07 Feb 2020 Istanbul As often happens, our easy, unplanned days often turn in to some of the busiest. After walking through the long, winding park at the back of the Topkapi Palace, we found ourselves by the banks of the Bosphorous Strait, overlooking the Asia side of Turkey. Those of you watching the new series, Ottoman, will know exactly where that is, and what it means to Turkey. We walked over the Galata bridge, which crosses the Golden Horn. Shane has had quite alot to say about the Golden Horn over the last few days. I have been ignoring him!Finally....I found someone selling Gozleme! Apparently it is only a summer food here so my dream of consuming most of my calories eating the stuff will die here also. Shane is making up for it eating ... read more

2nd Feb 2020 Marrakesh We've had a great morning with city guide Mustafa and visited Bahia palace, the Jewish quarter, the mosques, before meeting up with Hamid and Aissa and heading to the Musèe Berbère Jardin Majorelle, and then to the Carrefore for a bottle of wine.....well two bottles of wine and a bottle of whisky.Nice quiet dinner down the road and a bottle of wine on the rooftop terrace at the hotel is a nice way to round off the day. I daresay the other bottle will end up there tomorrow night. 3rd Feb 2020 Marrakesh A free day on our own today so we headed back to the Jewish quarter for a better look, and then we took off down another road which turned out to lead to the tanneries and as we're heading ... read more

28.01.20 Ouarzazate - Toubkal, Imlil It was a big day in the car today to get to Imlil, and we arrived shortly after 6pm. Aissa is a fabulous driver and a very kind man as well. Not like these other two clowns I am travelling with.? On the way, we stopped at the Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, dating from around the 17th century, and now a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987. It is situated along the former caravan route between Ancient Sudan and Marrakech. Most people live in more modern homes on the other side of the river now, however there are still a few families living inside the ancient village.Hamid will be impressed that I am paying attention today instead of looking out the window pretending to pay attention! Before lunch we walk ... read more

23.01.20 Fes-Ifran- Ziz Valley This morning we left Fes for Ziz Valley, travelling through Ifran, a town you could be forgiven for thinking you had been transported to a Swiss village full of chalets.....and that also includes snow!Yeah baby, its snowing in Africa today! The higher we climb, the thicker it gets and we have to detour as the road we need to take is closedWe made a quick stop in Midelt to see the Barbary monkeys before heading to our hotel in Ziz Valley, one of the world's largest oasis. We've scored a tower room on the roof top, probably because there are only 7 people staying, but I'll take it. The views are lovely but there isnt much to do now until tomorrow except eat.Its the usual affair with salad and olives to start ... read more

We arrived yesterday in Chefchaouen to the rain and cold. Having dropped off our bags, we headed in to the beautiful Medina to lose ourselves and eat of course. I am still looking for the beautiful biscuits we ate in Casablanca .... all shortbread and sesame seeds but with oh so much more butter! Chefchaouen is famous for its beautiful blue-washed buildings and streets in the old town. The steep cobbled laneways are slippery to say the least, but it has dried up quickly today thank goodness. In the main square of Place Outa el Hammam is the red walled Kasbah which was a 15th century fortress and dungeon. The views from the top of the tower of the immediate town are stunning, as they are from the Spanish mosque, which is about a 15 minute ... read more