If you are in too much of a hurry then you are already dead

As I last wrote, we had just completed our cooking class in Fez and Randall then took a mid afternoon walk around the neighbourhood to complete our rest day. We dined within the medina at a local restaurant in the home, enjoying Moroccan salad (of course), chicken pie (pastilla) and home made sweets. Great cook and friendly family.

 

 

 

The next day was a very long 10 hour drive to Marrakech and almost another world. The country changed fairly quickly along the way and after some steady climbing we had a short stop in a European style town complete with royal grammar school, convention centre and french town setting. Ifrane is known as the Switzerland of Morocco and has plenty of snow in winter. Amazing oasis as not far beyond that the country flattened out completely and we then sped past many trucks carrying sugar beets to a sugar processing factory. And just about everything else in sight as our driver deviated just slightly from the legendary, take your time about everything, Moroccan living.

 

 

We enjoyed a long chat with our wandering Italian Clos des Arts riad hosts who had spent many years in Africa before getting into the riad business. In the late evening we made a short walk to the main square of Marrakech but did not linger long as we were buggered and suffering from enough of the pressures within medinas. For those not familiar with riads, they are well hidden behind street walls (most places have no windows to streets) with rooms located around an open garden or sitting area complete with central fountain and sitting and dining areas. Tranquil, with bedlam just outside the door. Heaven for some.

 

 

By the next morning we were slower still with both having a touch of food poisoning probably from the restaurant(!) in the town where we had lunch the day before but fortunately we were recovering by the end of the day. The day tour of the medina was one step after the other but we did take most of the history lesson in (we think). A light dinner then followed in the new town and then the day was over.

 

 

Next day we were heading for the finishing line at Casablanca. You must remember this; that Casablanca is over 4 million people with a very cosmopolitan feel about it. Women in modern dress and the beach area where we stayed was a mass of families enjoying their weekend outing. Western visitors tend to avoid Casablanca as it is just another city but for us it helped to get a feel for the balance of where Morocco is heading. Casablanca and Rabat are different from the older culturally conservative cities of Fez and Marrakech. Casablanca has the world's third biggest mosque and one of the few in Morocco that accepts western visitors. Our tour there was really interesting and the place has a very elegant and rich feel about it. Opening roof, in built audio systems, venetian chandeliers and a beautiful arabic creation of unknown cost and built in 6 years, often 24 hours a day!

 

 

 

On our drive into Casablanca we also briefly stopped in El Jadida which has an old Portuguese fort with an underground cistern to rival Justinian's in Istanbul. One would say a photographer's paradise

 

 

For out last Moroccan evening we dined with locals, enjoying our fish with Yvonne anxiously awaiting a promised belly dancer who turned out to be not that great or perhaps still learning. Try as she might like to see it that way, Morocco is not as sexist as she thought it might be, it seems.

All in all we thoroughly enjoyed Morocco and we will now watch with greater interest developments in a growing country, proud of its heritage.

 

We now head back to Spain for our next learning experience.

Morocco first blush

 

Writing this in Fez after our first full day here and two days in Morocco. The cultural change from Europe is taking some effort. First a big weather change from our recent wet Spain and Portugal experiences. Second, a big language change even though French is widely spoken here. And an adjustment from free wheeling to tour guide activity, even if there are only two in this group.

 

As always with this travel, you quickly have to get used to operations within operations and the all powerful tour guide who guides you to avoid pitfalls, chooses eating places, chooses sites and timings for the days as well as the endless small negotiations he makes for us. A bit like being back at school really and not in control with what is really going on.

 

So given that, what has happened and what do we think?

 

 

First impressions include: an emerging third world country still carrying on from almost medieval traditions and living; modern cars down to donkey and horses; vibrant and happy groups of young modern people; overall pride in country; fairly high security almost everywhere, especially near royal facilities; good food; lovely riads; tourist numbers might be down.

 

Volubilis Roman ruins were fabulous although we were a tad warm in the early afternoon sun and we were being sorely tested in Greek/Roman/Carthegian/African history. Could almost see Russell Crowe coming down through the triumphal arch.

 

Yes, there are some Syrian refugees about and the overall attitude seems to be indifferent thus far. We only see those brave enough to seek money at traffic intersections and we do not know how much increase of police activity is due to refugees. So we have no idea of how much of a problem it is. Our driver is also very careful about police radar traps that seem to be everywhere.

 

 

 

 

Fez, as we know, is a marvel captured in time and the senses were rapidly exploding as Momo our guide began with a history lesson and ended with taking us out of the absolute maze of the medina. Endlessly exposed to the full gamit of shopkeepers as we were giving briefings on leather, embroidery, woodwork, ceramics, tile making, buchery, spices, carpets and how life goes within the medina. Quite mind blowing really and we managed to escape with just a single purchase. How the people really get on in there, heavens knows. In places we were on streets just a metre or so wide and apart from the occasional donkey load, the whole area is pedestrianised. We were there almost five hours.

