Marrakesh

The snow-capped Atlas mountains
are at the top of the picture!

Outside of school holidays travel from the UK is cheap, so for our first trip 'abroad' we decided on somewhere exotic, warm, and where we hadn’t been before. And cheap.  Each day we get enticing offers in our inbox from Travelzoo (amongst others) and both Spain and Malta had very good options, but Morocco was more tantalising, especially as several members of the extended family had already been there and reported back how wonderful it is. The timing was good too as earlier in the year it can be quite cool, and any later and it is far too hot – it can get to over 50C out near the desert where we wanted to go.

A culturally sensitively dressed tourist

Marrakesh is the tourist centre of Morocco, and it feels like it. Tourists everywhere and many of the them wearing inappropriate clothes for an Islamic country. We had been told that two days in Marrakesh was about right and by our third day we agreed with that. It is small enough to walk everywhere if you are energetic, and given the wiggliness of the alleys in the centre it does feel as if you have walked everywhere. With the narrow alleys it isn’t always possible to get a GPS fix so at times it is easier to accept an offer from a 'guide'. If you stand on a corner for but a moment a local man or boy will approach you and offer to take you somewhere – usually at a blistering pace, followed by a request for money.

Slippers, slippers, slippers ...

For tourists the atmospheric medina area, the main square, the souks, a couple of mosques and a palace, offer the most interest. For us, the best was probably just walking around the medina area taking in all the sights and sounds. The souks (shopping areas) are wonderful and the little shops seem to cater for locals (butchers, bright plastic household items) as well as tourists. While it is famous for its leather (bags, coats, slippers), there are many wonderful items for filling up a home from rugs to lamps to furniture. Lucky we don’t have a home!  We just had to go and see the 'tripadvisor' top-rated site in Marrakesh - 12,000 people just had to be right, surely?  Well, the top-rated site is some gardens, and they were a big disappointment.  They had some lovely specimen plants - huge bougainvilleas and many varieties of cacti were a highlight, but the whole place was manicured to within an inch of its life, with small paths carrying the masses of tourists.  The challenge is that the narrow alleys are crowded but still open to cycles, motorbikes and the odd donkey.

Need a musket?

Fruit seller in Jemaa el-Fnaa square

The main square is the centre point for locals and tourists alike. It is here that you find singers, storytellers (though our understanding of Berber is somewhat limited), snake-charmers, henna artists, jugglers, dried fruit sellers, and the small stalls you would see at any fair. And numerous stalls where you can sit down and enjoy wonderful food. Loud and exciting. One of the most memorable moments was watching a man with his monkey - they were unoccupied by tourists, so were quietly sitting on the ground, the man watching the world go by while the monkey searched his hair for a snack!

Most of the buildings are painted shades of red. Apparently Casablanca is white and there are blue villages ...

One of the ”attractions” is a visit to the tanneries. Every day a self-appointed guide would offer to show us the way as “today is auction day, much more interesting”. Well it is the smelliest place to visit, full of pits containing liquid and a bundle of animal hides being processed, plus a chap sloshing around in waders. The hides are subjected to washing in lime, ammonia and pigeon poo! One section is full of Berbers who look after the larger skins (camel, cow), the second section is the Arabs who work with the smaller skins (goat, sheep, etc). Unfortunately it is only at certain times of the year that they dye the skins and then the pits are full of the most amazingly bright dyes. Not while we were there though.

'Ministry of Works' vehicle

Taxi ranks

Inside an ex-palace

Crushing argan nuts to make the oil

Tagines!

Though it was a struggle getting through an entire holiday with nothing alcoholic to drink, the local food and drink mostly made up for this. Oranges are a major crop, hence freshly-squeezed juice was readily available and delicious.  Apart from omelettes and couscous dishes, tagines seemed a staple of most restaurants. And not surprising is that food and drink is very cheap!

A quick bit of history: the original inhabitants - and still the majority - are the Berbers. They have their own language and customs. The Arabs, with their language and customs, arrived much later. These days they seem to mix more and inter-marry.  French is their common language, though many in the tourist areas seem to also speak English, German, Italian, and Spanish. Very multilingual.

At least one of these palms is fake!

Our next post will describe what we did for the rest of our time in Morocco, our “desert adventure” …

Birds of Prey

For Vicki’s birthday we picked up a deal for a three hour “Eagle Experience” at an establishment near Bedford, just north of London but a 2-hour drive from here, meandering through some lovely countryside.

The Birds of Prey Centre has a selection of birds from all over the world, from giant Scottish Sea Eagles, to American Bald Eagles, vultures, and numerous other eagles, hawks, falcons and owl.

Eagle Owl

Our first experience was to hold an Eagle Owl and it was here that we learned that the concept of a wise owl has no relation to reality – they have feathers between their ears too! But they are captivating, especially their eyes.  Every bird has a leash attached to a foot which you hold via a large leather glove. You don’t want the bird to catch sight of a passing pigeon and get distracted.

Our second experience was holding a bald eagle. Clearly they aren’t but at one time Bald meant White (not hairless) so the adult birds have white heads and tails.  This one's about four years old so still has some dark feathers on its head.

There was then a display of flying from various birds where you can see how big the larger birds really are and how fast the falcons move – no way could we photograph them successfully!!

