Marrakech and the High Atlas Mountains

Marrakech is a chaotic city! There are apparently no traffic laws so cars, bicycles, scooters, and pedestrians all just go and somehow it works (oh and then there are the carts pulled by donkeys!). Even the pedestrian streets in the Medina are covered with bicycles and scooters and tons of people asking for money - so careful not to look them in the eye! However, the people are very nice and we have felt very safe.

A driver met me at the airport to take me to our Riad where Ryan was already waiting. The hotel is on a quiet street only a block away from the craziness of the busier streets and is very comfortable. After cleaning up and getting settled we walked to a nearby cafe for lunch on the rooftop terrace and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the tiny streets of the Medina. Small stands with strange foods covered in bees and flies line the streets along with stand after stand of dates, pastries, and knickknacks. On the quieter streets we saw some artisans working on rugs, embroidering clothes, woodwork, etc. Every couple of hours a prayer is sung over the loudspeakers posted in the towers throughout the city. We also stopped every couple of hours for a mint tea and a crepe or to try some Moroccan wine which so far we really enjoy! For dinner on our first night I had reserved a table at a nice restaurant that was without a doubt intended only for tourists. It consisted of a set menu of multiple courses, musicians, and of course a belly dancer (whom Ryan really enjoyed dancing with!). It was a great way to spend a few hours!

Snake Charmers!

The Medina

The following day we continued exploring Marrakech. We went to the Palais el Badi which is the location of an old palace that is now mostly in ruins. The next location we wanted to visit was closed for Ramadan so after lunch and another long walk through the city we went back to the hotel for a much appreciated nap. For the evening we visited the bar at one of the luxury hotels in the city that is known for their selection of Moroccan wine. Since Muslims don't drink alcohol you won't find wine or cocktails at all of the restaurants unless they are positioned to cater to tourists. After a couple of glasses we began to walk back to the main square for dinner but along the way we passed one of the large mosques in the city with hundreds of people all going to the mosque for evening Ramadan prayers. There was security set up around the mosque ensuring that only Muslims were allowed within a certain distance. We were fascinated by this event so we found a restaurant with an deck overlooking the mosque to observe the ceremony. At the evening prayer they move through 12 rounds of their prayer cycle, all in unison. It was beautiful to watch and we felt very fortunate to have that experience.

For our last day in Marrakech we took a day trip to the High Atlas Mountains. We had a private driver and tour guide for most of the trip, however, an English family joined us for the hike. We stopped at a few viewpoints along way to learn more about the small villages built along the sides of the mountains and to take photos. We rode camels!! And stopped at a small Argan oil co-op run by women who make Argan old products. Here we also had mint tea and a snack of bread with Argan Oil and "Berber Nutella." When we arrived at the base of the trail our guide hired a mule for me (I much preferred riding up the mountain to hiking to the highest village in the Atlas mountains!) and we all set out on a trip up to our lunch destination with a stop at the waterfalls along the way. From the waterfalls my mule, her guide, and myself parted from the rest of the group to take a different route up the mountain. I definitely got the better deal, not only did I get to ride a mule but also we took the more scenic route. The landscape is amazing, and the villages along the way are very picturesque. Ryan enjoyed the hike but said it was mostly stairs through the forest so there wasn't much to see. We had lunch at a small hotel in one of the villages before heading back to our van and then back to Marrakech. Instead of going out to dinner last night, we ate at our hotel and went to bed early.

That's me on my mule and her guide!

I've had this post ready to go for a while but haven't been able to find a wifi connection fast enough to upload photos. We're now at the Fez airport waiting on our flight to Barcelona so a Fez post will be coming soon!

Highclere Castle

This was one of the days I was most looking forward too on this trip. I was almost giddy with excitement as Kim and I got close to the castle. I was concerned that I may not make it to Kim's on Wednesday due to the event in the Brussels train station Tuesday night. However, travel on Wednesday was very easy and smooth. I was so happy to be off a train for a while when I finally arrived in Dorking. Wednesday evening we went to dinner at a restaurant around the corner from her house then to the local pub for a drink before returning to her house to meet the neighbors, pick berries in her garden, and, thankfully, do some laundry! 

Thursday we got up and planned our weekend in Cornwall before making our way to Highclere. We arrived about 30 minutes before our tour and walked around the property close to the house. We were both really surprised by the poor condition of the building. The castle is not considered one of the older ones in the area, it's only a few hundred years old, but like many of these large estates the owners have struggled with financially supporting the house. In fact, the current owners of Highclere were at risk of losing the property prior to Downton Abbey and it looks as if they still have a lot of work to do restore it. Regardless, it's beautiful and is mostly decorated exactly as it is in the show. They did bring in a few lamps and tables for filming, and of course removed the more modern art and photos, but the furniture and decor is mostly the same. This is an estate that is passed through the generations along with an aristocratic title. One of the previous Earls to own the estate was an explorer who found King Tut's tomb only to die a few days later from a mosquito bite. The current Earl and Countess still live in the house. 

They broke us into three groups to tour the house and we all began in the center salon near the grand staircase. We toured the bedrooms upstairs learning the historical aspects of the family and house as well as which rooms were used in filming Downtown Abbey before moving on to the main rooms downstairs. There were large photos of Downton scenes in some of the rooms showing how things were changed or left the same and allowing you an idea of the orientation of the set. I'm always surprised when I visit something that I've seen on tv by how much smaller it seems in person. The house is just as grand as I had imagined, but the rooms were much smaller. There is one piece of furniture in the show that has always been of interest to me and I was very excited to see it and touch it and figure it out. There are two red velvet sofas in the drawing room, one that looks more like a regular sofa, the other appears to be held together at the top by rope. I've always loved this piece and was curious about the rope - did the ends come off? While we weren't allowed to take photos inside or sit on the furniture we were allowed to touch it and get close enough to study it. This sofa has hinges along the back and instead of the sides coming off, the back lays flat to make a double sided sofa or day bed. I really wished we were allowed to take a photos of this piece of furniture. 