 

 

We enjoyed a great lunch within the medina at a restaurant I will never be able to find again. What lies beyond the single street facing door of these places?

 

By the end of the day we were ready for our senior travellers rest in Riad Myra, our home in Fez.

It is now the next day and a rest day for us. Yvonne is taking that very literally and would like to remain within the riad walls. Randall would like a bit of a wander around to see what he can see. It is hot of course so a little group unrest ensures as Yvonne plays for time by analysing prospective pics for the blog. To see if we can engage better with our hosts we take a morning cooking class. This works out very well and we enjoyed the experience and eat the results.

 

 

 

Whether we get to take the afternoon city explorers walk for two is a question to be answered in the next blog.

Together again

After uneventful flights, the tired pilgrim from Santiago de Compostella and the relaxed artist in residence of downtown Olhao in the gloriously sunny Algarve met up at Marid airport. Wow! People everywhere and Madrid seemed to be jumping.  

 

Not much on with just Bruce Springstein and his band plus some European soccer final between the Barcelona and Seville teams. We have an extra 2000 security types on duty and designated gathering points for supporters. Helicopters drifting overhead checking out the scene. Madrid is in party mode and the ambiance, despite numbers, is relaxed. And things will jump up further by next weekend when the two Madrid teams line up for the European Cup League final in Milan. But we will be long gone by then. We even thought we saw the Real Madrid coach just wandering along like any other tourist in town.

 

 

 

As far as the walk is concerned, the second half involved longer days/distances and things were more complicated as Randall picked up a cold along the way. Despite that, all went well and the group thoroughly enjoyed almost all of it. One or two meals not up to scratch and one hostel hostess who would do Hitler proud. But nothing could detract from the simple pleasure of walking an ancient trail following where people have been tramping for over 1000 years. As the group got closer to Santiago de Compostella they met more and more fellow travellers and had some interesting conversations as they went along.

 

 

Meanwhile in the heavenly south of Portugal the artist in residence operated in a completely different space. 

 

After a 7 hour train trip Yvonne finally arrived in Olhao. A not so small fishing village, but away from the tourist scene. Her room was on the rooftop of the Art School with views over the rooftops of the town and a swimming pool outside the door, which she was not likely to use.

 

 

Yvonne was quickly able to find her way out to the sea front from the lodgings and she wandered around the town, up and down alley ways and one way little streets. The town is very old and many vacant and neglected buildings around. Deciding to return home, it took her an hour to find the way through the maze of alley ways.

 

Yvonne had arrived two days early so she met the art group finishing their week with a fantastic Irish artist, and was invited to join them. They were a mixed group of Irish, American, English, Mauritis and South African. Lovely people who had had a week of rain and more rain, so only brief trips outdoors.

 

Yvonne's group was luckier as after three days the weather settled down and they were able to go out to sketch and paint on the Armona Island, the Ria Formosa national park and the market.

There is a permanent fruit and vegetable and fish markets in Olhoa, but on Saturday the travelling market comes to town and so does most of Portugal. It was impossible to get good photographs for all the people, never mind sitting and sketching and painting. However the seafood market is just amazing. She had never seen such an array of fish and shell fish.

 

 

 

The lead artist was English and therefore all English students. An interesting group of people with sons, daughters and other family living in Australia and South Africa. The group dined in for the week except on the weekend when the young hostess was given the time off. The seafood menu in restaurants was very extensive. They thoroughly enjoyed a huge fish between 6 one night.

 

With many outdoor sketches, more knowledge and five paintings completed, Yvonne's course ended. She had an extra two days to fill in and so she visited Vila Real Santo Antonio on the Portuguese/Spanish border and Tavira. By the end our new resident artist was feeling like a local and very at home.

 

So as we write this in Madrid we have re-visited the Prado and Thyssen galleries whilst enjoying life in central Madrid. For reasons we did not understand but could enjoy, there were seriously good artists painting away in the gardens whilst a period military drum and whistle band marched up and down to entertain passers by like us

 

 

But in reality these last few days are all about making sure we are on the ball again and ready for Morocco and a new and different experience.

The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain

For over 10 days without even a glimpse of sunshine, the duo struggled bravely on. Yvonne trained from Porto to her artistic haven in a small village outside Faro in the south whilst Randall slogged out the kilometres on foot heading for Santiago de Compostella. But in both places our heroes were being climatically tested. It would be an understatement to say that we were surprised by the weather.

This blog necessarily focusses on the walk as the artist cannot now be interrupted in her work to capture the essence of Portugal in watercolour.

As I write this in Tui on the Spain-Portugal border, the sun is finally showing itself. Over the five walk days we have mainly been in very light drizzle with constant coats on, coats off mode. The weather has mostly been cool. There are quite a few fellow pilgrims on this Portuguese Caminho which we believe is growing in numbers each year. Good for local business and in fact better supported that way than we have seen in France.

