Last days in Italy

Well it feels like for ever that we've been in Italy. After spending 4 nights in Venice, 4 nights in Florence, 6 nights in Rome and 3 nights in and around Naples it has all come to an end.

Tomorrow we farewell the land of the Romans and say hello to Greece. We've seen all the highlights that Italy has to offer from the major cities as mentioned before right down to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. The highlights for me would of been Florence and the Renaissance period and one of the most memorable things would be seeing the Colosseum glowing at sunset and then walking down the main road Via dei Fori Imperiali between the ruins of the Roman Forum.

Yesterday we spent the day basking in the sun of the Amalfi Coast hitting one of the best known spots Positano. After a walk, swim and of course a few photos we made our way to Sorrento for lunch.

For me Italy has been a little like what I expected but on a much bigger scale. The sights are amazing and majority of the people are relly friendly and welcoming. The food is good to but if I have to eat another pizza or pasta I'm going to go nuts.

Farewell from Italy and chat you soon from the land of the gods.

xx


Us in Positano.


Positano from the cliff tops.


Mel and her pegs at Pompei

A Roman Birthday

Well as many of you know it was my birthday a few days ago and I have now reached the ripe old age of 22. Ha ha just kidding I'm 27 but what's a couple of years between friends?

We left Florence in the morning and made our way to Pisa to check out the biggest architectural balls up the world has ever seen. And yes it does lean out quite a way, and yes we did the obligatory touristy "I'm holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa" shot. Marty and I have both taken up sketching lately so we sat down for a while and did some sketching before heading off to Roma!

We got there in the afternoon, checked into the hotel and made our way to dinner as the sun was setting over the Collosseum. Ahhh bellisimo! We found a little Italian restuarant (although I believe here they're just called restaurants) complete with red and white checked tablecloths. We had our fill of bread, salad, pasta and wine and it was a very merry birthday indeed! It's our last night here in Rome so we're thinking of finishing off with dinner at the same restaurant for old times sake.

The rest of our time has been great in Rome. I've been here before but it's still great to go and see things for the second time, but spend a bit longer exploring them. The Colloseum is still awesome, and the Pantheon is beautiful, I threw some coins into the Trevi Fountain (was too embarrassed to do that last time), explored the Roman Forum which was gorgeous, climbed down the Spanish steps and roamed around all the cobblestoned streets and piazzas. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's my favourite city in the world! And Marty's loving all the history and sights on offer too so that's a bonus!

Anyway we're off to the South of Italy tomorrow where we'll be exploring Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast and hopefully I can get to swim cause it's still bloody hot here!

Mel xxx


Mel looking at the leaning tower of Pisa


Marty at the Collosseum

Florence

Well this is my first time to Florence and Mel's second and I must say what a fantasic little spot in the world. I'm just amazed at the history, buildings, people and everything that is Florentine.

We've hit all the major sights in the last few days such as the Duomo, the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, Santa Croce, Michelangelo's Square and of course we sat for 45 minutes just staring at the David in the Accademia Museum.

The sights are endless and so to the stories. I think I can easily say I love Florence and it may just be creeping to the number one, best city ever spot

Ciao for now!

The fake David in the Piazza della Signoria.

Ponte Vecchio.

M & M de' Medici

We are now in Florence and this may just be the best city in the world. The history and people to come out of here is just amazing. The Medici, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Donatello, Botticelli & the list goes on.

We've only been here for a few hours but we have four nights which I'm sure are going to be action packed.

It's been a while since we've blogged so make sure to scroll down to the blog Vienna does it with style as we've updated you from there.

Talk soon

XX M&M

Venezia

WOW!

Venice is truly one of a kind. We arrived here a few days ago and it's everything you think it's going to be, plus more! As you walk out of the train station it just goes BAM!! There it is Venice. The waterways are crazy, boats are beeping, tourists are shopping, locals are yelling. WOW again. It's also about 34*C with now airflow whatsoever.

