November – December 2013

INTRO

Morocco, finally!  For years, I would hear “wait, you haven’t been to Morocco yet?”, or “you’ve been to Kyrgyzstan but not Morocco?!”  

It’s not that I didn’t want to go to Morocco — I have been wanting to come here forever! — it’s just that there’s SO much to see in Morocco that I knew that when I did go, I’d need weeks to see it all, and with my (at-the-time) job-imposed ‘travel limit’ of no more than two weeks, I just didn’t have enough time to do Morocco!  So, the minute I got a new job, you know I started planning!  

Of course, if I was going to do Morocco, then I’d have to see Western Sahara and the Canary Islands too, because hello, they’re right there!  AND I’d have to see the Alhambra, which I skipped in 1999 to see Bilbao instead!

So, it morphed into an epic road trip starting in Madrid (actually in amazing Salzburg, thanks to a long layover!), and driving down through Andalusian Granada and Málaga to Gibraltar — then finally a ferry to Africa, but not Morocco yet!   The ferry docked in Ceuta, Spanish Morocco, where I then took one of the only two land border crossings from Europe into Africa!

Journey Map

[nwm_map id=”3″ zoom=”3″]

[nwm_list id=”3″ dates=”all”]

Featured Image

Djemaa el-Fna, Marrakech, Morocco

Two enchanted cobras seem ready to strike any second, but look a bit closer — finally being here after years of hearing tales of the exotic square and its famed snake charmers distracted me. Out of nowhere, snakes were around my neck! Pictures were taken… money was extorted. It was a blur, but it was awesome. You learn quickly in the square. Be aware! And keep your distance if you don’t want to play! (…or pay!)

Instagram

Fes, Morocco (Nov. 2013) - the beautiful #golden gates of the dar el-makhzen #royalpalace in #fes #morocco ...

363 9

Laayoune, Western Sahara (Nov. 2013) - enjoying being the only `tourist` wandering around the huge place mechouar in central #laayoune, capital of western sahara!  the only other foreigners i saw were in white SUVs with the letters "UN" printed on the side! 😉👍 ...

313 15

Chefchaouen, Morocco (Nov. 2013) - this is one of my favorite shots of #beautiful, #blue #chefchaouen - love this place! ...

503 54

Jaén, Spain (Nov. 2013) - two rays of #sunlight shine through a window inside the beautiful #cathedral of #jaen ...

461 29

Gibraltar, United Kingdom (Nov. 2013) - a beautiful fiery #sunset overlooking the #british territory of #gibraltar reflects off a #cannon and paints the #sky and #sea in hues of yellow and red ...

466 29

Meknès, Morocco (Nov. 2013) - #sketch of the wonderfully ornate bab al-mansour in #meknes, the grandest imperial gateway in #morocco, and considered one of the most beautiful `doors` in the world! 🇲🇦 ...

266 22

Granada, Spain (Nov. 2013) - a sea of white walls and tile roofs in #granada`s #albayzin neighborhood make for a beautiful view from the top of the #alhambra ...

448 28

Fes, Morocco (Nov. 2013) - one of the extraordinary, centuries-old (and unbearably smelly) tanneries at the #leather #souq in the fascinating old #medina of #fes ...

603 52

Agüimes, Canary Islands (Dec. 2013) - a simple shuttered #window set in a thick #yellow plaster-covered stone wall in the #beautiful town of #agüimes - typical of the traditional, unique vernacular #architecture of the #canaryislands ...

390 17

Chefchaouen, Morocco (Nov. 2013) - my favorite arched #doorway in the #beautiful #blue #city of #chefchaouen #morocco ...

582 40

Sketches

click here for more Sketches