

Camels everywhere!

 Cap Spartel - where the Atlantic and Mediterranean Oceans meet!

Our little ship. In Africa.

I bargained for some loud, baggy purple and gold Aladdin pants (€45 to $10) and a wooden camel Christmas ornament ($5 to $1.) 

All in all it was a day of experiences and memories. I am so glad I went and need not return!

Saint-Émilion, France

Entrance to Saint-Émilion, a sweet little wine village and winery

And old!

A wine region map

Bordeaux, France

We actually got to be out at night! What a treat.

Crepes, espresso, wine and macaroons. I commend the French on these accomplishments.

Swing dancers in the street (yes, of course we joined!)

St. Malo, France

SunRISE in Mallorca!

Mont St. Michel

Gargoyles

Shadow on the sand

Stripes are in!

St. Malo, the walled city

Tides change drastically here...as you can tell, this is low tide!

Todd looks out onto the beach from the walled city