homeward bound

A long journey northward saw us out of Africa and back to Madrid. It seemed as though we would never get there and it showed in our faces. We opted for the fastest boat we could get and even though it only took 40 minutes it seemed like an eternity.





We spent a leisurely day shopping in Madrid just outside of our hotel.



And we finally cracked the mystery of the clementines... Order them up from the produce matron and she'll bag them, weigh them, and tag them for the register. But you still can't touch.



We are happy to be home and have time to reflect on our trip and the things we had seen. After a full 20 hours of trains planes and automobiles we finally arrived at our beautiful door step. Thank you for taking the time follow along on our journey and for your comments. It was indeed wonderful to hear from you and get your perspectives.

And of course, Henri is happy to have his humans back in the pack.

cascades and lemonades

A three hour ride by mini bus brought us to the cascades at the bottom of the Atlas Mountains. Although it wasn’t a spectacular sight by rocky mountain standards it was interesting to realize what the presence of water would mean to a landscape such as Morocco. We had an interesting walk down with a guide and stopped for lunch at one of the make shift cafes near the middle of the falls. Yes, it’s a bit of a tourist trap, not much nature to be found… except for the monkeys and goats of course.





The next couple of days were a bit on the busy side. There was much exploring to do through the souqs of Marrakech (the shopping markets). Of course we weren't really in shopping mode but the sites we had seen were so wonderfully interesting. We also seem to have found ourselves quite addicted to the fresh squeezed juice you can get on the plaza. For 3 dirham (about 30 cents euro) you get a glass of the freshest concoction of citrus goodness one could imagine.



The next day brought us to cooking class at the satellite facility for Le Maison Rabe where we made a traditional Moroccan salad and a wonderful tagine of chicken with preserved lemon and olives. If it sounds good then you’ll have to come to our home so we can make it for you. It was a wonderful experience to learn about the traditional spices of Morocco and the simple methods for cooking that create such wonderful flavors.





As the day moved on, Buckaroo Bree began feeling a bit ill and barely made it back to our hotel before spending a good three hours asleep. Later we ventured upstairs for a mild dinner of vegetable couscous and of course a short walk for more citrus juice.





Saturday was our last night at the Jnane Mogador. Sunday we looked for spices to bring home with us and headed back to Tangiers on the overnight train. The trip is beginning to wind down and we are starting to feel the call to come home. We’re looking forward to seeing friends and family again and of course to spend some time with little Henri.

the compass points south

It’s been a few days since we’ve been able to post so we’ll try to get you caught up on what we’ve been up to.

Monday was the day we made our way to the southern tip of Spain. We began at the train station in Barcelona and (because of the broken rail lines) proceeded to Tarragona by bus. From there we began the four and a half hour ride to Madrid where a three and a half hour layover awaited us. There were some beautiful hill towns next the rail lines along the way. After Madrid we head took our train to Algeciras near the straights of Gibraltar. The lovely Hotel Reina Christina awaited us and we were desperate for some rest after 11 hours on the trains.







The next day took us to the ports where we caught a slow boat to Tangiers. It was kind of a strange experience as we basically went through customs on the boat. Once in Tangiers we scurried to the train station (again) to make sure we could catch train to Marrakech. Luckily, we were able to get tickets on a sleeper car (couchette, to those of you who speak Moroccan French) and off we went into the night on an 11 hour ride southward into North Africa.



After a restful night on the train, we were awoken to a most beautiful sunrise along the sparse landscape not to mention the anticipation of a thrilling time in bustling Marrakech.





From the train station we made our way by taxi to the plaza Djemm al Fna where our hotel is located only to find that the reservation we had made was never confirmed. Note to those traveling to Marrakech, booking your stay on the internet works about as well as the sewer system here. In other words, it stinks! Not to worry, Hotel Jnane Mogador found us a room for the four nights we needed and we are thrilled to be staying here. It’s one of the most peaceful places next to one of the least peaceful places we’ve ever been. It has a great rooftop patio and really friendly staff. They also have a spa! Bree went to the ‘spa’ tonight for a massage that turned out to be a really aggressive body cleansing. Picture laying naked on a stone floor being scrubbed down with an exfoliator glove by a stranger that doesn’t speak english, oh, and while you’re having this done don't forget to wave to the person next to you who’s also having this done. It may sound strange, but it’s not all together bad. Bree has very soft skin now, and would go back again if she thought she had any skin left to shed.



Dinner came to us in the form of a delicious mint tabouleh salad, bastilla poulet (chicken) and a lamb tagine at a wonderful rooftop restaurant overlooking the hustle on the plaza below. Mint tea finished off the meal before we headed down to take our place in the flow of bodies around the square.





Off to a night of rest before we head out on an adventure to the cascades of Morocco at the foot of the Atlas Mountains and a tour of the Berber villages below.

super calatrava-rohe-mira exposition

So for our final day in Barcelona (pronounced "barth-eh-lonah" in castallano) we decided to make our way to the Parc de Montjuic. It was the only part of the city that remained for us to see. First up to the Fundacio' Joan Miro (a museum dedicated to his work). For those of you who are familiar with his work you can imagine why we might be excited to see the collection; However, we should have given ourselves a little more time as they close at 14:15 on sundays... something about that magic quarter hour marker I suppose???



