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June 5 and 6 – Lisboa, Portugal, 2022
June 5 – After arriving in Lisbon from Fes, Morroco, we checked into our Hotel, the Pousada Lisboa and spent the evening with Ana Paula, our food tour guide, who would take us through the oldest part of Lisbon, the Alfama neighborhood, where we would sample street food. During our tour we sampled Pastel de Nata, the most iconic pastry in Portugal and one of the most delicious gifts that Portugal ever gave to the world. Because egg whites were needed by the nuns to whiten their clothes, monks combined the leftover egg yolks with flower, sugar, and almonds – and the famous Pastel de Nata was born. In early…
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The Trip That Almost Wasn’t
In this Post-Covid era of pent-up demand for goods and services, including travel, supply has not caught up. And that includes trained pilots to fly planes. As a result, flights are being cancelled last minute left and right, including a recent flight that two of my sons and daughter-and-law were to take to Boston. They drove to Boston instead. The following link is a well written narrative on a blog written by one of my friends about a similar experience that almost ruined their vacation. There are some takeaway lessons from this if any of you are planning trips in the near future. Cruise to Norway, Iceland and Scotland: Episode…
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Days 7 and 8 in Morocco – Fes
After a big breakfast at our Riad, Mohamed and Hakim, who Pete nicknamed “The Rock”, met us at our hotel. We then spent all morning walking and exploring the Medina of Fes, winding our way in and out of a variety of souks – from vegetable markets through the street of butchers, alleys of Harira soup cafes, weavers, carpenters and so much more. We also passed many bread ovens that continue to be so much a part of daily medina life. We also visited two Universities, one of which started in the 9th century, which, according to Mohamed, is the oldest in the world. One University, the Medersa Bou Inania,…
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Day 6 (June 3) in Morocco – Rif Mountains and Fes
When I awoke in this beautiful city of Chefchaouen on Day 6, I went for a run/walk up to the Mosque on the top of the hill overlooking the city. At that hour I only saw two old men walking and some stray dogs. When I got to the topI realized that this spot had the best views of Chefchaouen below. After breakfast, we left this magical blue city nestled in the Rif Mountains and took a 45 minute shuttle into a beautiful valley for some hiking. On the way to our car, we saw some Muslim women selling some mint and other fragrant plants outside of the cemetery. On…
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Morocco 2022 – Day 5 -Meknes and Chefchaouen
A post from Day 5 of my 2022 Trip to Morocco
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Morocco – Days 3 and 4 – Marrakech and the High Atlas Mountains
On Day 4 I had written a great post during my 7-hour car ride from The Atlas Mountains to Meknes. It covered how the palaces and museums I saw related to French colonialism in Northern Africa, and how Yves-Saint Laurent, as a French citizen, got drafted into the Algerian War for Independence, and how that almost destroyed his brilliant career. But how persevered and founded arguably the most successful design label during the 60s, 70s and 80s. I discussed how African nations have a distrust of the West, and deservedly so using Morocco and Algeria as examples. This is part of the reason that half of African Nations, including Morocco,…
