Agdal Changes

Wandering around the streets of Agdal since my return, I am amazed at the changes. Hard to believe but there are even more coffee shops/cafes/restaurants. On Atlas a new restaurant, Findi, has opened which has nice snack-type food such as sandwiches, pizza, brochettes, pasta, panini and salads. I had a nice meal there the other day. Just down the street a little further another similar place has opened but haven't had time to try it. Next door the coffee shop has undergone renovation.

Stepping over one block to Ave. de France, a Venezia Ice has opened with the carpet and menu lectern on the street. Pinchos has opened a second shop, Pinchos Pizza, next door while further along a nice looking juice bar has opened with a couple of tables and chairs inside. Still need time to try these out.

On the other hand I here the excellent French restaurant that I frequent on a regular basis, 81/2, is closing. Hopefully it is only for renovations but will need to find out more. Hopefully will dine there on Saturday night, and not for the last time.

While on the topic of food, I also need to go and investigate the three Agdal wine shops that Cat in Rabat mentioned on her blog. Oh I am going to miss her witty and informative posts.

Terres des femmes - Women of the Earth

Yesterday I went and visited the pottery shop, Terres des femmes (Women of the Earth) at Sale.
This pottery shop sells traditional pottery made by village women in northern Morocco who have been encouraged to produce traditional pottery by a volunteer group behind the project. These same volunteers not only run the shop, but also drive to these often remote villages to collect the pottery.

Using the available soil, the pottery has a natural feel and is usually decorated in brown and black geometric designs. Completely natural, these dyes come from ground up leaves and rocks and are painted onto the pots with a donkey hair that acts as a paint brush.

Not only has this project aided in the survival of a traditional craft, but has also provided the women with money and independence. Even the young boys have started to get in on the act, making pottery animals to be sold. While some of the girls who don't want to make pots because it makes their hands large and ugly, are instead doing embroidery, which is also sold at the shop.

The shop can be found at Extension du complexe des potiers a Oulja-Sale, or on the Rabat side of the Sale Pottery Complex.

Back "Home"

From high above, first I saw the estuary at Larache, then the lagoon at Moulay Bousselham, the Bou Regreg and Rabat, then reality struck as Casablanca and surrounds were blanketed in smog. Back on land, it was the pedestrians walking on the road, the crazy drivers on the road and the shepherds with their sheep that reminded me, I'm back "home", back in Morocco. But at least my luggage did arrive this time.

Back in Rabat, Atlas wasn't the "crazy street" it normally is on Saturday nights, my favourite butcher and hanoot were closed for a few days and yet more cafes/restaurants have opened up in Agdal. Mind you, some have been under construction and renovation for months and months. All is quiet as August is the holiday month, Moroccans living in Europe come back to visit, and those living in the city head to the beaches (a good place to avoid this month unless you love crowds).

Now as reality comes seeping back in, I have to consider the return to work. Time to get organised, focused, but I am sure I will fit in some time for reading and sorting out my travel memoirs and photographs.

Transylvania - Dracula country!

Here among rugged mountainsof Transylvania; spires and cobblestones form part of the old settlements, around which vampire legends abound. It is the latter (and THE CASTLE) that led to its Dracula links.

The highlights:
Sighisoara is a hilltop fortress, which is the birthplace of Vlad Tepes, sometimes called the "real" Dracula being renowned for activities such as driving stakes through people! The house in which he was born is a restaurant today. With a Saxon clock tower and Gothic churches and a huge hilltop cemetery, my visit seemed dominated by music as I attended 2 classical music concerts and many young people were carrying around and playing violins.
Brasov's old town centre is full of 800 year old buildings including the Black Church. But the reason most people stay is to visit the nearby Bran Castle - Dracula's castle. Attractive from the distance on its hilltop, inside there are no evident Dracula links as you get pushed along in the crush of people following the one-way tourist route throught he castle.

More interesting is the ruins of Rasnov Fortress, which is also nearby. A stunning location on the mountain top, one can easily see why only once were its defences broken.
Not actually part of Transylvania, but also visited as a day trip from Brasov was Sinaia, home to the stunning Peles Castle. Let you imagine run riot when the word castle is mentioned, the image produced is probably something likes Peles. So much ornamentation, gold, carved wood, venetian glass, marble with statues and frescoes outside. Incredible.

Stepping Back in Time

No; I haven't found the way to travel in time but instead have been travelling through northern Romania. Time spent there is really like stepping back in time, especially watching the farmers at work. Here they use horse and carts for transport, still cut the grass with scythes and use rakes and pitchforks to turn it over for drying. Not a tractor in sight until I travelled further south. Such back-breaking hard work but maybe they will start to catch up with the present now they are in the EU.

Outside the Bar/Cafe in Salva

Also had some scenic, but very slow, train trips winding through the mountains, past small villages and plots of crops, over high bridges and through long tunnels. It is a good way to get a look at life in Romania outside the cities. The trains run on time but are not in good condition - no air conditioning so swelter on the hot days.