Eagle flying

Our last session was flying a couple of the eagles. Here the audience were split into two groups 50 metres apart and one person would don the big leather glove with a choice of a head or foot of a cute (but very dead) chick. The birds would then fly between the two groups to feed themselves. We were told to face away from the bird so that when they landed on your arm it would just swing forward. If it arrived from the front with too much speed your arm could be swung backwards and dislocated! We found the birds not too heavy though.

We finished up with time to wander around the enclosures looking at all the captive owls and falcons and other birds. And then it was time to hop in the car and warm up (it was a cold, cold day) and face the M25/M4 motorway trip home.

We would both rate this experience as brilliant – up close and personal these birds are spectacular, if a little scary.

Somerset

Any way will be interesting

We’ve just come back from a long weekend exploring the lanes in Somerset with my sister and brother-in-law Gail and Janos. The motorways are a great means for getting to, or returning from, an area quickly (especially when you can sit on 70mph for hours on end) but are unpleasant and you miss so much of the countryside. And that is what this trip was about, exploring the numerous back lanes and villages.

Our first stop was a return to Frome (pronounced Froom and rhymes with groom). Its big attraction is several streets full of interesting independent shops, many of the women’s clothing variety (sigh).

Nunney castle and moat

We wandered off and happened across a typical little village in the middle of nowhere – Nunney. Not only did it have a “gastro-pub” (ancient on the outside, very modern and smartly decorated on the inside), it also had the remains of a castle surrounded by a little moat. Very picturesque. Of course it wasn’t a very successful castle as the Royalists took cover here but then came along Cromwell’s men with cannon. That was the end of that. So it was time to head to our hotel via some lonely farmland on the Mendips (large hills or small bumps depending on which country you originate from).

Somerset farmland

Mendip village

Dinos on the rampage

We spent two nights at Wookey Hole – just a hamlet really – but famous for its caves and the legend of the Witch of Wookey. The attraction of the location was that it was just outside our favourite small city – Wells. And that the hotel was dirt cheap good value! Sadly this great natural attraction was blighted by dinosaurs.

Our second day out was spent mostly in Glastonbury, a very mystical town famous for a lot of events:

• Joseph of Aramethea supposedly visited twice – once with the baby Jesus! – establishing an early Christian church, looking after the Holy Grail, and planting his staff into the ground which then sprouted into a thorn tree (which remained till four years ago when a vandal cut it down with a chainsaw, though cuttings were taken so there are other thorn trees still living). All these myths evolved during the middle ages, though the thorn trees clearly exist - strangely they flower twice a year – and a sprig is sent to the Queen who has it near her when she reads the Queen’s Speech each year.
• Glastonbury Tor is a hill rising out of a very flat plain that used to be underwater, hence it is the mystical Isle of Avalon associated with King Arthur.
• The Abbey was the biggest and richest in England and was a clear target for Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries when it was destroyed, with everything of value taken for the royal coffers. Much of the ruins were then nabbed by locals for building their houses, so it is surprising that the remains are still impressive.
• The monks in the Abbey, no doubt as a money-raising exercise, declared that the remains of Arthur and Guinevere had been found in the graveyard. They were re-interred in the Abbey and the pilgrims kept coming. It all disappeared after the Dissolution.

Four month old Poppy in a motorbike basket

Vicki bracing against the wind at the Tor

Glastonbury Tor

These days the highlights are: the walk up the Tor to the tower, all that remains of a 12^th C  church, with wonderful views given how flat the land is nearby; the Abbey remains which are still very impressive; the annual Glastonbury Festival,; and the New Age hippies. The town is full of hippies and shops selling crystals, alternative medicines, hippy, witchy and steam-punky clothing, and New Age books, ornaments, wands and other paraphernalia. Fascinating, but no doubt dreadful during the peak of the tourist season.

Glastonbury Abbey

The following day we drove home the slow way. Above Wells on the Mendips is a radio/TV mast. After half a day of driving around little lanes in the vague direction of home we could still see it! At long last another gastro-pub loomed in the middle of nowhere. Literally. But with views across the fields to the Wells TV mast and also to Downside Abbey and School. The Abbey is the home to the Benedictine Order of monks in the UK and the attached school is a very exclusive private school (called Public Schools here, presumably because anyone can go as long as you can afford the £9,700/term fees). It has wonderful old buildings and extensive grounds in a tiny village miles from anywhere (at least by the lanes that we took).

Lacock Abbey

A modern version of this 1835 original

Last stop before tearing back on the motorway was Lacock Abbey. A nunnery since medieval times, it is now being promoted as one of the homes of photography as this is where Henry Fox Talbot developed the negative process and created some of the earliest prints. Like many of these stately homes it has changed owners and purposes many times in its history so suffers a little from a personality crisis. And, like many estates that have been handed over to the National Trust, most of the furnishings have disappeared and the Trust has to buy in a selection of suitable (to a particular era) items to stock the place. Hence the interior is a mishmash of ancient abbey (the cloisters were used in Harry Potter), Victorian, and mid-19C alterations. But the best part is the attached village which is all historic and original – with buildings still lived in, but no TV aerials or the like in view as it is often filmed.

Lacock village

Lacock village

So the end of another break and a reminder that England is full of little surprises in odd corners.