Author: odohertyelaine

We fly for 3 and a half hours on Asiana Air from Seoul and arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. It’s an easy airport to get through and we are met by our guide as we emerge to the arrivals hall. She mentions it may take over an hour to drive approximately 50kms from the airport into the city – it takes two!!! Starting out is lovely as the airport is in the middle of nowhere!! Lovely fields and open land to enjoy until we hit the outskirts of the city!

The traffic is mental. Loads of cars swapping lanes and it’s also raining which isn’t helping. Mind you the rain is only drizzle so I’m pretty sure it’s a free for all on the roads all the time!

Our guides name is Zaya and she tells us lots of interesting things about Mongolia. It has a population of just 3.2 million which is hard to believe for such a huge country (18th biggest in the world), its population is even less than Ireland! It is made up of 21 provinces and she explains how they lost land to China and Russia. So Inner Mongolia is now part of China.

We cross the trans Siberian railway tracks which is no longer the longest train tracks in the world, although it was for many years. The longest is now in China by the way.

We get dropped to our hotel and have time by ourselves to explore. After finding an ATM and getting some local money called Mongolian tugrik we head to the Genghis Khan museum.

It’s a fairly new building and it’s very impressive. It has 9 floors, 7 of which have exhibits that we need to see… time to get started! Before we head into the first hall we are accosted by a couple who want to have their photo taken with us. They have no English but manage to tell us that they are Inner Mongolians!

Although the museum is the Ghengis Khan museum, it’s not dedicated just to him, it sets the context for the whole Mongol dynasty of which Ghengis was the most famous. His grandson was Kublai Khan who actually did most of the conquering and made the Mongol empire huge.

We get a lot of insight into Ghengis or Chinggis, as the locals call him: Chinggis Khan, the ruler of the Mongol Empire, is credited by researchers and scientists with the following. He was: An intellectual person who founded the Mongol state; A great general who left an indelible mark on the military culture of the world; Triumphant hero of the Mongol people!

Chinggis and his successors reigned over half of the population of the earth at one time as they were able to capture the main centers of major civilizations. The speed of Chinggis Khan then can be compared to the speed of the internet today with the Mongols mastering the most advanced technology of the time and creating and organizing a powerful military

I love seeing the portraits of the queens with their big crazy head gear!! They wore “hair pockets” as it was unseemly for a man other than your husband to see the full locks of your long hair!!

There’s a particular exhibit that is really interesting – the Shoroon Bumbagar burial. Found in 2011 in the Bulgan province, this 7th century burial chamber is reminiscent of a tomb in Egypt as those interred were buried with worldly belongings for use in the afterlife and the walls were decorated with murals. The museum have a number of artefacts taken from the tomb on show.

After the museum visit, we take a walk around but it’s cold and a bit rainy so we find a bar for a wee beverage, sitting outside watching the people of UB (that’s what they call the capital!) go by.

It’s time for dinner and Shane has scoped out a local “hot pot” restaurant which is quite fancy. It’s called The Bull and it’s on the 5th floor of a building just around the corner from our hotel.

We order the set menu with lamb and also add in some horse! Sure you’d have to when it’s on the menu. We chose a soup/broth and it’s placed on an induction hob on the table where we then proceed to cook the food. By the end of the meal the soup is super tasty.

It is all delicious. Shane has a local beer and I take advantage of the fact that there is wine on the menu. A glass of wine is a 100ml measure… now by any standards that’s a small glass but it is only about €2 so I don’t mind having to order more!!! A young girl arrives to the table and uses a shot measure to measure out the wine – 2 of them, hardly reaching the top are poured into a wine glass (after she used the measure to pour a vodka 😱)… well I’m not very impressed. It’s not going to take long to drink this!!

After dinner we take a walk around the main square. Yet again Ghengis is centre stage.

Next morning we are excited to get out and explore with our guide. Promptly at 8:20am we meet Zaya along with a driver and begin our private tour. Our first stop is at the impressive Gandan Monastery,

Zaya lays out the rules of entering the temple – shoes off, be quiet, step over the threshold, walk from left clockwise, don’t turn your back on the Buddha when exiting so essentially do a backward shuffle! There are a lot of rules but we are fairly good at complying. The main temple houses a stunning 26-meter gilded statue of Megjid Janraisag i.e. Buddha!

There are walls of smaller Buddhas around the temple and a decent number of locals who have come to pray and give offerings. Apparently it’s a holiday today, “Buddhas Enlightened day” so it feels like we are among tourists but they’re all Mongolian and we’re pretty much the only Westerners around! [officially the tourist season starts in June and we are here early May so a little early]

Outside the main temple is a large complex of smaller buildings, this one in particular was brought from Tibet.

