morocco's medinas

gate to fez medina

essaouira fishing fleet

skipper

white washed medina of essaouira

streets of chefchaouen

laurel says:


morocco didn't morocco my world as much as i had hoped it would.  i have wanted to come to this northern africa gem for a long time.  and now i leave it feeling satisfied yet slightly mistified by all the buzz.  over our 10 day trip we were able to sample 4 different flavors of morocco, and i have to say the much hyped drawcards of marrakech and fez were outshined by the intimacy and charm of the lesser known essouria (a seaside working town) and chefchaouen (a white and blue washed mountain village).  the trouble with morocco for travellers, is that most of it's towns can be explored in 1-2 days but the vast distance between tourist destinations makes it difficult to hop from place to place, unless you want to be on the move every other day.  of course the highlight of my time in morocco was being joined by my mom and sister and experiencing morocco together.  and it was an ideal place for a rendezvous because for me, much of the allure of morocco is enjoying a mint tea on a roof deck of a cafe overlooking the centuries old medina or relaxing in your riad (traditional courtyard home) and marvelling at the incredible moroccan architecture while surrounded by the ones you love (and a skipbo deck).  in terms of sites to see, museums, etc morocco does not have a ton to offer.  instead it is more of an atmospheric experience of wandering the labrynthine medina streets and shopping in the frantic souqs.  and travelling to morocco is not for the faint of heart.  westerners are constatly harassed for money and in the 90+ degree heat, it can really test your patience.  but if you want to experience northern africa while enjoying stunning boutique hotels, scenic restaurants and vibrant markets, morocco is the way to go.  thank you to my mom and sis for making the journey here.  i miss you already!

mom getting henna scammed

sipping tea in the riad

gritty essaouira harbor

rocking our new frocks

marrakech at night

emil's harem in marrakech

getting lost in the marrakech medina

our fave rooftop restaurant

emil says:


when i think about what places i have loved or hated or been simply ambivalent about it seems to come down to the expectations i bring to said location.  most of our life experiences are judged on the basis of the personal biases and baggage we bring along for the ride.  for morrocco i was thinking humphrey bogart, rick's cafe and a whole slew of yet to be determined exotic magic carpet riding aladdin-type inspired flavorful adventure. morrocco is a colorful country but it's more about the atmosphere and less about 'things to see and do'. it's more about sipping mint tea and escaping the scorching sun. it's more about meandering through the endless maze that make up the old medina parts of town in fez and marakesh and watching snake charmers blast their flutes in the face of bothered cobras.  it's an atmospheric place and luckily we had laurel's mother and sister with whom to experience the flavor, get lost in the medinas together, get bullied by local henna pushers and just simply catch up. a great time was had simply taking in the 'feeling' of morrocco with family and this was the highlight of the trip. also enjoyed the fiercely bubbling fishing town of essouria and the picturesque greek-styled blue and white mountain town of chef chaouen.  the off the run towns have more of the authenticity i was hoping to find, while the big touristy towns of marakesh and fez with the locals constantly pushing and peddling anything from carpets, to tea kettles, to scarves, to pigs knuckles and pigs kankles gets a little irritating, and some of the flavor gets lost in the fray.

yves saint laurent gardens

cobalt is the new black

sisters taking over the oj stand

mayhem in the fez medina

overlooking fez

at the fez blue gate with mom

tense tunisia

minaret in the medina

roof deck above the medina

ruins of carthage 

emil attempting to rebuild carthage

emil says:

prior to tunisia we had not seen much in the way of violence or tension with regards to the recent and ongoing 'arab spring' protests. in egypt tourists can manage to circumvent cairo when going to the pyramids. in jordan tourists can land in amman but get to petra without so much as an image of instability. but if one lands in tunis, tunisia one is immediately suffocated by what seems like extremely fresh and vivid reminders of the 'arab spring' and all the tension that is associated with a none to certain future. we did get here on may 1, which was the day of labor union parades and marches throughout much of the civilized world, but it's the only place i can say that we were a little scared for our well being. miles of razor wire, many thousands of angry chanting men with beards that even brian wilson would fear, a plethora of armed military at the ready with water canons and riot gear like i have not seen before. the government was ousted a year ago after a young man set himself ablaze here in tunis, marking what would be the beginning of the 'arab spring'. an interim president is now in place and the country is currently drafting its constitution so it's heading in the right direction. folks are happy that they can now speak openly about the government but they fear that with freedom of speech there is a bit of a power grab occurring by some more religiously radical factions.  and with the downfall of the mostly western supported government, unemployment has escalated quickly thus breathing more life into the more extremist groups. it's an amazing time to be here and to watch as secular minded muslim teenagers with levi jeans and ray ban shades walk hand in hand or side by side with their more religiously fervent friends and the cafes fill to the brim with excited and tense chatter about what they may expect next. there is a ton of energy buzzing around here but it's a bit too intense. tunis seems more a fitting location for a cnn reporter than for a tourist at this point. that said, there is something incredibly exhilarating about watching a society at the beginning of its democracy, though one hopes the right party emerges that can maintain these democratic traditions. 

suburb of sidi bou said

med seaside cafe

bardo: roman mosaic museum

streets of tunis

roman baths at carthage

what's behind door #1?

what's behind door #2?

the posh part of tunisia

laurel says:

tunisia has been an interesting stop on our journey.  colonized by the french, there is a strong european influence, and while overwhelmingly muslim, the country prides itself on being quite secular.  recently the country had lead the entire northern africa region with the strength of its economy and progressive political stance.  this is also where the entire arab spring originated from, after a young muslim set himself aflame after struggling to get by with his fruit stand.  the new government has brought new freedoms, such as freedom of the press, but is threatening to take the country backwards on issues such as women’s rights.   i don’t think emil nor i knew what we were in store for when we landed in tunis, so it is fair to say that we were both quite taken aback when our cab pulled up and there was a demonstration so large outside of our hotel that we had to be ushered in by the police.  the best part of our time here was how open the locals were to interacting with us and sharing their points of view and we heard very mixed reports on the revolution.  we met a female college professor that was fearful of the direction that tunisia is headed in, shedding tears while telling us that her life had been threatened for not complying with the the more fundamentalist views.  then we met a highly successful and polished businessman that could not be happier with the change in regime.  it seems the jury is still largely out on tunisia’s future.  one thing is certain, tourism is down dramatically, making it almost creepy to visit the sites.  there were a few tour groups being shepparded around but emil and i were the only independent travelers at any given place.  and the tangles of barbed wire and heavy police presence on the streets are a constant reminder that the wounds of the revolution are still painfully fresh.  overall it was interesting to be an eyewitness to a country going thru such pivotal changes, but it is still too raw and too tense to make a trip to tunisia advisable.

sipping mint tea above the harbor

what's behind door #3?

greek week

alternative energy, grecian style

gilligan meets mykonos

heavenly sunset

laurel buying another striped top

laurel says:


originally we were not planning to go to greece, since both of us had already visited here (i heart you rc, ak and kb!).  but after whirling around the middle east for the past 3 weeks, the thought of lounging poolside in the greek isles was just too tempting to pass up.  so off we went to mykonos, the ‘san tropez’ of greece.  and thank the grecian gods we did.  we spent a blissful week soaking in the greek sun and indulging in the mediterranean diet.  our daily agenda consisting only of pool, greek salad, pool.  going to greece in the off season- april/may- is definitely the way to go.  the weather is perfect, the hordes of cruise ship tourists have not yet descended on the islands and hotel prices are rock bottom.  it's hard to leave this grecian paradise, i could easily vege here for the next 3 months, but we must get on with the trip…

best customer at the seafood restaurant

  

mykonos seaside

seaside mykonos

our ferry back to athens (assuming no strike)

emil praying for sunscreen

emil says:


i was selfishly hoping to see some economic mayhem in greece, but of course without seeing the individual pain that goes along with the mayhem. similar to watching a nascar race and well-wishing a 17 car flaming pileup but without being fraught with any injuries. but alas only sign of an economic crisis was a small poster outside a boutique clothing store that read "crisis prices".  otherwise it was business as usual which means a lot of greek islanders lounging about smoking up a chimney and watching soccer on the tele (rooting aggressively against any team in or around germany) and at the same time hoping you come into their little shops (which are mostly closed for 6+ months for winter). hence the crisis i guess. but what a great little treat this island was particularly without an onslaught of tourists. also was fun to watch the islanders painting and repairing and prepping for the mass migration that occurs over the summer. super seafood, solid people watching, great white and blue decor over and over like a skipping cd. truly a great spot to take in the med diet and forget about the economic pains of the world, and thats exactly what the locals seem to be doing.  