We're staying at a nunnery in Venice which is not to bad surprisingly. We're only a few steps from St Marks Square which is the most famous sight of Venice. I feel like we've seen so much already. The streets and alleyways in Venice are very, very small so the crowds of tourists are unbelievable. To get a few blocks can take you half an hour sometimes. But the good thing is that Venice is an island which means all the roads lead to the same spot (most of the time). So we've just been getting off the main allyways and we've found nothing but empty streets, Gondoliers singing as the drift down the canals, locals sitting in a park or leaning out their windows watching the world float by. All this makes for a much nicer Venice experience as you can imagine.

We also did a day trip over to Murano which is the home of glass blowing. After sneaking into a couple of live glass blowing shows it's amazing to watch these guys at work. Within seconds they can turn a red hot ball of glass in to a horse, a jar, a clock or even a total naked man with a raging friend. Amazing.

Venice probably isn't a city we could go back to unless it was for the Carnival or something. But saying that it's not a place you could ever miss. It's just once you seen it, you've seen it. One of the most relaxing times was just sitting in St Marks Square with a drink sketching the Church.

There's no place quite like it.

M&M

Rialto Bridge in Venice.

Marty sketches in St Marks Square.

Gondolas on the waterfront.

Lucern & Interlaken

We are now in Lucern which once again is Beautiful. Lucern is apparently the spot that Switzerland was founded. Three tribes from back in the day came together here and said "let's be friends", and they were.

I'm sure every town in Europe has an old town and Lucern is no exception. There is an old wooden bridge that runs accross the lake but my favourite bridge was the less touristy "Death Bridge" a little further down stream. The paintings are called the "Dance of Death" and they are about a skeleton urging everybody to dance with him. Go figure but it's interesting.

We also went to Interlaken for the day which was one of Mel's fav's. To get to the small town you have to take the train though one of the most scenic areas in Switzerland. The train winds it's way over and through the mountains and gives you breath taking vistas at every turn. Then you arrive at Interlaken and it's heaven as well. Set in the middle of a lush green valley with not one, but two blue lakes on either side. It's no wonder that this is the backpacker capital of Switzerland.

Switzerland is the most stunning, clean, breath taking country we've been to so far.

Now we are off to Italy. Can't wait.

Mel on the way to Interlaken.

The beautiful lakes of Interlaken.

Marty finds his very own castle in Interlaken.

Matter Who? Matterhorn!

The number one thing I wanted to see in Switzerland was the Matterhorn. But during the planning stages of our trip it just seemed too hard to get to so we decided maybe next time. But I'm pleased to say.... we've seen the Matterhorn!

Switzerland is small and it only takes about 3 hours to get across the whole country. At first it looked like we would have to change trains six times on the entire trip but after asking our friendly Train Information Man we found a way to do it in one.

Upon arriving in Zermatt (the town closest to the Matterhorn) we took a short wander through the town before coming upon the impressive mountain I think I've ever seen. She's a beauty! It's not really that big and in fact there is one bigger just down the road but it's the sleek, slender lines that makes her a must see in Switzerland. We did a nice hike through the Swiss countryside and had a lovely picnic gazing at the mountain and I now feel like I can truly tick this country off with what we have seen and what we will see. A great day was had.

We also stopped in Bern on the way home. It is after all the country's capital. But to be honest the city felt a little disorganised. They are doing their part lowering their carbon footprint & all that jazz with the electric trams but the cables look horrible. Beside the blue, blue river that runs through it, it seems the only attraction is the millions of small fountains around the town and the Glockenspiel that only spins the head of it's eagle while letting off chicken noises.

Matterhorns a go go, but Bern you could take or leave.


The stunning Mel with Matterhorn in the background.

The Banking Capital

Well if your're not sure where we are by the name of this blog then you would be normal... I think. We are of course in Zurich, Switzerland.

Now Switzerland has been on my European must do list for some time now. But I could probably never tell you which city I wanted to see and why. The only thing I ever wanted to see in Switzerland was the Matterhorn (like the ride in Disneyland, only bigger). But as far as towns the options were pretty well up in the air. But I am pleased to say Zurich is beautiful.

