Author: admin (Page 16 of 31)

Taroudant

Pony trap 16.11.19

We have a gentle day today. A trip into the town centre using a little trap and ponies. It is very warm today with clear skies and I think we were applying a lot of sun cream for protection.

Market colour 16.11.19

The local market is very colourful with the piles of spices dominating.

Doors and Arches 16.11.19

Judging by my photographs I was quite taken by the variety of archways and doors which abound around the town – these look quite substantial.

Hotel and wife 16.11.19

Ans as we are on travels with my wife she has deigned to appear in front of the lens outside the hotel entrance. Plus another archway!

Atlas Mountains

Fortress 15.11.19

Our route today is up and then down as we cross over the Atlas Mountains. At this time of year the snow has gone and we are high up.

We have a very basic lunch at a small place high in the hills, where precisely I do not know. There are not many stopping places along the route.

Atlas Mountains 15.11.19

The route has numerous twists and turns – not always easy to photograph as we travel along and we also suffered some heavy cloud at one point, so I appear to be missing the classic shot and this is about the best I can find.

Snaking Road 15.11.19

Our destination is Taroudant – specifically Hotel Dar Zitoune Taroudant – which we specifically recall as a very welcome and restful place with an attractive pool. We are here for a couple of nights before we move on again.

Morocco 14.11.19

15 November 2019 / admin

Trek

Atlas Mountains 14.11.19

For some today would be an absolute highlight with a trek through a part of the Atlas Mountains. At the time I think it was a chance to see something different but in retrospect I am not sure it quite lived up to the billing.

The initial departure from the hotel was steep and rightly Jackie took the view that it was going to be too hard and she would return to the hotel for a quiet day.

Narrow Walkway 14.11.19

This walkway was probably the most difficult point – it looks wider in the photo than I remember but there was an alternative route through a stream which one or two of our number preferred.

Waterfall 14.11.19

At this time of year the waterfall is not particularly strong – so the route is fairly easy.

Zig Zag path 14.11.19

Our route through the hills has gentler slopes than when we commenced – because it zigs and zags a lot!

Having reached another settlement above Dar Imlil we can look down on it and after a light lunch we descend back to the hotel where they had found Jackie some lunch as well so all is well.

Morocco 13.11.19

14 November 2019 / admin

Heading South

Carpet Showroom 13.11.19

We leave Marrakech behind this morning and we head in a generally southerly direction to visit a typical local village and a carpet shop, sadly none of them seem to fly. We are heading towards the Atlas Mountains but we meander off the main route for a lunch stop in the Ourika Valley which was pleasant.

Rickety Bridge 13.11.19

Somewhat pleased that we do not have to cross over that bridge as part of our journey today.

Later we return to the main road (N7) though the mountains to our lodging for the next couple of nights, already highish up the mountains. We leave the main highway again for our hotel which is in or near Dar Imlil.

Bed 13.11.19

I have a feeling dinner tonight was a tajine, indeed I think it was a tajine most nights of the holiday.

Morocco 12.11.19

13 November 2019 / admin

Marrakech – Jardin Majorelle

Monument 12.11.19

We have another day in Marrakech before we head to the Atlas Mountains and something we had not seen on our earlier visits to Marrakech was Jardin Majorelle – originally created by a French painter Jacques Majorelle in 1922 but acquired and extended by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé from 1980.

Fish 12.11.19

It covers a huge area and many diverse plants have been brought here – there are large numbers of different types of cacti; a large fish pond with humungous fish (in a shady area) plus much else.

Cacti 12.11.19

I find I have many many photos of the different types of cacti – but I feel they soon become boring.

Villa 12.11.19

The villa was within this area which must have provided a wonderful haven from the outside world. There is also a small museum

Another cacti 12.11.19

We then return towards the city centre to take a late lunch at La Mamounia – a famous hotel where Churchill stayed and it was welcome to see the inside and the gardens of this magnificent location.

This is our last full day in Marrakech and despite being our third visit on both days we have seen sights which we were not able to manage previously justifying the repeat visits (although to be fair the first time we came we were both unwell which limited opportunities).

Morocco 11.11.19

12 November 2019 / admin

Saadian Tombs 11.11.19

Marrakech

The entire group of 11 gather steadily for breakfast; I am pleased to note that it is not all as sweet as on our last stay in a riad so I can live a little longer.