our fave restaurant

view from little venice

chipmunk in helmet

turkish delight

traffic jam in capadoccia

mosques, mosques and more mosques

gallipoli battlefield and cemetery  

channeling brad pitt at troy

emil says:


absolutely loved me some turkey. snow-capped peaks abutting a brisk blue mediteranean sea, pristine ruins that make other ruins look a bit more ruined, site of mount olympus, where the battlefields of galipoli lay, home to troy (laurel could even  feel brad pitt's presence within the trojan horse), land of the great roman, latin, and ottoman empires and a fabulously current city of istanbul which straddles both continents of europe and asia, and overall just a great country to get to know a bit better. the architecture of muslim works beside christian churches and sometimes conversions by the former of the latter make for some super fascinating sites such as the blue mosque and hiya sophia. istanbul can get a bit touristy as many europeans flock here to get a sense of the middle east without having to really go to the more aggressive parts thereof. the small mediteranean towns of kas and kalkan can easily be home to the author of the next great novel, serene working fishing towns with a splash of tourists just to keep it vibrant enough. i can't say enough about cappedocia a town composed of ancient lava formed caves which we stayed in and hiked around.  optically the economy here is amongst the best we have seen, with the exception of australia. and optically, despite the health benefits of the mediteranean diet, this may be home to some of the most unattractive people. much of the population hit every branch of the ugly tree and some have even been tangled up in the limbs and are yet to come down. turkey is a top top destination and if we hadn't seen so much of it in the past 2 weeks i would say we'd be back soon.

still walking like an egyptian, even in turkey

turkish med

kas harbor

laurel says:


i didn't have many expectations going in to turkey, and in fact did not know much about the country, aside from the rave reviews i had heard from friends who had visited.  turns out, turkey has been one of the best stops on our trip.  it is the perfect blend of exotic, while having all the creature comforts you want.  there is a huge range of interesting, historical and beautiful places to visit, all within a relatively small space.  and relative to europe, it is a real bargain.  we started our turkish jaunt with 3 days in istanbul.  it is a charming old city that is strikingly beautiful.  the many mosques dominate the skyline and the city sits on the banks of the black sea.  you can easily stroll thru the historic sights of istanbul in a couple days, taking breaks in between to sip a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice or indulge in a turkish bath- if you dare.   the incredible grand bazaar and a cruise on the bospherous river are other musts.  after istanbul we hoped in our rental car for a week long tour of western turkey.  emi bravely battled the crazy turkish driving scene and managed to have only had one encounter with the law.  with a fair amount of driving, you can easily take in all of the alist sites in a week.  our first stop was the gallipoli battlefields where so many anzac soldiers lost their lives in ww1.  next up was a visit to historic troy, where little remains of the ancient city.  even more impressive was our visit to ephesus, widely considered the most intact ancient roman city.  after that we made our way to pammukale, where the gods and goddesses discovered the most stunning natural hot springs i have ever seen, flowing over bright white basalt.  the turquoise waters against the piercingly white backdrop are quite a site.  from there we made our way to the mediteranean coast.  it rivals greece in beauty but is far less developed (and much less expensive).  we spent a couple days lounging in the sun and taking in the ancient city of olympos.  the finale, and highlight, of our trip was our time spent in cappadocia.  where an ancient volcanic eruption and years of wind and water erosion have formed the caves and 'fairy chimneys' that the locals now live in.  (it sounds wierd, but trust us, it is amazing).  it is a pyschadellic landscape that is made even more trippy by the dozens of hot air balloons that float into the sky each morning.  a few nights relaxing in a luxury cave hotel was the perfect way to end our trip.  overall, i can't rave enough about turkey.  definitely one of the top 10 spots we have been to this year and highly worthy of a visit.

olympos

konya, home of the whirling dervish

ceiling of the blue mosque

blue mosque

aya sofya

romans in your mush

ephesus 

only my people know my sorrow

cappadocia landscape

caves of cappadocia