The trip from Salzburg was a long 6 hour journey by train but as soon as you hit the Swiss border the mountains go straight up on the little neutral part of the world. The train journey is one of the most scenic train trips we've had since Canada. It all looks a little bit the same as Canada but I think it's even more dramatic. The blue, blue water sits at the bottom followed by some thick woodland as you move up. The middle section breaks in to the greenest pastures with little houses dotting the most inaccesible places. The tops of the mountains then break into jaggered rock of even snowy caps (in summer). Capital B eautiful!

Zurich is a nice little spot situated on the banks of a stunning lake. It has an old town with the main attraction being the biggest clockface in Europe. It's quite small for a major city with no high rises anywhere. After the stunning vistas theres probably not that much but we're glad to be here.

The banking capital of the world.

Mozart's Sound of Music

Salzburg fair Salzburg. What a pretty little place in the world, not to mention the home to the "Sound Of Music".

There isn't that much to do in Salzburg if you're not a fan of the Sound Of Music or Mozart but we found it a nice spot to just kick back. It has a beautiful, if not small "Old Town" which probably takes about 2 hours to get around because of the hoards of tourits. But every corner you go around is an even more picture perfect photo than the last. After wandering for a bit we decided to try a bit of culture Dahhhling. We bought tickets to an open air Mozart concert. Or at least to 10 guys who were going to rip off his music.

We got all dressed up in our respectable gear (jeans and a long sleeve shirt) before readying ourselves for the 2 kilometre walk up the huge hill to the castle where we would be entertained. Now it's important to note here that if you are going to walk up a hill to a castle for any type of concert or shindig do not wear long pants on a 28 degree evening. After making it to the top we took our sweat soaked seats to listen right in the middle of the well lit castle. The band... or sorry Orchestera (cultured) then came out and began to play. As we began tapping our feet, rain began to fall. The band then stood up and ran off the stage quicker than Julie Andrews falling off a steep cliff. We sat for a while not knowing what was happening. All the crowed just stood there. What do we do? After about 20 minutes of confusion we were all herded into the castle in a small castle chapel. The band that came out again and did their thing. All in all it was a taste of the highlife with the whole show running for 2.5 hours. Just divine dahhhling!

Maybe I could handle Mozart on a Sunday afternoon at home. You never know.

xx

Mozart open air concert before it turned to an indoor air concert.

The hills really were alive with the Sound Of Music.

Vienna does it with style

We arrived into Vienna not really knowing what to expect. Of course we knew there would be rolling hills, palaces and statues everywhere but what else would there be.

We arrived in from Bratislava to be greeted but sunny blue skies. In fact it was one of the best days we had for some time up until this point. After strolling along the Viennese equivalent of Rodeo Drive we hit Palace city. Let me tell you, the Hapsburgs knew how to build a palace. The Hofburg is Impressive. It not only has grand balconies held up by Corinthian columns & statues in every arch, it was built on such a grandiose scale that the only way they could finish it off of course was to deck the roof out with some huge bronze statues and a double headed gold eagle (as you do). The Hofburg was not only impressive from the outside but on the inside they have an audio tour so good that Mel and I were happy looking at the royal cutlery for four hours.

Actually it wasn't just cutlery, we did get sucked into reading about the muched loved Queen Elizabeth of Bavaria. She apparently was a lovely girl if you ignore the fact that she was a Crack addict who hated her children, was obsessive compulsive about her weight which she instilled on her children, hated her husband and all this was before the age of 21. Now they have statues all over the country for her.

Another sight that we were more than impressed with was the Schloss Schonbrunn. This is the summer palace for the Habsburgs which for some reason is just down the road from the winter palace. But it's not the palace that's the attraction. This place is home to some of the most amazing gardens we've seen in Europe. Waterfalls, fountains, flowers, a maze, lakes, hedges, horse trails, hills and the list goes on. Impressive.

The Hofburg, what a palace.

The gardens of the Schloss Schonbrunn.