The Mongolians follow the Tibetan Buddhist teachings and the Dalai Lama is seen regularly through the temples. I hadn’t really thought of Mongolians as Buddhists but indeed that is the state religion of the country, even though the monks were persecuted and some of the temples destroyed during the socialist time (more on that later).

I’m happy to see the prayer wheels as they remind me of my first big trip to Asia back in 2017 when I started this blog. I do a clockwise loop and swing a few.

From here we drive along Peace avenue (which is anything but peaceful with chaotic traffic) to the National Museum of Mongolia. We learn lots of interesting facts about Mongolia from the time of the Khans, through the socialist period to the current democracy. As always, I love a good museum and love to learn the history of the place I’m visiting but it’s hard to take it all in or to remember it all! There are many images of Ghengis regularly shown in the middle with his grandson Kubla Khan on the right and his predecessor on the left.

We see lots of traditional Mongolian clothing which differs as you travel through the provinces.

The second to last hall in the museum tells about the time of socialism. Our guide doesn’t enjoy this part of history so much but we get a very brief lowdown. In essence the first political party founded in Mongolia, called the Mongolian Revolutionary Party, led a national democratic revolution in 1921 to restore independence from Chinese autonomous rule. In 1924, backed by the Soviet army, the Mongolian People’s Republic was founded as a socialist state. This made Mongolian the first Asian and second country in the world (after Russia) to adopt communism. From 1921 to 1990, in the Mongolian People’s Republic, all social sectors including economy, culture and politics were directly dependent on the USSR and the perpetrator of the USSR Communist Party’s guidance.

From the 1980s the power of socialism in Mongolia waned among the population and led to a peaceful democratic revolution of 1990 when the first prime minister of Mongolia was declared deeming Mongolia the first Asian country to successfully transition from communist rule to democracy. The final hall in the museum is a jubilant celebration of democracy with the national anthem playing.

Obvious socialist looking buildings are dotted around the city.

After the museum we are on the road again. Leaving the city we cross the trans Siberian railway tracks again – officially when the train passes through here, it is the trans Mongolian. Trains only run on Wednesday and Friday but I’m still excited to see the tracks of this iconic railroad.

We drive toward Terelj National Park and stop at a new resort for lunch. We can see the domes glistening in the sun from quite a ways away! This new resort which has just recently allowed foreign tourists is very palatial and serves a very nice buffet lunch.

While we’re eating we are treated to some local music which includes a taster of the famous Mongolian throat singing.

On the way to lunch we got our first glimpse of the giant Genghis Khan monument and that’s where we are heading now.

I must admit I’m very excited to see this impressive 46m statue of Genghis on horseback as it’s the largest equestrian statue in the world.

You can climb to the top of the statue and essentially stand on the horse and look back at Genghis!

In the main building we get to try on some traditional clothing. I’m loving the head gear with the hair pockets!

I reckon we’d suit being royal!!

A final selfie with Genghis and our guide.

Now we drive a little further to Terelj national park and to our ger camp. The scenery is beautiful and the sun is shining.

Scattered around the landscape are single Ger camps, some in small groups but generally single gers where families are living. We even have some animals crossing the road, just like Irish country traffic!

A large ger camp for visitors to the National park.

Tonight we are staying in a small ger camp called “Heaven Envoy” which consists of about a dozen gers with a main building housing the restaurant and more importantly bathrooms.

Our surroundings are beautiful and it’s really peaceful and relaxing.

After an hour or so of enjoying this tranquility we are back in the car along some bumpy tracks to visit Ariyabala meditation temple. This temple is on the side of the mountain and almost looks like an elephants trunk!

The walkway is lined with board delivering quotes and sayings to read and meditate upon as you climb.

The temple is no longer used by the monks but a popular place for locals to come to meditate.

There are beautiful views back to the valley.

Some local boys say hello and clearly want to practice their English. One in particular is very chatty and tells me he is 12 and goes to school and says his friends don’t have very good English!

We stop at Turtle rock on the way back and also take a visit into the small supermarket. I may have found some local Khan chips 😀

A beer (and said local crisps) on the steps of our ger ahead of dinner is just what the doctor ordered after a busy day of site seeing.

The temperature has dropped significantly and in case it gets very cold during the night we light the fire… within moments it is roasting!! In fact it’s a little like being in a sauna!! We end up having to leave the door open and don’t even sleep under the blankets!!! Eventually the fire dies down and it’s very comfy!

We head toward Hustai national park in the west of Ulaanbaatar and surprise surprise the traffic is shocking! It takes 4.5 hours just to get to UB which should have taken two, so unfortunately the national park is off the itinerary for today. Instead we stop for a very extravagant lunch and then get back in the car for another 4 hours to another ger camp.

Leaving UB, we see the huge pipes that are bringing central heating to the new apartment blocks being built all over. In winter it can get to -40 degrees – UB is the coldest capital city in the world – I’m glad we’re visiting in Spring!

