Being based in the old medina, we found plenty of things to do in Fes. A labyrinth of narrow streets and dead ends, it’s like nowhere else. The former capital of modern Morocco, Fes is the country’s second-largest city. The main draw is the old walled Fes Medina, a place to wander, to get lost, and to discover. As […]
Pike Place Market: Where to Catch Fish in Seattle
Visiting Pike Place Market is a Seattle tradition. An iconic destination opened in 1907; it is one of the country’s oldest continuously operating farmer’s markets. Today it is much more than just a farmer’s market. It’s an impressive pillar of the community, a top tourist attraction, a place for locals to shop for fresh meats, fish […]
Going Ashore in Cabo San Lucas Mexico
The highlight of Cabo San Lucas is El Arco (the Arch) and the nearby Lover’s Beach. As we could see both of these from the Island Princess Cruise Ship, and we have both been to Cabo San Lucas in the past, we opted to skip an excursion, or any type of tour and just go […]
Visiting Auckland’s Polynesian-Style Otara Market in the Rain
South Auckland is home to the Otara Market, the largest Polynesian-style market in New Zealand. We visited on hubby’s birthday last weekend, and unfortunately, it was raining. In addition to vendors selling food, clothing, flowers, and Pasifika treasures, we discovered the freshest and least expensive produce we have seen in a while. Neither the vendors […]
Photo Tour of the Exotic Medina of Essaouira Morocco
The Medina of Essaouira Morocco (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) offers all of the traditional images one would expect in this North African country. A “medina” is the Arab or non-European quarter of North African cities. It is typically a fortified walled city with narrow and maze-like streets. I found the Medina of Essaouira easier to […]
Auckland Celebrity Walk – Rivaling LA for Famous Hand Prints
I remember how excited I was to take our teens to Grauman’s Chinese Theater to see the hand and foot prints of the stars when we were in Los Angeles last year. Little did I know then, but Auckland also has a celebrity walk of fame. And just like Grauman’s, it is filled with hand […]
Samoa Highlights: Top 10 Things to Do in Samoa
A carefree tropical paradise in the south pacific, Samoa offers a mix of relaxation and adventure. There are plenty of things to do in Samoa despite it being less developed than some of its neighbours. The main island is Upolu and is home to the capital city of Apia. For visitors, Samoa highlights include swimming into […]
Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne – A Fun Meeting Spot
The Queen Victoria Market is the largest open air market in the southern hemisphere. This historic landmark in Melbourne Australia first opened in the 1850s and is now spread over two city blocks. It is filled with food, typically Australian things, cosmetics, clothing and apparently some very unusual items like an orgasmatron. More important to me, […]
Negotiate Everything – Stay Focused on Your Treasure (AtoZ)
Negotiate everything. We struggled with this when we first started traveling. Many years ago I was traveling with my cousin and hoping to buy an embroidered bag in Mexico for $10 similar to a $25 one I had seen in the US. We crossed the border, found the bag at a market, and asked “How […]
Dolls Hanging Around by their Necks in a Shop in Morocco
Travelling and shopping in Morocco and the rest of the under-developed world is always interesting, sometimes bordering on the bizarre, like when we saw these dolls hanging around by their necks in a shop in Fes. Look who’s hanging here . . . These dolls were seen in the medina in Fes, one of my […]
Traditional Moroccan Market: Off the Beaten Path in the Sahara
A traditional Moroccan market is quite different from the tourist markets we see in the bigger cities. We spent a week touring and driving across Morocco from Essaouira on the Atlantic coast on the west to Sahara within 20km of the Algerian border. As we drove east we noticed the people dressed and lived more traditionally. They call it […]
Djemma el fna: the Square in the Marrakesh Medina, Morocco
Djemma el Fna is the big square in the center of the Marrakesh Medina, and is not like anywhere we have been. By day it is filled with hand craft vendors, snake charmers, monkeys (and their humans) and horse drawn carriages. At night the food stalls are put up and there is BBQ everywhere. We […]
Riding on the Marrakesh Express – Next Stop Marrakesh!
Today we took the Marrakesh Express, the train from Rabat to Marrakesh in Morocco. I was really excited, as I have wanted to visit Marrakesh ever since I heard Crosby Stills and Nash sing Marrakesh Express so many years ago. It always seemed so exotic and far away. Well, it’s not far away anymore, and […]
Our Visit to Rabat, the Capital City of Morocco
Train travel in Morocco is really easy. Too bad the air conditioning in the first class compartments wasn’t working today. So we made it to Rabat a bit sweaty. Rabat is different than Fes or Meknes. It is quite a bit less touristy. Because it is the Moroccan capital city, there were quite a few […]
Shopping for Food in Morocco Is an Animal Lovers Nightmare
Shopping for food in Morocco is a bit different than I am used too. Although, after being in the Medina in Fes (and the early weeks in China) I am used to seeing live chickens in the market. Today we saw bunnies in the market, and pigeons too. It almost looked like a pet shop, […]
Istanbul’s Key Sites and a Carpet Shopping Story
We had a long cruise ship port stop scheduled for Istanbul, Turkey and planned to tackle it without a guide. We knew the city highlights, and even had downloaded a self guided city tour. The only free city tour I could find was in the evening and the timing just wasn’t going to work out for […]
Chocolate for Breakfast – A Common Choice in Spain
“Mom, our new friends eat chocolate for breakfast!” When my girls told me that people eat chocolate for breakfast in Spain, I figured they were just having me on. And not just chocolate, their friends eat churros dipped in a bowl of warm chocolate. Come on, do I look that gullible. Apparently this decadence can […]
An Embarrassing Market Day Story from Palamos Spain
It’s Tuesday, big market day in Palamos. Living in Northern Spain we tend to go the a market everyday. Six days per week it is only fresh fruit and vegetables, but on Tuesday, big market day, you can get it all. There are booths for clothes, shoes, towels, kitchen supplies, toys, music, and so much more. […]
Portobello Market, Tate Modern and Some Random London Fun
If we ignore the cold, rainy weather, the hideously expensive food, the crowds and construction everywhere (for the upcoming Olympics), I would have to say we are having a bunch of London fun. Seriously, the weather hasn’t been too nice but that is what rain jackets are for. Our first day was actually quite nice. […]
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