Europe with a side of Slovakia

We had no idea what to expect upon our arrival in Slovakia but I'm pleased to say it was a total success. Bratislava turned out to be a beautiful little town and maybe, a highlight so far (maybe).

There aren't that many sights to see but we did manage to check out the huge castle that overlooks the city, as well as simply wandering the cobblestoned streets of the old town which is possibly home to one of the loveliest squares I've seen in Europe so far. The food was also a bit of a surprise as well. Who would of thought Slovakia would serve up fantastic pasta accompanied with tasty tasty beer.

I don't know if we would recommend any more than a one night stopover but it's definately worth a visit if you have the time.

(We also put some photos on our earlier blogs below)


The old town with Bratislava Castle up on the hill.


Bratislava Castle


Old Town in the front, New town in the back.


Main Square (Old Town) by night.

Oh my god we've missed the train !!

Well after a last minute decission to switch a night in Munich for a night in Bratislava, I must say it paid off. First of all if your not sure where Bratislava is, it's in Slovakia. If you don't know exactly where Slovakia is, then your about the same as Mel & I two days ago.

The trip started with the usual train ride. This time our first train was going from Munich to Vienna. All was going well on the trip until 30 minutes before scheduled arrival. All of a sudden an annoucement is made over the load speaker saying we are running 14 minutes late so we will arive into munich later than expected. Normally this would not be a problem except that our next train was 16 minutes after the scheduled time of arrival which gave us 2 minutes to run from one platform to the next which normally takes 10 minutes acording to the itinerary we had.

So 19 minutes goes past before we pull up in the station. We run off the train and look for the underground which maybe, just maybe would get us to the next train station to catch the already departed train. After running up and down platforms and stairs, we managed to find an underground that would take us to another station where we would have to change one more time to possibly catch the first train we wanted.

After getting off our third train we managed to make it to our scheduled train with 2 minutes to spare.

Ahh train travel it's so relaxing


Mel has a relaxing drink after the train epic!

Munchen on Slovakia

Hey there kids. After spending 3 days in Munich in the blissful 10 degree rain, we've decided to head to Bratislava in Slovakia to see what that's all about. I hear you asking, "Why?". Because that's how we roll.

We'll let you know more if we make it out alive.


Mel slams another one down at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich

Time's up

Well Berlin is all but done. It's our last night and we're stuck down in the basement doing our laundry.

Yesterday we went out to Sachsenhausen Nazi & Soviet Concentration Camp located 35 kilometers north of Berlin. I'm not sure what I was expecting to see or experience but it didn't hold the shock factor that I expected, even though it detailed all the horrible horrible things that went on within the walls. I guess you know what to expect when you go to a place like this. We saw the work fields, living quarters, execution trench and the mass graves but there weren't that many photos to take your imagination into a place like that. Not surprisingly I guess considering it was a concentration camp and not a fashion parade. Still I would say it's well worth a visit if you come here. We did do the audio guide which was good but I think it may of had too much information. We had only planned to spend 2 hours here but ended up being there for 5.

After having a few drinks last night we decided to have a bit of a sleep in today forgetting that we still had a few sights to see, but hey... we're on holidays. We really only saw a couple of things today but it wasn't because of the sleep in. It's because there is so much history at each spot that you will end up spending 3 hours at what looks like a plain old building but before too long you find out that this building is the reason Hitler rose to power. But that is another blog.

We're off to Munich tomorrow so we'll chat you from there.

So long.


The Jewish Memorial in Berlin.


Marty in front of the Reichstag where Hitler siezed power.

Berlin is the Shizen

Guttentag Schnitzelgroovers we're in Berlin and we're loving it. There is so much history here and who thought learning could be fun!!! We did a free tour of the city today and there's just so many things that have happened here that are intertwined with other importnant events in history, it's just mind boggling.

We only walked about 4 blocks over about 4 hours and during that time we took in the Reichstagg, Hitler's bunker where he committed suicide at the end of WWII, Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin Wall, one of the last remaining Nazi buildings (now the tax office), Berliner Dom, Humboldt University and library where the book burning occurred and also where Albert Einstein studied. But most importantly we saw the hotel where Michael Jackson dangled his baby over the railing a few years back.

