Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Africa » Morocco
April 24th 2012

Published: April 26th 2012

Gibraltar is an anomaly. Geographically it’s in Spain, and they’d really like it back, but for now it’s British - from the pics you can see even the weather is British – I imagine an isolated cold front hovering over it permanently while the sun blazes over the rest of Spain. We went there with Pat and Ann, who you met in the last blog, (thanks again for the tour guys!) and who rel... Read Full Entry

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Hilary Falconer

flying kiwis

The Kiwis are off on their next adventure to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary! First a tour of Slovenia and Croatia then independant travel around southern Italy and Sicily. Then HIS choice of romantic settings - a road trip round Iceland. And of course no flying Kiwis trip would be complete without a sojourn in England including our favourite city - London.... full info

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Ait Benhaddou

Used for Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and hundreds of other movies needing biblical or deserty settings and conveniently coloured local extras. They were currently filming a British trilogy called...The Bible

More of the Thousand Kasbahs

back on the road from Ouarzazate heading up towards our crossing of the High Atlas Mts

Snow!

the day after frolicking in the Sahara sands, we are caught in a snow storm - it starts at our lunch stop and we have to wait with other traffic till the road is cleared

Heading up the pass

As we climb into the High Atlas the effects of the snow storm make a stunning contrast to the desert and oasis landscape we've just driven through

Tizi-n-Tichka Pass

Slowly and carefully our huge bus climbs up the 2260 metre pass in the heart of the High Atlas Mts

Red ochre rivers

and below the snow line we are in lush valleys with rivers running red down towards Marrakesh

1001 Nights

that night we enjoy a Moroccan dinner and entertainment - the acrobats were far more entertaining than the snake charmer and belly dancers

Marrakesh open home

the beautiful 'palace' or riad of a past prime minister. High plain windowless walls hide the gardens, fountain and highly decorated interior of Moroccan homes, creating privacy and calm in a harsh environment

Jemaa-el-Fna

the infamous main square of Marrakesh - part market, part food hall, part circus and part thoroughfare

Marrakesh medina

Full of gorgeous, beautiful, cheap things that I couldn't buy as we're travelling :( But a very pleasant non-hassling shopping experience compared with other markets

Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

Third biggest mosque in the world after Medina and Abu Dhabi, completed in 1993. Can hold 25,000 worshippers and cost US$8 billion

Casablanca main mosque

Hassan II Mosque, 200' high minaret, the tallest in the world, with a lazer beam on top that can be seen from 36km. The 'royal' section of the mosque is built over the Atlantic Ocean with glass floors

more mosque

it's big. and impressive. and quite beautiful...but we didn't pay to go inside

Casablanca 'new' medina

built in the 1870's for community housing - this is the communal bakery where locals bring their bread to be baked

do you like olives?

then come to the Casablanca olive market!

waiting

travel involves a lot of waiting, usually in cold and windy places, like Tangier Med ferry terminal - gazing out at Spain 9 miles away and no boat in sight to take us there

13th May 2012

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

GREAT SHOT
Captures the scene...dry as hell...yet inhabited!

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Between a Rock and a Hard Place

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