Seville - Part 1

For me, the one attraction that drew me to Seville was the Giralda minaret turned bell tower in the cathedral. Having already spent so much time in Morocco and having seen both Tour Hassan in Rabat and Kotoubia Mosque in Marrakesh, I wanted to see the third in the trio of minarets built by the Almohad Sultan Yacoub el-Mansour in the 12th century. Kotoubia was the prototype, Tour Hassan was unfinished due to el-Mansour’s death and the Giralda got recycled!
Here are photos of the 3 minarets. Can you tell which is which??


The mosque and minaret may be no more in Seville, but the past use is still very evident today. The minaret shape cannot be camouflaged, while many of the adornments remain although the arch-shaped decoration, have now become windows with a bell tower being added to the top. One interesting option after paying the hefty entry fee of 8 euros, was to walk up the ramp to the top of the bell tower/minaret from where there was excellent views across Seville. As with Tour Hassan, a ramp rather than steps was used to give access to the top so that the caller of the muezzin could ride his horse to the top for the required 5 times a day! The back exterior of the cathedral also clearly showed that it was once a mosque with the austere plain walls in a basic block shape. Many additions had been made to the building – the front and above to turn it into a cathedral although I must say that I didn’t find the interior particularly inspiring, more a waste of money when compared to the cathedral in Granada.

Back in Morocco - Marrakesh medina again

I spent yesterday in the medina, wandering around taking photos and also writing down some detailed notes in case I need them for a future article. After a salad of smoked salmon and avocado and yoghurt, the heat drove me away, to cooler places. Here is a brief look at some of the colour.

Locals in the square

A basket seller

Forms of local transport

Orange juice stands in the main square

Lots of recently dyed hanks of wool were hanging over doorways - so much colour

Rediscovered Morocco photos

As I brought my film scanner back with me from Australia, I have been busy scanning some of the many slides I have with me. (There are lots more stored in Australia though!!) As a result I have discovered a few forgotten Morocco photos that I took during my time living there. Here is a sample:

The dunes of Erg Chigaga

Countryside near Fes

Chefchaouen alley

Cafe Bouganinvillea in Marrakesh
Ben Youssef Medersa in Marrakesh (not sure about the colour of this photo though!!)

Back again

Well I have booked my ticket to go back to Morocco and visit yet again. June 20th is the day I arrive and I am really looking forward to it, in part because it means there is only 7 weeks of work left before holidays. As a lot of people at work are moving on, it also means that it is only 7 weeks until I say goodbye to them! However, back in Morocco I will have the opportunity to catch up with friends there, do some sightseeing, rest and relax, hopefully take a trip to Spain, and I'm not sure what else. The main thing is that I have a ticket booked and I'm off.

I have recently become a Morocco Destination Expert on the Trip Advisor forum, so that keeps me well and truly in touch with and up to date with what is happening in Morocco. So Marrakesh and . . . . . . , her I come.

Djemma el'Fna at night

Given the opportunity, one evening I decided that I would go and try out my new camera at night, specifically to try and capture the action and atmosphere of the Djemma el'Fna. This has been the main square in Marrakesh for many hundreds of years: a meeting place, a place of entertainment and a dining room with a ceiling of stars. There are snakes and monkeys, entertainers, fortune tellers, henna-painting ladies, storytellers, the range juice and dried fruit stands and the plethora of smoke-producing food stalls that roll out in the late afternoon.

Here are my photos:

These are the food stalls.


Snails anyone???

This is the minaret of the Koutoubia mosque that is close to the square.

Here is a light illuminating the mosque walls.

How did the camera go? Well I thought the photos weren't too bad considering that I just turned off the flash and clicked away. I didn't even try it on the night time setting - only realised that after I had finished! Well another time.

Cascades D'Ouzoud

A couple of hours drive out of Marrakesh is a place I've always wanted to go - the Cascades D'Ouzoud, a spectacular waterfall that is also home to Barbary apes.

The drive there was stunning with a back drop of the High Atlas Mountains with their jagged cap of snow. In front were fields of bright green sprouting barley, groves of olive trees and some palm trees, often bordered with concrete irrigation channels.

On the road it meant dodging carts transporting people and goods from place to place, mules with grass laden baskets on either side of their bodies and a smattering of cars of all types and vintages. A very pleasant drive in the sunshine.

Heading up to the first lookout that looked over the falls, soon the crowd grew as the Barbary apes scampered around, no doubt clustering in the hope of food. All I tried was to get photos of them but often they were to quick for me. This is a photo of one I took later indulging on a fresh olive feast on the edge of the olive groves.


The falls themselves were spectacular: three cascading torrents tumbling onto rocks two-thirds of the way down and then spraying into a curtain of water. The gorge created is tall and I especially liked the golden coloured tree on the top of the falls. Its autumn colour a contrast to the blue sky, white water and red rocks. I walked to the bottom of the falls, past souvenir shops and small cafes many of which were closed due to it being the off season.


