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Algeciras, Leaving the continent.

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Wednesday, March 09 2005

7 month, 15 days

Algeciras, Spain

Photography Blog

About Travel Photography,
Colors of the World.

Manfred is creator of ThisFabTrek.com, travel photography, a travel blog and a photography blog (a journey from 2004 to 2013). 'I set out to see the colors of the world, always I try to capture the colors'.

Seeing, is understanding, so I report and photograph, but formost enjoy and live those different conceptions of life (all that TV [and the web] cannot give). I reject jealousy, animosity, bigotry. Be free!

Manfred in the desert of the Western Sahara

The mind, when pondering at night and always asked those questions. What am I doing in corporate wonderland of bank, university, office or church? Who is the other animal asleep deep inside, the thinker, punk, creative, or Indian, vagabond and healer, maybe artist, writer, photographer, traveler, globetrotter? Oh God, dare you to think. When I saw the lies, gambles and manipulations I follow the old dream and set out for the journey of life lived, the journey to see the colors of the world.

During years on the road I have taken the turns as they came along, and realized one thing: Only such a small part of the planet can be explored and such a vast land and sea mass will always remain unknown, to me; many swamps, jungles, deserts and oceans will never be traveled. But then I am father of twin boys, Daniel and David, my most important, and I show them some of the wonders and colors out there.

ThisFabTrek, Photography and Journey, the Stories from the Road and Life around the World, stopped in August 2013 after more than 9 years, Love and Peace.

Last vehicle.

G20, Chevy Gladiator.

Chevrolet Gladiator G20, The boys in Cordillera Blanca, Peru.
The boys and Chevy van, Peru.

The G20, the vehicle that came to me for the Americas adventures.

6 wheeled Land Rover.

Land Rover Defender 6x6
Link to Foley

The vehicle of the Africa adventures, a Foley 6-Wheeled Land Rover Defender.

Before, the MB307.

Manfred and MB307
Journey, Middle East.

The vehicle of the Middle-East and North-Cape Journeys. See all vehicles.

Daniel and David with nanny Aisha, the best we ever had, black African Woman carrying white twin babies, in Bamako, Mali.

Land Rover 19,126km

Trekking 243km

Ferry 586km

Train 150km

Other cars 4.633km

Travel Blog

contains Festival/Fiesta/Art photography.

generizon. clean. sustainable. feasible.

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo.

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it, to tell the tale." Living to Tell the Tale - Gabriel García Márquez.

"They never taught wandering in any school I attended. ... they never taught the art of writing a book, either. It's all so mysterious."
"Wandering is an art in itself. Wandering and writing don't mix"
"Writing demands commitment and if one thing your wanderer is allergic to is that very quality of commitment, for once one is committed he runs that very risk of failure ..." Wanderer - Sterling Hayden.

"Photography enables you to grasp a place first time round. ... Photography is a means of exploration, it's a vital part of travel, almost as essential as a car or a plane. " - Wim Wenders.

"The worst prejudice we acquire during our youth is the idea that life is serious. Children have the right instincts: they know that life is not serious, and treat it as a game..." , Egon Friedell.

"How far you gonna go. Before you lose your way back home" - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World, Achtung Baby, U2.

"If you want to be a hero well just follow me." - Working Class Hero, John Lennon.

"When I think of all the things I have done, I know that it's only just begun." - I love you, Lou Reed.

"One does not escape the Sahara - the Sahara let's you go or not" - Touareg.

"Planet earth is blue and there`s nothing I can do" - This is Ground Control to Major Tom, David Bowie.

"Glory for the crazy people/in this stupid world" - Ahmed Fouad Negm.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > spain-portugal > 20050309-algeciras

Madrid, 5 years since I have been here

Map: Journey Tours to Algeciras.
Preparing the ground for the olymics
The olympic bid.

I enter Spain on the evening of the 6th of March, drive until about 10, reach Vitoria in the Basque Country.

Quite a mountainouse region which means the snow and cold is back. Happy to have reached Spain I enjoy some tortillia and cerveza before climbing into the back of my van for a good night sleep with the harsh winterly conditions outside not bothering me much.

ms

I reach Madrid the next day before lunch time, find a garage, that I can trust my Land Rover with.

In the evening I meet Daniel and his family. Daniel and I used to work together in London, side by side for more than a year. Together with another friend, Richard, we formed a team. It has been 5 years that Richard and I flew down to Madrid to meet Daniel. It has been over 3 years that the 3 of us met in New York. Time passes quickly. But our friendship survived.

Plaza Cibeles, Palacio de Comunicaciones, Madrid, its most beautiful building, according to Daniel
Palacio de Comunicaciones, Madrid's most beautiful building.

I stay the following day in Madrid. It is a wonderful city (another one) I manage to fall in love with. Madrid is the 3rd city (London and Paris being the other two) to compete for hosting the 2012 summer olympics.

With 4 Million inhabitants it is still manageable. Most of the construction and fine-tuning was being done in the past. And after more then 10 years of robust growth and catching up its population seems still relaxed..And above all Spanish food is marvellouse (tapas, Rioja, seafood, foie-gras, you choose...). Shame on me for not staying any longer.

But I am late for Morocco. I was sheduled to meet Michael a friend from Austria and his BMW enduro about a week ago.

Daniel
Daniel.

So I say goodbye to Daniel in the early morning hour of the 9th of March. Listening to the Moondog I make my way south to Granada, then Malaga, and straight to Algeciras.

The ferry to Ceuta (the Spanish enclave on the coast of Morocco) leaves about 15 minutes after me buying the ticket. I have left the continent.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > spain-portugal > 20050309-algeciras

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