Winding through the mountains in north west Romania

Went to Sapinta to see the Merry Cemetery, distinguished by the colourful metre-high crosses that are at the top of all the graves. These crosses are painted in bright colours including pictures that typify the person's life and may also show how they died plus an inscription about their life, death and the people they leave behind. Only existing in this form since 1935, many people dies young and many died violent deaths such as getting shot while swimming across the river (it is also the border), getting run over by a tractor, hit by a taxi and struck by lightning while in bed. It was an interesting but bizarre place in the grounds of a church nut also full of tour groups who stop off as they pass by.

The Merry Cemetery

The Painted Monasteries near Suceava were the other highlight of my travel in the north. From the 1500s, these churches are not only decorated with pictures on the inside but also on the outside. Most pictures relate to stories in the bible or people from the bible or saints, but also include the siege of Constantinople. They also include local touched like including local musical instruments, dress, food etc. The outside ones are very colourful while the ones inside are much darker. Black from smoking candles has obscured those inside for many centuries but they are slowly being revealed at a cost of 700 euros per square metre. I went on a guided tour which was great as it meant I found out a lot more detail about the pictures and their history. Many of the monasteries till have nuns in the adjoining buildings today and they are the ones collecting the entrance fees and leading some groups around.

Sucevita Monastery

Detail of Voronet Monastery

Hot, hot Hungary

And it is the weather I am talking about having sweltered through my time in Hungary, except for the last two days. Fortunately after the two trains I arrived on, the rest were air-conditioned.

Started in Sopron, a small town on the Austria-Hungary border, half way between Budapest and Vienna. It was so small I didn't even see a McDonalds there (only place so far I think). It has a beautiful Old Town with still much of the centre surrounded by original Roman walls. Most of the buildings are homes to the local residents with only the odd restaurant and museum here and there. Not many tourists but the highlight for most is to climb up the fire tower that is built above one of the entrances to the Old Town. Nice views but unique because it is built on Roman foundations, then in two different styles as it was made taller at different times. They also had a very interesting archeological museum. Need museums with a difference now as I have seen so many. There is also a Goat Church, presently under renovation, that has a cavorting goat in bas relief above the door. A very quiet, relaxing place to stay and the Pension I stayed in was very nice with a great breakfast.

A local speciality

Then followed the border south east, through agricultural lands very much reminiscent
of the Wimmera or Western District plains in Victoria, to Pecs in the south of the country. The most bizarre building here was the mosque church on the main square. Originally a church was built on the site, then when the Turks invaded they knocked down the church and used the bricks to build a mosque, then when the Turks left it again became a church with the minaret removed. Other sections have since been added. So it still has the painted cupola traditional to mosques, mosque lamps and some other traditional mosque features. Bizarre. Also in Pecs there are a number of Roman ruins visible but unfortunately the museum with the best examples didn't open while I was there and I couldn't find the Porcelain Museum either. The other two interesting things I saw were the synagogue and cathedral.

The Monastery-Church

Then it was on to Budapest, Hungary's capital, with a very attractive location on the Danube River. There is the castle area on one side of the river and the Old Town on the other. Lots and lots of tourists, including tour groups on buses and also groups touring on huge boats along the Danube. A very stunning Basilica, where last night a concert was held in the square in front - a full orchestra playing. With so many museums, the only one I went to was the National Museum where I learnt something about Hungary's history. I didn't realise that Hungary has been a country, and sometimes powerful one at that, since the 9th century. And for trivia - did you know Hungary has used the metric system since 1875? There was also a very attractive synagogue here, one that is more attractive than most. An attractive city, but I think I prefer Prague maybe because I visited it first.

Changing of the guard, Prague Castle

Fisherman's Bastion, Prague Castle

Slovakia Sample

Had I had better weather in Zakopane, Poland I would have done a day trip into the High Tatras in northern Slovakia but that wasn't to be. So instead I just had 4 days in south west Slovakia, Trencin and Bratislava to be precise.

I decided to stop over in Trencin on my way to Bratislava after reading some good reports about it. A small town, I was struck by the picturesque and commanding and castle that towered over the town as i arrived by train. There was a resemblance to some castles seen in picture books or even fancy decorated cakes. So I trekked up there to have a look after arriving to join a tour in Slovakian - so didn't understand a thing that was said but got to see inside all areas of the castle. lots of art works on display but also history and archaeological relics from digs in the area. There were some English explanations for the displays fortunately so was actually quite interesting. Besides Trencin has an attractive Old Town (as most places in eastern Europe do), relaxed atmosphere, cafes so just wandered around and had a nice meal there.

Trencin Castle

Bratislava is bigger and much more touristy - the highlights there are a 4-poster bed castle, which wasn't that inspiring. I visited a museum of clocks, which had some interesting things especially tiny sundials but lacked specific details and I think the clock museum I saw in New Zealand was better. Spent one day taking a short cruise down the Danube River to Devin Castle, which is still in ruins but such a strategic location. there was walls, some windows, arches and foundations but it was so hot that my exploration was limited. Then took the boat back again. The drama with this was when we lefty and went under a few bridges we turned around, went back to the starting point and changed boats as the motor on ours was broken!!!! Bratislava is not a place I would recommend highly. two days there was plenty.

Bratislava Castle from the Danube
The most photographed sight in Bratislava - a bronze statue