Day 3 in Amsterdam – The Red Light District, Amstelkring Museum, and Westerpark (Continued from Day 2) No trip to Amsterdam is complete without a peek at the city’s oldest neighborhood, which has hosted the world’s oldest profession since the year 1200. The Dutch call this area “De Wallen” or “The Walls”, after the old city walls that once stood…
Day 2 in Amsterdam – The Six Collection, Electric Ladyland (the First Museum of Fluorescent Art), and EyeBar(Continued from Day 1) It’s amazing what 31 hours of being awake, followed by half an ambient and a comfortable bed will do for you. Woke up feeling very rested, and we faced the day with great anticipation, for today we were going…
I love to travel. It’s what I live for. Although I tend to seek out new and exotic lands, it’s nice to go back to familiar places now and then. I get to revisit restaurants and museums that I enjoyed the first time I visited, and I get to check out new neighborhoods, new exhibits, and new shops and stores. …
I took a few photos of my polydactyl cat Mittens
We had just gotten back from a ten day vacation to Morocco, so this seemed a little indulgent, but Mexico is inexpensive, and we hadn’t been to the beach in years. After my Morocco trip and before this Mexico trip, I did take one more photography class, and the added instruction did make a difference. So this blog post is…
Hard to believe, but our last day in Morocco is upon us. Today’s agenda is to explore as much of Tangier in one day as we can, and then head back home to our own cats, who we miss a lot. We started the day at the Gran Café de Paris. With its tufted brown leather seats impeccable service, and…
I’ve always wanted to visit Tangier. The city is at the meeting point of two continents and two seas, and it defies comparison with any other city in Morocco. For the first half of the 20thcentury, Tangier was an international city, with its own laws and its own administration. It attracted a lot of writers, including Paul Bowles, the American…
After visiting the Royal Granaries in Meknes, we decided to skip the medina in Meknes. It was a tough decision, but we had hired our driver, Naji, just for the day, and we had to decide what to do: explore the souks and food stalls in the Meknes medina, or visit the American Fondouk, a veterinary hospital just outside the…
Fes’s location allows for some neat day trips. A popular destination from Fes is the city of Meknes and the Roman ruins of Volubilis. Mark and I have always enjoyed Greek and Roman ruins, and the ruins and Volubilis were said to be impressive. So much so that the site was a key location for Martin Scorsese’s film The Last…
Today our itinerary was simple. Just stroll through Fes with no sites in mind and no agenda to speak of. There’s 9600 streets and alleys. Plenty to explore. We made our way to Bab Boujeloud, but this time we veered right, onto the other main artery, Tala’a Sghira, to see what we’d find. The first stretch consists of another market. …
After last night’s foray into the hectic maze that is Fes, I was ready to tackle it head on. Take a look at this map Your best bet is to make your way to the main entry gate to the medina, Bab Boujeloud, which is depicted as an arch in the lower left corner. Lots of signs pointing to it,…
Day 5 – Goodbye Marrakech, Hello Fes. Today is a bittersweet day. We were sorry to say goodbye to fascinating Marrakech, but excited to check out Fes. We woke up early, took one last look at our beautiful riad from our balcony, and one last look at the lovely balcony outside our door. We bid Sara and her brother adieu. …
Day trip! Our destination: the beautiful coastal fishing town of Essaouira Essaouira has an interesting history. Today, it’s a favorite destination for the picturesque fishing harbor, the twisting little alleyways, and the sand, sea and surf. It used to be a hippie hangout for surfers and expat artists, and though the city now hosts a broader range of visitors, you…
I started my Saturday in Morocco with our riad’s lavish rooftop terrace breakfast, only this time I was joined by the resident cat. Soon afterward, we were joined by the neighborhood tomcat, who hopped onto the terrace from a nearby rooftop, and made himself at home in the covered seating area on the terrace. Yesterday we explored sites in the…
Woke up feeling refreshed and ready to explore the city. After a great breakfast of eggs and a huge assortment of breads, pastries and jams (these folks are into carbs), we got ready to hit the town. But first, I had to play with the riad kitty. I knew the place had a resident cat, so I brought him a…