All in all we're loving Berlin. Depending on weather we're going to see a Nazi Concentration Camp tomorrow.

Later


Marty at the Berlin Wall


The Red Amplemann wears his hat with pride

Koln (Cologne)

We'll after spending three nights in Cologne we have left and headed to the big smoke that is Berlin. Cologne was a nice little town on the bank of the river Rhine with coblestone streets, gingerbread houses and home to Germany biggest cathedral,The Dom.

We arrived in on the Friday and to our surprise we weren't the only ones making our way to this small town. Unbeknownst to us at the time of booking was that this weekend was also the Cologne "GAY PRIDE PARADE". That's right! We have seen enough tight t-shirts, leather chaps, men in skirts, fishnets and penis's to last us the rest of our life. I understand the Gay Pride part of the parade as it's written on all the signs, "Gay Pride Parade". But does that mean you should be a proud man if you wear your girlfriends best leather mini skirt along with her 6 inch heels and halter top? (Not that theres anything wrong with that).

On a different note our whole reason of coming to Cologne was to go on one of the many Rhine River Cruises. Which I'm glad to say we did. After getting up at the crack of dawn we caught the train down to the small town of Koblenz where our boat would depart. Taking us down the river was the Grand Old Dame Paddlesteamer Goethe. She was a lovely boat!

After taking a nice leasurily walk along the shore we boarded our boat with 15 minutes to spare. As we grabbed our seats on the front of the boat it was then that I realized I left my sunglasses 700 meters down stream. Now I must say that I'm a little dissapointed with my Fitness World membership as the three sessions I did, did not prepare me for a 1.4 kilometer run in 10 minutes. But the good news is I have my glasses.

The cruise itself was amazing. Something worth doing! The boat just snakes it's way down the Rhine Valley past Wine Fields, lush mountains, small towns and dozens of castles. We finished our trip at the small town of St Goar which is home to the biggest and best castle on the Rhine, Berg Reinfels.

The cruise was defininately the best part of Cologne followed closely by the man in a bright red parrot suit with fake breast exposed felling really "Proud".

We'll post some photo's as soon as we find an internet that will allow us.

Bye Bye.

St. Goar on the Rhine River Cruise


Having a gay old time at the Gay Pride Parade

Mont St Michel

Well it was a quite a day trip from our small town of Caen but we made it to one of the highlights of France, Mont St Michel.

Mont St Michel is a 1000 year old castle/church/prison sitting on a small island about 100 metres off the coast. We got up at 6.00am and caught the early morning train. Mont St Michel get's about 3000 visitors a day but for some reason this is the only train departure. Access to the Mont is by the small town of Pontorson where we planned to walk around for a bit, but upon arrival we found out that there is only one main street and nothing else to see. Better yet the only train back to Caen didn't leave until 5.50pm so we had 9 hours to explore the Mont.

The shops around the base of the island use to be a small medina in medival times, but they're now home to tacky tourist shops where you can by everything from a $7 Mont St Michel pencil right up to a full dinnner set complete with Mont St Michel place mats.

Today we're just taking in Caen's medieval churches, castle and small winding streets. Caen is a beautiful little town that makes for a great base to all the Normandy highlights. Its also has quite a bit of history with the occupation by Germany troops and the liberation of France by the US, Canadian and French armies during the war. Surprisingly enough though, Caen does not make any of the guide books therefore the tourist numbers are really low. The only thing that has taken some getting use to is all the shops, sights and restaurants closing at 8.00pm. But this is a nice change which has made for some relaxing early evenings.

Mont St Michel was one of our highlights of France and something I would recommend in a second. Tomorrow we head back to Paris to catch our train to Cologne to begin our German section of this trip (not to mention all we can eat sausages).

Bye for now.

Mel is well excited to be at Mont St Michel


One of the many churchs of Caen.

Un jour laissé à Paris

Well if you can figure out the title you are doing exceptionally well.