Our excursion today is a walking tour of Marrakech to see the sights we have not seen on our previous visits, which was a key element of booking this trip. One feature I did not recall from our earlier journeys are the storks nesting at high level around the city.

Our first stop is the Saadian Tombs which were the burial location of the sultans of Marrakech from 1570 onwards until around the end of the eighteenth century. Thereafter they were disused and abandoned being “rediscovered” in 1917 under the French Protectorate then receiving care and attention and this has continued providing the sight we can see.

Badii Palace 11.11.19

We then move onto the Badii Palace and here evidence of the storks at high level can be seen. It was commissioned in 1578 by the new ruler and following his death in 1603 it was neglected with the marble being stripped and re-used elsewhere.

Bahia Palace 11.11.19

We move onto the Bahia Palace which was built much later commencing in around 1860 and is lavishly decorated reaching completion around 1900. Although the contents were looted by subsequent rulers the building has been used consistently until it became a tourist attraction.

Lunch stop on the edge of the souk market – this is a surprise as it is not included in the published itinerary for today but ensures the group do not disperse before the tour continues with a walk through the market, certainly seeing parts which we did not see previously although again I am sure we only see a small part of the total.

Souk 11.11.19

I wonder how anyone ever chooses anything! We walk through the main square then go along the route to the riad used previously to reach our transport back to our riad.

We walk from the drop off point and as we turn the corner we can see that they are treating the faded woodwork of our window. Once in our room the varnish smell is overpowering! We open window and doors to the internal courtyard to maximise ventilation, to no great effect. As we are out for dinner we hope the impact will diminish whilst we are out

Dinner is taken at the main Angsana Road and the area we see is much better than our own riad. Dinner is a tagine as indeed was lunch. A template is developing!

We return to our Riad and formally complain about the odour, but all they can suggest is relocating across town which will be disruptive in the extreme tomorrow. Reluctantly we stay put, but the fumes certainly impact on our throats.

Morocco 10.11.19

11 November 2019 / admin

Morocco Bound

Like Webster’s dictionary as the joke goes. Our trip to Morocco commenced on Remembrance Sunday and Gatwick South Terminal came to an almost silent two minutes just as we approached the security gates. The silence was respected. The previous day there had been an observance at Southampton football ground but it was not silent as the Last Post was played but it kept the crowd largely quiet.

We are flying BA and knowing that Marrakech can be difficult in the evening we buy sandwiches and wine at the airport as well as lunching at the Grain Store which has a Bruno Loubet menu.

This is our third trip to Marrakech – however this time we are with an organised group holiday with the intention to see much more of the country than we have managed previously.

The flight arrives a little early and Jackie gets a decent wodge of Dirhams at an exchange 12 to the pound. We walk all the way out of the terminal and find our guide Rashid; the remaining party members slowly gather and then we are taken to the Angsana Riad which is deep in the old town.

We did attempt to stay in a Riad on a previous visit but did not feel comfortable and ended up spending most of the stay at Essadi where we had stayed previously. The riad this time has running hot water and so is likely to be more acceptable. We have one of the front rooms, so have windows over a little square whilst most do not have windows at the back of the Riad.

Leeds & Emmerdale 11-14 October 2019

20 October 2019 / admin

Emmerdale village 13.10.19

This was essentially a weekend trip to enable us to sample Leeds but in some ways more importantly to visit the locations where Emmerdale is made.

There are two Emmerdale locations. The internal sets are at the ITV Studios base in Leeds whilst the external shots are made on a purpose built set in the countryside. Our original plan was to visit the outside set on the Saturday and to visit the internal studio on the Sunday before heading back home. However not very long before we plan to set off we are contacted to be advised that the external location would not be available on Saturday. Panic!

The team in Leeds were very understanding. The Inside studio tour was rebooked to the Saturday and after some discussion it was agreed that we could drive ourselves into the external studio – normally you have to join a coach and be taken into the site so to be allowed to take our own car in was very understanding. Instructions were given and they took the registration number of the car and hopefully it will all work!

Apartment 1 Mill Cottage 12.10.19

At the time of our visit Apartment 1 at Mill Cottage was occupied by Aaron Dingle and Robert Sugden and inevitably the magic of television is to imply those stairs lead “somewhere” when we can all see that they go nowhere – so well done to those going upstairs! I have never worked out why they filled the space at the bottom of the stairs with half of a moped!

