The last of the Northern Hemisphere - Executive Summary

I took a long break from updating the blog after finishing the bicycle trip in Madrid.  The first item of business was to sell the bike.  Happy to say, I sold it for about 100 euro less than I paid for it (200 E after accessorizing).  That turned out to be reasonably inexpensive for a 1-month bike rental.
Alexandra joined me in Madrid on Sept. 25, and we remained in Madrid for about a week before departing by train to visit:
Segovia (2 nights) :  Highlight - Cathedral
Toledo:  (2 nights) :  Highlight - Jewish Quarter
Valencia:  (5 night) :  Great aquarium, bike friendly, fabulous beaches and good restaurants

Then rented a car to get us to Seville by way of:
Granada
Cordoba

and finally departing to Porto, Portugal from Madrid, which we reached by high-speed train from Seville.   A few nights in Porto, followed by 5 wonderful nights in Lisbon finished up our stay in the EU, just before our 6-month French visas expired.   We high-tailed it out of the Schengen area on Sat. Oct 20 to Casablanca.  Had a lovely dinner with Alexandra's friend, Wendy, from Cebu, who works there.  Then proceeded to Rabat to visit Soukaina, who invited us to join her family for dinner.  We met her and Chaymae, her sister at the Hassan Tower. 

They live across the river in Sale.  In spite of the gathering dark storm clouds, we took the "ferry" (a large row-boat) across the river, and got soaked by a violent downpour just after disembarking.  We were soaking wet, with our destroyed (from wind) umbrellas by the time we got to their house.  They lent us some dry clothes, and her dad spent most of the time we were there trying to iron my jeans to dry them out.  Dinner was a feast of Lamb Tajine, sweets, Tea, and wonderful Moroccan hospitality. 
Alexandra still wears the pink pajama bottoms that Chaymae gave her.
We then took the train from Rabat to Marrakesh.  Stayed there for 5 nights, then left for a 1 night stopover in London before flying back to SFO. 

Arrived in SF on November 1 and settled into an AirBnb in Mountain View for the next 10 nights.  Checked in on the house.  It's still there.  Then departed for DC to visit my nephew and d'Niece (Baltimore).  Then took the train to Philadelphia, did a drive-by in Allentown, where I grew up, and then went to a family friend's 90th birthday in Phila before departing for Denver, where Janine, our daughter, now lives.  We spent her birthday there and had Thanksgiving at my cousin's place nearby, then departed for the new new world, Sydney, Australia.