Once at the top of the Montjuic we had a most amazing view of the city. There really are very few places where one can take in the vast density of this little catalan town.



After a lite lunch at the museum cafe (i won't mention the cranky staff) we headed past the gardens toward some of the remnants of the summer olympics which are also located in the park. It was great to see the torch designed by Santiago Calatrava, a Spanish architect who has made himself famous for structurally magnificent gestures.



Once off the top of the hill we were serendipitously surprised to be staring at the Barcelona Pavillion (currently known as the Pavello de Mies Ven De Rohe). This is one of the seminal works of modern architecture. Originally built in 1929 for the world exposition in Barcelona and reconstructed in 1986 after several attempts by the city... Let's just say we were both thrilled









So after an hour or so of sketching thumbnails of that little shack I like to call "arch-i-licious" we started back to the east end of town running into yet another of the ubiquitous "bicing" rentals... super cool, and kinda cute too.



A quick trip into the lobby of Jean Novel's contribution to the barcelona skyline and it was back to the dream to get some rest. Tomorrow we head back on the Renfe to the southern tip of Spain, across the straights and into Morocco. Bring on the mint tea!

do not touch the fruit!

Yesterday morning we took a walk to the beach, a short distance from the place we are staying. What a nice way to start the day. The waves were huge! It was exciting to see the Mediterranean Sea.





After we were dressed and ready for the day, we headed out to the Museum of Contemporary Art. The building itself was designed by Richard Meier (one of Josh’s favorite architects). We enjoyed the exhibits, but we both agreed that the building was the true work of art.







When we left I was a little hungry, we were walking by a small market and saw some clementines…yum! I grabbed a couple and headed to the register to pay for them…I then got yelled at by the store owner…time out…remember Josh’s incident the other day in Madrid when he was yelled at for smelling clementines? Weird. I put them back and ran away. (more later)

On to La Segrada Familia, hard to believe this structure has been under construction for 100 years! I guess we’re not allowed to complain about our construction schedules any longer.



We walked around, saw some shops, had dinner and headed back to “the dream” (The Barcelona Dream Hostel).

p.s. Josh loves Spanish Dumpsters.



This morning we went in search of the local Arts and Crafts Market. Accidentally we stumbled upon a food market instead. We decided to walk through and check it out…they had fruit! Yay! Everything was displayed beautifully. Josh decided to take some pictures of figs, as he went to snap the shot, the lady covered up her figs! What? What is with people and their fruit here? Apparently fruit is a matter of national security.





We went to the Picasso Museum today. I was amazed to learn that over 3500 pieces of work were left to the museum. What an amazing collection!




After we left the Picasso Museum, we went over to the Textile Museum to check its hours. When we headed down the very narrow alley to get some dinner we were intercepted by a loud parade, but not just any parade, a parade with 20’ tall characters…it appeared as though the royals from the movie Shrek had invaded Spain…scary!



Tomorrow is our last day in Barcelona.

livin' the dream

This is the train station.



This is us on the train.



This is the bus.



This is Bree... on the bus.


No, I'm not speaking of the American dream, but the Barcelona Dream, yes, that is the name of the youth hostel that we checked into today. We feel like we checked into our new dorms in college...what fun!

Our day started out with breakfast (we finally got our clementines) at our hotel in Madrid. After we ate we headed to catch the train to Barcelona. Everything went smoothly until we noticed everyone getting off the train except us...but we weren't in Barcelona. Once we inquired, we found out that the train tracks were broken and we could go no further...seriously? Yes! So they put us on buses and we made our way to dreamland safely.

Our hostel is basic, but comfortable, and very clean...which is nice. The party is just getting started here, and we are ready to turn in for the night. Busy day tomorrow..although drinking heavily with 18 year olds is tempting.

oh my darlin' clementine

So, we made it out of bed this morning. I really think I could have slept all day. The colds that we both have are slowing us down a little, but not stopping our fun.

After I woke up this morning, Josh kindly offered to get me breakfast, he went in search of yogurt and fruit. Strolling through the local supermarket, he came across Clementine oranges...yum! He picked one up to smell it and he was verbally attacked...en espanol of course...ha! DO NOT EVER SMELL PRODUCE IN SPAIN! Needless to say I didn't get my clementine...oh you're lost and gone forever, oh my darlin' clementine. :(

We had tapas for dinner, it was great! Fried green tomatoes with goat cheese and potato and pork dumplings with tomato and pesto sauce.

We had a beautiful day in Madrid. Tomorrow we to take the train to Barcelona. We are very excited to get there.

More tomorrow.

most beautiful site in spain so far

This was a really amazing site to see upon arriving. We have spent most of our time here so far, and we love it! I think I'll go back tonight.

ciao!

What a way to start the week...tomorrow morning we fly to Madrid, Spain to begin our long anticipated adventure! We promise we will post as often as we can, so check back regularly.