Hot Set Emmerdale 12.10.19

As with the Coronation Street tour we have visited previously we are led round by experienced guides with a pretty fixed script – but there are no restrictions or limitations on photographs on the sets that we see – and indeed in at least one case there is an explanation that the items visible reflect recent filming – a “Hot Set” where the items have been laid out for breakfast in the kitchen at Jimmy and Nicola’s house which is in the process of being filmed.

Jackie and David 12.10.19

The tour ends up at the props store where Jackie is able to get up close and personal with David – at least in picture form.

Dinner (and I liked it) was taken at Home in Leeds but the restaurant has since closed. The chef responsible, Liz Cottam, has since opened a gastrobar, emba, which may well be worth visiting.

Xmas at Emmerdale 13.10.19

On the Sunday on arrival in the village (we parked where the cast and filming team park normally adjacent to what was the factory and is now The Hop) and having walked down the hill we discover the reason for closure on Saturday – Christmas has come to the Dales with decorations everywhere.

Smithy Cottage Emmerdale 13.10.19

Some of the sets are dressed internally – Smithy Cottage adjacent to the vet’s practice in particular is very full furnished but the set is not identical to that seen yesterday as the layout of books on the shelves is different – I did check! A lot of the individual cottages house other resources for filming – rest areas and storage for equipment and so cannot be seen – this is one of the exceptions.

Emmerdale Graveyard 13.10.19

The tour does not quite conclude here – but it is the final resting place of a number of village residents who have finished their involvement in the Dales village.

Our visit complete we head for home.

Rhine 5.8.19

6 August 2019 / admin

TGV Belfort-Montbeliarde 5.8.19

We are moored in Basel and we have received disembarkation instructions. Given that we physically set foot on Swiss land as we leave the boat I can claim to have visited the country! (On one of my earlier “visits” we landed at the airport but immediately departed via the “French” side). We are transported by taxi across the border to Belfort-Montbeliarde from where we take a TGV service to Paris – eventually arriving in Paris at Gare de Lyon.

A taxi is needed to reach Gare du Nord – simply because with cases and changing trains is just not that simple. As ever with Eurostar things do not seem to be running smoothly and the passenger area becomes seriously crowded and there is very little information as to what is happening. Every interaction with Eurostar seems to demonstrate a complete inability to want passengers or to provide a proper service. Compared with my first visit to France at least we do not seem to be endlessly crossing northern France. Eventually however we are home.

One aspect which has stayed with us although not mentioned earlier is that a couple of the early evenings when we were passing the huge industrial complexes – I think in particular in parts of the Netherlands and then again passing possibly Krefeld-Uerdingen or Leverkusen with the Bayer factories we can see how much manufacturing those areas have retained which the UK has lost and how the economies of scale favour such factories – they just seem to stretch unending alongside the river as we progressed.

We would both like to try and do the Alsace wine route at some point – but the possibility seems unlikely as in general Jackie tends not to like German wines. Maybe one day.

Rhine 4.8.19

5 August 2019 / admin

Vogtsbauernhof 4.8.19

We are approaching the end of our cruise. Yesterday we visited France, albeit briefly but today we stay on the German side of the Rhine visiting the Black Forest, although there did not seem to be any gateaux in the wild. We are visiting the Black Forest Open Air Museum where they have preserved various buildings to represent farming in the area in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The centrepiece is the Vogtsbauernhof above which dates from 1612. Unlike the other buildings this one stands on its original site and the museum has been developed around it.

Basket Weaving 4.8.19

Internally there are scenes reflecting the lives of the residents and the various jobs and skills which were undertaken as there was a need to be self-sufficient. Looking at the pictures I think the residential depictions come from a much later period than 1612 eg the machine in the picture above – but then it is unlikely that much really lasts 400 years.

Hemp Mill 4.8.19

There is a mill (hemp) which dates from 1609 (above) and a sawmill (1673) below plus many other buildings which have been gathered here.

Sawmill 4.8.19

Back on board in the afternoon there is a galley tour which allows us to show our appreciation for the team who have been looking after us for the last two weeks and delivering decent food during our travels. Our thanks to them.