Chefchaouen – The Blue City
I’m afraid that there’s not a great deal to tell in this blog as today’s trip was interesting, but without any spectacular scenery or major points of interest. Before leaving Fez, we visited a lookout where we could see across the city. It looked to be (as we thought) a large compact city. It seemed […]
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Fez
Fez or Fes is one of the largest cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.256 million, according to the 2024 census. Located to the northwest of the Atlas Mountains, it is surrounded by hills and the old city is centered around the Fez River (Oued Fes) flowing from west to east. Fez has been […]
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Masouga to Fez
We have had a long travel day and tonight I am in Fez. Our Riad here is very grand and I have the first bedroom for many a night in which it is light enough for me to be able to see effectively. Our previous night’s rooms have had a light in every corner and […]
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Sunday Market in Rissani
After a late start this morning, we went to visit the market at a neighbouring town called Rissani. It draws people from far and wide as there are is a very large variety of goods for sale. On the way, we stopped at a shop that sold handicrafts made by various tribes that live in […]
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Fossils, Sand Dunes and a Camera Disaster
Our drive today, was a lttle over 200 kilometres to the area of Merzouga which has some large sand dunes near a lake and which is quite close to the Algerian Border. The weather has provided us with overcast conditions and this has given us photographers some very even soft light. The sun coming through […]
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A Night in the Sahara Desert
I have always wondered what it would be like to visit the Sahara Desert and over the last two days I have found out. We began outr drive into the desert after leaving the town of M’Hamid which is somewhere near the border of Algeria. Before we left, we spent some time exploring the town […]
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Sand Dunes in the Desert
Today, we left the big towns behind as headed from Ouarzazate to M’Hamid in the desert. The countryside became increasingly barren as we travelled although there was a tinge oif green across the landscape following very heavy rains a few months ago. We said goodbye to Ouarzazate with its impressive Kasbah that we had seen […]
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Over the High Atlas Mountains
Our journey today, was a little over 200 km long and took us over the High Atlas Mountains to the rural town of Ouarzazate. We left at 8.30 am after a nice breakfast at our Riad and soon reached the foothills of these rugged mountains. This area is very desert-like so the vegetation was sparse […]
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Marrakech’s Medina and Square
This morning, we were away early, skipping breakfast until later to get to one of Marakech’s most beautiful Islamic buildings before the tourist crowds arrived. We made our way slowly to the Ben Youseff Madrassa through the old town. It was still dark and quiet – only a few stores were opeing and the cats […]
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My Walking Tour of Marrakech
Today, I took myself on a self-guided walking tour to get an overview of the city. I used my favourite Iphone App called ‘GPS my City’ to get around and to give me some information about each stop along the way. It offers guided walks of nealry 200 cities around the world complete with a […]
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It’s a Long Haul to Marrakech
Whichever way you go to Marrakech from Australia, it’s a long haul. I chose to go via London as the return flights do not require multiple layovers and it’s a bit simpler. When I left Mebourne Airport for Perth on Friday, the airport was quite calm and not many people were around. For whatever reason, […]
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My Friends, the Magpies
The Australian magpie is a highly intelligent and iconic bird native to Australia. It is known for its melodious song and bold behavior. The magpie plays a significant role in Australian culture, often appearing in folklore, art, and sports team mascots. We have a family of four of these birds that live around our house […]
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