The Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns were filmed in this area (as were
large portions of Lawrence of Arabia and Patton, among others). Local legend
has it that John Lennon got the inspiration for and wrote the draft for
Strawberry Fields Forever while here.
Took a drive through the city and walked through Old Town before climbing
the hill to explore the Alcazaba Palace, the remains of a very large
fortress with an entire city within its walls.
Visited the town's Gothic cathedral which was constructed with a dual
purpose as a place of worship and as a bastion of defense against Berber
pirates. As usual, the inside was over the top ornate and it was obvious no
amount of money or labor was spared in the construction. It does not seem to
matter if it is a church, temple or mosque - they are always by far the
biggest and best building in a village or city. I always wonder when I visit
these places how many lives were lost or slaves used to erect these
structures and how they could spend all of this money, when so many of their
own local people were living in such need. Just a concept that escapes me.
Everywhere I went I saw little girls is white confirmation dresses posing
for photographers with excited families tagging along.