As quick as it comes... it goes. We have all but finished our stay in the city of love. We've seen all the sights, soaked up the vibe & strolled the coblestoned streets of love for our last time (at least on this trip anyway). Tomorrow morning we are off to Caen as we start our free Eurail journey that we won so many months ago.

Paris is a city of so many sights. Every corner you turn around there is something even more spectacular or more historic then the last. I feel as though you could spend weeks here & barely scratch the surface. I must say though it's a hell of a lot more expensive than I thought it would of been, even after coming from London which was third world prices compared to Paris.

This blog is just short & sweet. We are having a ball, once in a lifetime stuff I'm sure. Can't wait to see what happens next.

M & M

Ooo La la

Well we left Morocco 4 days ago & are now in the city of lurvvve, Paris. Oh how nice it is to be back in a western civilisation. We still can't make out the street signs or food menu's but who cares.

As this is my first time in Gay Paree I can't help but feel a little more cultured. We've checked out the light & shade of the Renaissance paintings, not to mention the fantastic brush strokes of Da Vinci, strolled along the Champs Elysses and the Seine, ogled the hunchback at Notre Dame (or he could've been some homeless guy, we're not sure).

We've gt a couple more nights here before we storm the beaches of Normandy and journey to Mont St Michelle, so for now au revoir!

With love from the city of love xxx

Fes

Well it's our last day in Fes and therefore our time in Morocoo has come to an end. We had anticipated Fez being a shit fight like Marrakech but were pleased to find that it's a lot more relaxed here. Marrakech seemed to be driven by tourism whereas Fez is more of local people just doing their everyday thing. There's only two main streets and then all the little souks go off the side streets and once you get in there it's impossible to find your way out again. All part of the fun! My highlight would've been seeing the camel head hanging in the butcher shop......mmmmm........nothing like a good piece of camel head for dinner!

We hired a local guide yesterday who took us on a tour of Fez and we checked out some local sights like the palace and tanneries and went exploring through the medina. He was a crazy man called Missouri who had the craziest laugh you've ever heard and would lean back so far when he laughed it looked like he was about to fall over, while holding his belly and crying "That is un-be-lievable!" He was entertainment himself! Funny stuff but maybe you had to be there. He's coming to drive us to the airport tomorrow as we are off to Paris and western civilization...viva le France!

Here's lookin at you Casa

Well most people we have spoken to said don't go to Casablanca, it's horrible. But we kind of wanted to go there just based on the fame Bogart brought to it & obviously to see it for ourselves.

After catching the CTM bus up the coast for 7 hours, we finally arrived into Casablanca. From here we decided to walk to our hotel, Hotel Central. Our map said it was just down the road near the Medina so we thought we'd walk as it would be quicker than arguing over the price of a taxi. As we rounded the final corner of the Medina our hotel came into sight. Hmmm.... that's nice I think??? Our hotel stood at the end of a small park looking over all the other buildings. It looked exceptionally old & in need of a restoration but we figured we should see inside before making any comments.

We were greated by the Hotel manager with a one arm grab & a Harlem lean. After giving us our keys we made for the top floor to check it out. Not too bad. It was old & smelt like mothballs but it was better than it looked from the outside. It was basically as good as any of the other hostels we had stayed in. Best of all we had a TV to catch up on what was happening in the rest of the world.

That night we went to bed with a large gathering of drunk people 3 stories below us on the street. We just decided to close our doors & try to get some sleep. At about 2.00am we were woke by chairs & tables being dragged along the floor which just happened to be our roof. The drunk tour group decided to move from the street & sit on the roof. This went on until 4.45am which is about the time we figured we were changing hotels the next day. Shortly after the call to prayer started up at the mosque which sounded like it was just next door. This went on for about 10 minutes and seemed to remind thr drunkards that it was time for bed so we managed to get a couple of hours sleep before hotstepping it out of their a 9am the next morning.

