Driving down from the Rif Mountains we caught our first glimpse of Chefchaouen - Morocco’s blue city and one of the most magical cities I have ever seen… Even from a distance you notice a blue hue over the houses of this fairytale city.
Iconic Fes
The Medina of Meknes
Meknes - How had I never heard of this jewel?
Meknes is one of the imperial cities of Morocco.
Bab Mansour, the monumental gate in the city wall, was build in The 17th century. It served as the ceremonial entrance to the kasbah, or royal citadel. It still stands today, echoing with images and voices of its past.
Ancient Morocco: Moulay Idriss
Casablanca to Rabat
Exploring Morocco
After reading the book The Caliph’s House by Tahir Shah, I wanted to see Morocco. I had never been to the country and the history and customs described in Shah’s book made it sound fascinating.
It just so happened that I would be in Portugal in the Fall, so why not take a short flight from Lisbon to Casablanca?
The Caliph's House - A Book Comes To Life
It all started with a book! The Caliph’s House is written by Tahir Shah and immediately appealed to me. When the short content told me that it was in the tradition of A Year in Province and Under The Tuscan Sun, I took it home. I learned about Morocco, a country I had never visited before. And then the author invited me to tour his house. I went from turning pages to walking into a book in Casablanca…
Walking The Fisherman’s Trail
When I walked the Camino de Santiago for the second time, several years ago, the last part seemed more like a parade than a nice quiet hike. I decided to look for other long distance trails to walk for a few days or weeks. Italy offered that opportunity with a 400k section of the Via Francigena through Tuscany. Then I learned about the Rota Vicentina, a trail network in south western Portugal that was fairly new (2012) and not so crowded yet.
Lisbon for Beginners Like Us
We were searching for a comfy but affordable place to stay during our four days of exploring Lisbon. ‘Perfect For Two’ - the VRBO site said.
We knew we wanted a small apartment with a kitchen and not a hotel room. We also knew we wanted to be in the heart of the old city.
So when we found this listing, we studied the photos, the reviews and the approximate location on a map. It seemed a good fit so we booked it.
Hiking for Masochists - 101
Koh Rong - an Island Paradise
Having booked a 15 day trek across Cambodia, we knew that we would be doing a lot of hiking in the heat. We wanted to end our visit to Cambodia with a relaxing time on a beach. We did a lot of online research to find a good spot. We’re not really into just sitting on the beach but we did want something beautiful, a place to rest and swim after our hiking adventure.
Boating in the Low Lands
Travel - From One Chapter To The Next
Eugene, Oregon: Ducks and Much More!
Tapati Festival, Rapa Nui
In this second part of Tales of the South Pacific, we’ll visit Easter Island’s Tapati Festival - one of the highlights of our life! The gods smiled on us when we booked our trip to remote Easter Island. Totally by fluke it turns out that we are here for the grand finale of Rapa Nui's annual Tapati Festival. This huge festival celebrates the local culture, and honors the ancestors who created the famous Moai statues.
Journeys on Java
In previous blogs about Indonesia, I shared stories about our time on Borneo and Sumatra. This time, I’d like to take you along to the island of Java. It is a long skinny island with the capital city, Jakarta, on it. Java is one of the most densely populated islands in the world with more than 140 million people. I spent most of my time in the city of Surabaya.
Yellowstone: A Trip Into a Volcano
BOOKS: A Window to the World
Brugge - Bridge to the Past
Geocaching - At Home or Around the World
Geocaching can be called a worldwide treasure hunt where you use a GPS to search for hidden objects. It’s a fun and exciting way to enjoy the great outdoors. Geocaching combines the sport of walking with the excitement of discovering treasure. ‘Geo’ means ‘earth’ and ‘cache’ means ‘hidden’ in French. I have friends who have traveled the world, geocaching in any country they like….