San Francisco is truly one of the magnificent cities of the world and there are a multitude of reasons to come here to explore. For music enthusiasts like us, there exists a full menu from which to choose because this city draws in a number of musical acts big and small. The smaller venues host many a local musician and the quality is astoundingly good. The average quality of street musicians is higher than you will find in most cities. On many corners of the city one can find musicians playing for tips and you’re convinced that they are probably graduates from the local universities, given the breadth of their repertoire. On any day any number of street bands or quartets can be seen or a lone musician embracing their instruments and just playing what they ... read more

Since our return from magical Morocco a few weeks ago, we have spent many weekends busy exploring the sights within a couple of hours of San Francisco. Read these vinettes as we take a look at Napa Valley, Santa Cruz, Monterey and the lively city of San Francisco, plus, details of the Travel Blog San Francisco holiday gathering. Naked Napa Glad we caught your attention. It’s amazing that the turn of a phrase can grab the eye. There is an eerie hush of quiet in the Napa Valley as winter sets in. The days are growing shorter as the winter solstice approaches. The tourists are gone and the locals can take a deep breath and enjoy the relative tranquility of the off season. The green from the vines are gone, they are dormant--- and the vines ... read more

Our last blog took you to the deserts and mountain towns in Morocco and now ----------- the Sounds, sights and smells of Marrakesh. We approached the outskirts of town with great anticipation. We were approaching the famous city of Marrakesh, which has a deep history and is also home to our guide, Mustafa. We’ve traversed quite a few miles in these last days and the next stop would surely prove to be all that we hoped. We’re both sitting in the car with the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song playing in our heads…….”do you know we are riding on the Marrakesh express….they’re taking me to Marrakesh”. Actually that song has been playing in our heads for about three days and we are ready to give it a rest. We’ve learned a few facts about Moroccan ... read more

We enjoy visiting Muslim nations for many reasons and one of them is lying in bed quite early in the morning listening to the call to prayer, the first of five times each day. In the quiet of the early morning the sounds of prayer bellow out of the silence of the night to awaken the dawn of a new day. The sounds are enthralling and calming. Our experiences have demonstrated that the Muslim people are kind, generous and peaceful no matter what you read in the press. A few bad people have made it difficult for many thousands of kind people whose mission in life is to work hard, love their fellow man, and to make a better life for their families. Fes is a complex city made up of an intricate labyrinth of twisting ... read more

It’s 4am, it’s dark as we drive into the wide open spaces of the field. We are being guided by lighted wands that look like light sabers from Star Wars. We are directed to park our car at the end of the line. It’s early, we are still waking up and we’re tramping down a dirt path following others, kindred spirits who seek the balloon lift-off at Rancho San Rafael Park. We are promised picture perfect weather this morning for the balloon launch. Our excitement builds as we enter the park, a place where there’s some light and booths set up to sell many things, including coffee for those of us who have braved the pre-dawn light to be here for the festivities. We immediately grab some coffee and head to a place on the hill, ... read more