After lmited sleep we head down the road with all our stuff & checked in to the Hotel Ibis which was only a three star but completly new & plush. Best of all the rooms were soundproof. At only 650 Dirhims there was nothing stopping us. Today was new day! We showered in our new lovely room & got ready for a day of sight seeing. We picked up some breakfast/lunch at 1.00pm & then headed for the Mosque of Hassan II.

The mosque can be seen from all over Casablanca & is the 3rd biggest in the world behind a mosque in Mecca & Medina. It's also the only mosque in the world to have a lift to the top of the 200 meter minaret. But the bling did come at a cost for the King, approximatley 800 million was spent which includes the retractable roof. . They took us inside the prayer hall, abolution rooms & through the Hammam pools which is not part of the mosque but a social gathering area for Muslims & Non-Muslims to meet.

After several hours walking around the Mosque we decided to call it an end to a good day & head back to our luxiourious hotel. But before we could get back to our hotel we walked through quite a few slum areas where one small boy of about 6 thought it would be a good idea to flash & wave his penis about before throwing rocks. If he was ours we would of flogged him but really what do you do in a Muslim country?

Where is the love Kech. Essaouira's how we roll.

Well as most of you know we are now in Essaouira & loving it. This is by far a better place than Marrakech was or probably will ever be. We both like Marrakech but it is a city of constant hassle. On our arrival day we were greeted by a man in the street who wanted to take us to our hotel. We declined as we obviously aren't first time travellers & know this means he wants us to pay him money or he many get a cut of the commission for bringing us to the hotel. After telling him we didn't want his helped the conversation ended very quickly with him yelling a very stern "Fuck You!!!" Welcome to Marrakech huh?

This didn't really bother us as we know the worst time in any new city is finding your way from the airport to the hotel. But during our stay in Marrakech we have been hassled, prodded, poked, cussed at, blocked, ripped off & even been flipped the bird by a passer by. Magical Marrakech? Magical if you like it perhaps?

I must say we don't hate it entirely. It does have a cool feeling to the city which feels almost mystical. Our bus ride into the city was on that set our imaginations wild. The sun was setting a fiery red as camel & nomadic dressed men darted across the road in front of our bus. We quite enjoyed the Medina & loved our Riad & host. But I feel as though 6 days in Marrakech is far to many, even if you break it up with 3 days in the desert like we did.

As soon as we left Marrakech we have found the people to be more than lovely & have not been hassled at all. The 3 days in the Sahara were amazing & our stay in Essaouira has been fantastic. We have not been hassled or cussed at once since leaving & the people almost seem to not notice you as they go on about there every day life. Essaouira is a small white washed village on the west coast of Morocco & it should be a must on every itinerary. The food is a lot cheaper than Marrakech which is a nice change. In Marrakech the food & shopping is equivalent to Australian prices. A meal there will cost you approx $15 & it's nothing to write home about. The menu's basically consist of three things. Couscous, Kebab's or Tajine (which is like a chicken or beef stew).

Essaouira has definitely restored our faith in Morocco & it's people & we now look forward to the rest of the trip.

Sahara Desert Expedition

We just got back from our three day epic journey to the Sahara Desert. Before we left the number one thing I was looking forward to seeing in Morocco was Ait Benhaddou, which was stop number one.

Day 1:
We left Marrakech at 8.00am & drove through the flat landscape until we hit the aptly named "High Atlas Mountains". The Mountain landscape changes quite a bit as you travel further east. From green tree covered cliffs to nothing but brown rocks.

Our first stop Ait Benhaddou was about 4 hours down the road. It's was at this point that we realised the temp was just pushing 40*C & our van had no air conditioning. After a few stops we arrived at a small village here our driver turned around & said Ait Benhaddou, Ait Benhaddou pointing down a small winding path. As we walked along under the belting sun we rounded the last bend to see Ait Benhaddou. It was pretty impressive but not as much as I though it would of been. Air Benhaddou is a World Heritage Listed mud brick city. I guess the reason it wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be was cause most of the houses in Marrakech & on the drive to Ait Benhaddou are mud brick so you see a lot of them. It was still worth the visit though as the buildings are quite a bit bigger then other ones you see.