Our tour also included a very nice tea and a large, coffee table book about the castle's history, it's current residents, photos, and even recipes. I haven't spent much time looking at this book yet but look forward to doing so when I get home. 

After our tea we walked the gardens and took some photos before going back to Kim's, ordering in Indian food, and packing for our weekend in Cornwall. 

Bruges

Kim is working this morning so I've gone to the cafe around the corner to do some writing and have a latte before she comes home at noon. This afternoon we are going to a winery and tomorrow she goes home! 

I'm running even further behind on my writing so this post is for last Monday-Wednesday in Bruges. After my morning in Brussels on Monday I took a train to Bruges and then a taxi to the hotel. I'm so glad I booked a hotel with air conditioning because it was an extremely hot few days. After getting settled I took a walk and went to dinner at the one restaurant I had preselected for this part of my trip, Cafedraal. Cafedraal has a great courtyard that is mostly in the shade and the food was incredible. I have enjoyed simply saying "yes" when offered something even if I don't really think it's what I want. For example, on our hike in the Czech Republic the guide would ask if we wanted to taste the clover and wild blueberries along the trail. Normally I would be too worried about not being able to wash it first but instead I just said yes. He asked if we wanted an ice cream at a time I really didn't but instead I said yes and it was great. Of course, if he had asked if I wanted to hold one of the frogs that were hopping around I would have emphatically said no so the yes motto does have some strong boundaries :-) Cafedraal was the same - I had researched the menu prior to my visit and thought I had already made my selection. However, when I ordered the waiter said that was a good choice but the other option was better. So I said ok each time and essentially let them choose my meal and am very happy I did. 

After dinner I walked back to the hotel taking a few photos along the way. Bruges is a beautiful town with canals running through. My room overlooked one of the canals and was a very short walk to the heart of town. 

Tuesday I had breakfast at the hotel before heading out for the day. The museum in Bruges holds its exhibits in various locations around the city. Currently they have a Dalí exhibit, a Picasso exhibit, a Miro exhibit, and a da Vinci exhibit and I visited all four. Even though the da Vinci exhibit was primarily reconstructions of his inventions it was the only exhibit of the four I really enjoyed. After spending last school year studying da Vinci with my students it was fun the see the drawings and sketches come to life in these models. Some of them you could manipulate and move in order to gain a better understanding of how they work. The other three exhibits were a disappointment primarily because I have been to the Picasso museum and the Miro museum in Barcelona, and the Dalí museum in Figueres and his house in Cadaques. After visiting large museums dedicated to each of these artists the smaller exhibits in Bruges were not as interesting, and the buildings were incredibly hot. 

I spent the rest of the day and the next morning walking around, taking, photos, sampling Belgian chocolates, and cruising on the canals before leaving on Wednesday for Kim's!

Brussels

I had about 24 hours in Brussels but I think that may have been enough. There is definitely much more to see but I haven't really wanted to spend much time in museums, and it was incredibly hot. When I arrived on Sunday my room wasn't ready so I visited a museum near the hotel and had lunch in the Grand Place. This is an incredibly beautiful square and is also where my hotel was located. It may not have been the type of hotel I prefer, but for only one night it was fine and the view was amazing. In fact, I specifically booked this room to have a great view of the Grand Place in order to see it at night without having to leave my room. I was concerned about the noise but I had triple pane windows that blocked almost all of it out. Later Sunday evening I took a walk along one of the pedestrian streets coming off of the Grand Place to buy some chocolate, visit the Mannaquin Pis, and have dinner. The Mannaquin Pis may be the most famous statue in Brussels - he even has a museum housing his wardrobe. 

All the photos below were taken from my hotel room. 

Monday morning I walked to the Grand Sablon square for breakfast and to visit some of the city's more well known chocolate shops. The heat really did interfere with this part of my trip, but I did have some great chocolate and visited a beautiful church. 

Before catching the train to Bruges I visited a Steve McCurry photography exhibit. Not only is his work amazing, the exhibit itself was beautiful. The photos were hung from the ceiling in front of sheer white fabric and were arranged almost in a labyrinth. Most people have seen his work; he has had at least two photos on the cover of National Geographic. His most famous photo is of a young Afgan girl he met at a refugee camp, in fact, some consider this to be the most famous photo in the world. The overwhelming response to this photo encouraged National Geographic to set up an Afgan Childrens' Fund. This exhibit not only showed his photos, but also had videos talking about his work, mostly narrated by him, and talking about how his work has changed the life of those in his photos. For example, he went back years later to find the girl in the photo and even had experts in the US and other countries working to verify this was the same person. Once he found her, he was able to provide for her family by giving them a house and helping them with food and healthcare. It was unbelievable to me that the girl whose face almost everyone in the western world knows grew up to live in a small house with dirt floors and was barely able to provide for her family. She has lived a very hard and sad life. Because of the impact McCurry has had on the people in Afganistan he has never been charged for a taxi ride while in this country.  He has many stories like this one and I found his work to be very inspirational. 

I haven't taken many candid photos on this trip, however, there was one in Brussels I couldn't refuse. I'm really glad he didn't wake up and catch me!