Down the bottom were a couple of boats if you wanted to cross the water at the bottom of the falls as the water level was high and rock hopping was not an option. Mind you much of the track on the other side was washed away.

Then went for a walk around the top of the falls, first up to a local village then around the other side, through the olive groves to the edge of the falls where the Barbary apes congregated and the view of the falls wasn't that spectacular. It was also a chance to see some local life such as the ploughing below.

Marrakesh

When I visited Marrakesh, along with my nephews, two weeks ago I would have to agree that it is certainly the peak tourist time. Even during the day the Djemma el-Fna was packed. That is not something I have seen before. While wandering in the medina were lots of tour groups. Hopefully all these visitors and the money they bring in is providing some spin offs to the local Moroccans.Whilst there we visited the normal tourist haunts, the Saadien Tombs - it sure is hard to believe they were "forgotten" about for a few hundred years; the ruins of the Badi Palace, the wonderful architecture and craftsmanship on display in the Bahia Palace, the Marrakesh Museum and the stunningly beautiful Ali ben Youssef Medersa. I find the carved white plasterwork, the contrasting dark brown cedar wood and the small arched windows that overlook the central courtyard a photographer's delight. So of course, I took just a few more photos! (There is one below.) Best of all is the cheap entrance fee, 10 Dirham per place except for the medersa, museum and quobba which cost 60 dirham for the three. Still cheap though.As I hadn't been before, one of the highlights was a visit to the colourful Majorelle Gardens, just outside the walls of the medina. Here electric blue combines with buttercup yellow and leaf green on the painted buildings, window frames, pots and fountains contrast with the dull green of the dominant cacti in the garden and the crimson of the cascading bougainvillea. There is also a small museum, which includes some lovely art works by the garden's designer, Jacques Majorelle, along with Berber jewellery, textiles and carpets. Mind you the 30 dirham entrance fee to the garden and an extra 15 to the museum make a visit expensive by Moroccan standards, however it is a place of calmness, shade and serenity, thus providing respite from the hustle and bustle outside. Once owned by Yves St. Laurent who has a house next door, I believe it has recently been returned to the people of Marrakesh. Here are a few photos (I did take quite a lot!).

Travel writing course Marrakesh

Last weekend I spent three days writing, observing, writing, describing, writing, listening and writing some more. This was all part of a travel writing course I participated in run by an ex-magazine editor from the UK. He set up the Travellers' Tales oganisation specifically with the aim of teaching travel writing after he had received so much inappropriate material as an editor.

So the nine eager students ( plus 2 guys from the BBC who were doing a radio program - Excess Baggage - on the course) set off for the spice square in the souk on Saturday morning. Here our first job was to describe everything we saw in half an hour. I only managed to get to the first corner, two-thirds remained undescribed. Next we had to use our other senses other than sight to describe the same area. So much writing, no wonder we were told to bring lots of paper to make notes on. I really wondered what some of the shopkeepers and stall-holders must have thought watching nine foreigners madly scribbling as they briefly glanced up. Still many of these shopkeepers were friendly and willingly answered questions for these curious strangers.

Next step was to select one person in the square and to describe that person in detail - appearance, mannerisms, actions, interactions, conversations etc. Finally it was to select a group of people and describe their interactions and conversations. A break at last. We got to have lunch on the rooftop terrace of Cafe d'espices and so observed the Spice Square from above.

Back at Dar Baraka, our base, we listened and we wrote. Then some of us had to read out what we wrote for comment. Mostly positive, thank goodness. It was great to talk travel writing with the entire group interested in writing. Very much a change from my normal isolation as a travel writer. No wonder I felt I needed to do this course as inspiration.

A drinks break at the museum

Day 2 and we first visited the Marrakesh Museum and Medersa to describe architecture and note down facts. Then we went to nearby alleys, where tourists wander less frequently looking for constrasts and details to provide atmosphere. Plus I did manage to find a wonderful little tagine stall where I had lunch for 20 dirhams.

Finally after hearing advice about getting travel articles published, the crunch came. We had to write a 500 word article in three hours. However, I shortened my time by deciding to go to Bouganvillea Cafe for a lunch of brochettes ad salad. The 6 completed articles demonstrated how much variety in the experiences and descriptions we had each had during the 3 days. It was positive comments for all.

Was this course worthwhile? Even though I have had articles published already, I still learnt a lot and feel re-inspired. Now all I need is the time to write and research.

Morocco Snapshots

Since I have had some positive responses about the photographs on this blog, I thought I would include a few others that give a snapshot of Morocco.

Moulay Ismail's Granary Ruins in Meknes

Volubulis Mosaic

Saadian Tombs, Marrakesh

Djemaa el Fna, Marrakesh

Dades Gorge

Telouet from Glaoui Kasbah

New Friends, Foum Zguid