That night was spent at a little chateau in the middle of a valley over looking a little stream & huge vertical red rock mountains.

Day 2:
After getting up early we made our way to a small village where we visited a local Berber man's home to look at the process of Moroccan rug making. As soon as we checked out the fields & the village we made our way to Todra Gorge for lunch. We sat here for a while eating more Brochettes for lunch before starting our final 4 hour drive to the Sahara Desert. Today was worse than the day before. We were at about 45*C with no Air Con & now the sun was belting down on us the whole way to the Desert.

The landscape once again was barren & now completely flat, which was a bit of a surprise considering we were on our way to ride camels through the highest sand dunes in Morocco. After a few more hours it was still all flat but then all of a sudden there they were. The highest dunes in Morocco just went straight up out of no where. After meeting the local Bedouins we mounted our camels for the 1.5 hour journey into the dunes & to our camp site. Halfway through the ride the sun began to set which made the dunes turn a brilliant red colour. The sand is actually red anyway but the sunset just made the even more so.

After settling into our camp, we both made our way for the biggest sand dune around. It took us at least 30 minutes & several rest stops to climb big bertha but once we got there, the view was more than worth the effort. That night we ate Tagine chicken with vegetables which was sensational. Our hosts then played some traditional bongo music for us before we decided to call it a night, sleeping on the dunes in the open with nothing but the moon, stars & sand dunes around us. Amazing!

Day 3:
The next morning we rode our camels back though the dunes at sunrise for an equally breathing taking experience before jumping back into our van for the long 12 hour journey back to Marrakech.

This experience was well worth the long, long, no air con, sun soaked drive. And I can definitely say we would do it all again in a second. I thought Ait Benhaddou was going to be the highlight of this three day epic trip but I think it was easily over shadowed but the Sahara Desert Camel trek.

We leave for Essouira on the coast tomorrow so...... so long from Marrakech.

Ait Benhaddou

The red dunes of the Sahara Desert & our home for 1 night

Sunrise in the Sahara from the back of a camel.

Our Bedouin guide in the Sahara Desert with a sand fish.

Our Moroccan Adventure Continues

Well we've seen most of what Marrakech has to offer. For a third world African nation it is a lot more expensive then we thought it would be. Sure the locals all try to jack up the price for every westerner that comes through & of course you have to barter like Asian but it's still expensive. We pay pretty well the same prices as we would for most things back home. Food in restaurants are similiar price, camera equipment & drinks are also jacked up. But I guess it's all part of the experience. Luckily for us though we have budgeted excess so we still aren't spending anything more then we would of liked.

Tomorrow we are off on a 2 night, 3 day camel trek. We stop at about 10 different spots along the way but the highlight for us will probably be seeing Ait Benhaddou. We also sleep under the stars for one of the nights so it should be quite the Moroccan, desert adventure.

So long for now & we'll speak to you upon our return, hopefully with no saddle sores.

Feeling the heat in Marrakech

Well we've arrived in Marrakech Morocco & oh boy is it hot. The heat here is about 32 degrees & climbing. We've only been here a few days but have settled in to the madness quite well.

Upon arriving in to Marrakech we tried to get a taxi to our hotel but like most third world countries they wanted to charge us triple the price so we just jumped on the first bus that pulled up even though we weren't to sure if it was going the right direction. Half hour later we pulled into a big medina looking area & we assumed this was close. So we jumped off. It took a little while to find our way as everyone speaks French & not much English at all. But after being hasseled & given dodgy directions we finally found our hotel at about 9.30pm. That night we went down to Jemma El Fna ( the main square in town) & sat a food stand for about 1.5 hours just watching & eating our surprisingly tasty meal.

Yesterday we just went for a walk out to the city walls, saw a few mosque's & got lost for a few hours in the winding back streets of the medina. Sunset is probably my favourite time here as the sky goes a brilliant red colour lighting up the red & pink walls of the old city.

Today we're off to a few tombs, the old palace & maybe try to find the smelly tanneries.

Take care

M&M (loving you from Morocco)