We meet all sorts of people from all over the planet but including a fairly high proportion of baby boomers and even an old fellow over 80 who we passed sprinting along a couple of days back.

Accommodation has been good, if variable, food has been copious if basic and the people good. Roman bridges and Roman roads are plentiful as is the mud and water, water everywhere. We average about 20 kms each day and we are all in good spirits as we fix the world during the many discussions along the way.

Anyway, what else could we be doing if we were not here?

This is not Sudoku

 

It is sooo good today for us 'independent' travellers, even if we manage to get by without Facebook or Twitter accounts. The mental challenges are all around us as we deal with demands greater than the daily newspaper Sudoku.

 

No doubt DFAT is tracking our mobile moves and the 60 minutes crew cannot be far away either, nor those US drones ready to interfere with life on the planet. Maybe we have been smart enough to disable mobile roaming and location services but how do we find the TripAvisor restaurants without these essential services?

 

We just have to have effectively four computers with us complete with chargers, cables and adaptors. To cover off baggage losses we split any important medications between in hold and carry on so we can live beyond a few days should a loss occur. We also carry spare clothes on board for the same reason. We have spare batteries for cameras. We have an ipod for music interludes. We use skype and facetime some days. We split credit cards to reduce any mugging events and we split cash carried for the same reason. So now we really do not know where anything is for sure and so we are living the mental challenge dream. And all this before we deal with language and research about where we are actually going each day. And before we use any keys, codes, bus/tram cards and city maps in the countries we are visiting. I cannot wait until we are fitted with Fitbit pieces so we can become more completely offbeam.

 

So far we have visited the Lisbon Apple shop to get help for Ms Ipad. Ditto for a call to our Australian ISP. Mr Perfect has forgotten the cable to connect his camera to the computer for blogs as well as the cable to connect his Ipod for recharge. And for a while Ms was searching for a runaway battery. We call this Seniors Fun on the Run. 

 

Ancestry has now told both of us we are more Irish than anything else, ethnically. So we are now on the Iberian Peninsula searching for our Celtic mates here as well as searching for Yvonne's Spanish/Portuguese heritage, her second ethnicity.

It has been drizzling rain in Porto and the surrounding areas as we have discovered the city area and made an excursion east to Amarante trying to expand our knowledge of this part of our world. People are very friendly and helpful everywhere and life looks quite okay around here. There are plenty of early season tourists like us making the rounds too.

 

 

In amongst the three days of drizzle until it cleared somewhat on Sunday, we have discovered most of the old city of Porto whilst the major activity has been the 14 hour day trip up the Douro River and back by boat and bus. It was a long day but a great way to uncover some of the wine history of this area. Of course it would have been better with sunshine but as we discovered a long time ago in Europe generally, you just get on with life as it comes. We exchanged some observations with our new Danish and French friends for the day whilst taking in the sights along the way.

 

 

In planning this part of the trip we took the correct decision for us to base ourselves in Porto and we have been pleased with how things have turned out.

It beats sudoku and now we get to part ways from tomorrow with Yvonne heading south into the Algarve whilst Randall looks to join his walking group friends.

And we start with Lisbon

Lisbon has been good for our body clock adjustment and getting on the move. We have hit a spot of very warm weather in a city that seems very relaxed and at ease with itself. A surprisingly large number of tourists like us about, in what is probably still on the leading edge of this world wide baby boomer in doting years exploration. A wide range of languages were in use as we emerged from the integrated transport system to the city market.

Here we enjoyed a formidable lunch in one of the Time Out restaurants. With a wide range of eating choices in front of us doing very good business, we would recommend it if you are yet to come this way.

Then the number 28 tram which twists and turns it's way up through the Alfama district did not let us down. As with the last time we used the number 28, an errant parked car managed to stop the whole track system. We became more alert after the tram driver applied the master brake on our tram, then behind several others, before just taking his things and heading off into the distance on foot, presumably looking for a coffee, and without a word to his loyal passengers. But we got the message that maybe it could take a while to sort things out. So we hopped off and managed the rest of the way on shank's pony. Fortunately we were towards the top of the area before our forced stop.

Day 2 was just as good. A visit to the tile museum and a courtyard lunch followed by a short trip to Belem and Henry the Navigator covered most of the day.

 Yvonne was given a potted historical explanation by a friendly elderly local on the tram home on the differences between the good Portuguese and the mess over the border that calls itself Spain.

 A local dinner in the central city area accompanied by European soccer completed what has been a most pleasant if short stay. Lisbon seems to be in a good mood.

And so to Porto we went. We opted to take what sounded like a slower regional train only to find ourselves choofing along at 200 kph and enjoying a good onboard lunch service. A restful 2.5 hours later and we stepped out into the 33 degrees heat of Porto for our next stage of the trip