It is nice to see the countryside as we drive on mostly main roads (which have lots of potholes) with plenty of overtaking from the most popular car in Mongolia – the Prius! We see lots of livestock – cows, pigs, sheep and a goat 😁, some from a very close proximity as they cross the road. These horses gave us a good look.

We see these shamen sites randomly along the road.

We also pass tiny “one horse towns” that honestly look to me like they could be movie sets or at least a pretend village!!

At a particular toilet/coffee break Shane gets a great snap of a farmer herding some cattle onto the bridge….

As we get closer to our destination we take a “turn” from the main road onto what couldn’t even be described as a dirt road – how the driver knows where to turn to get us to the camp is a mystery… it is literally like driving off a road into the fields!

We eventually arrive to Hoyor Zagal lodge, tonight’s ger camp and we are excited that this one is with en-suite bathroom facilities! The camp itself is quite bigger than last nights camp with a large restaurant that can fit large groups.

Here is our fancy ger – the en-suite bathroom is behind the panel on the left – Fantastic!

We take a walk around, take a few snaps and get ready for dinner which is more beef!!! They do love their meat the Mongolians!

We are so remote it’s not possible to walk anywhere so it’s back in the car to visit Khugnu Khan national park.

The park has an old monastery with a number of temples built into the hillside.

A lady manages the area and she opens up the main temple and gives Zaya the keys for the others which we will hike up to.

It’s such a remote place but apparently in the 17th century 500 monks were slaughtered here. We see the remains of the 17th century monastery and enjoy the beautiful views.

Dotted around the valley you see an odd ger…. Nearest neighbour could be a few kilometres away.

After our visit to the monastery we travel a short distance to visit a nomadic family’s home where we spend a few hours chatting (through Zaya as our entrepreneur) and help make lunch. It’s a really lovely, easy going few hours and nice to experience the life of a nomad out here in the vast landscape. [note: toilet situation was what they call “toilet with a view”]

Our lunch started with what we thought was some type of cheese, but was described as the first milking of a cow after giving birth that is steamed until solid (colostrum?). Very tasty.

We were then put to work scrubbing potatoes and half an ‘aged’ carrot, and making dough for bread and noodles.

A leg of mutton was butchered and then cooked with some mystery paste and onions, with a final addition of heated rocks and covered with thinly rolled dough. It was the national dish, khorkhog. A soup was also made with the mutton and dough ‘pasta’.

It was all served on a table to share. Just a knife to hack off pieces of mutton. The local milk tea washed it all down. Overall delicious!

The family breed horses and have a large herd of sheep and goats. They have 4 children, three of which are adults” daughters and have left for the city and one young son. We don’t get to meet the man and son as they are tending to the animals.

We say goodbye to our lovely host and her niece and head for the Bayan Gobi sand dunes (mini-Gobi). It’s time to see some sand and take a camel ride. They call this the mini Gobi although it’s quite a few miles to the Gobi proper. However the sand dunes are beautiful and it is weird to see desert on one side and green countryside on the other.

Camel ride over, we walk around the far side of the dunes and see a vulture. He is absolutely huge and we manage to see him take off in flight – it’s amazing. Back at the Ger camp we have a little downtime to admire the countryside and check out a very nice sunset.

Next morning we get on the road early as it’s a long drive back to Ulaanbaatar and we are going to try to fit in the Hustai National park that we missed on our first day on the long journey to get here. Along the way to the park we see camels on the side of the road and more remote ger homes. It really is vast countryside and so interesting to view. We made it!

We watch a movie which gives a good overview of the park and how it came to be and outside the small exhibit room we see this interesting thing! It’s shuttle debris!! Imagine getting a smack of that out of nowhere!

We take a long bumpy drive (there has been a lot of off road driving on this trip!) through the park and see lots of marmots along the way.

What everyone comes here to see are the Takhi, aka Prewalski horses which are a wild horse native to Mongolia. After socialism the horses had become extinct but luckily a number of years earlier some had been exported to Germany and so Hustai National Park (HNP) was established to reintroduce the Prewalski’s horse. In 1992 15 horses were transported back to Mongolia and they are now at more than 400. We stop and manage to see some with binoculars and also see some red deer.

Buffet lunch at the national park and then we head back to Ulaanbaatar with just enough time to visit the Bogd Khan’s Palace Museum.

The last king of Mongolia and spiritual head of the nation lived in this European style home with his wife (who by the way they never consummated their marriage) and there are some very interesting artefacts to view. He had a large collection of stuffed birds and ones an elephant for many years.

We don’t have time to check into the hotel but we do have some spare time before the concert so we decide it’s cocktail time… well actually we pick up a beverage at the local supermarket and sit outside on a bench!!

Once we’re finished at the palace we are taken to see a traditional folklore concert featuring an amazing ensemble performing dance, Mongolian throat singing, a contortion performance and an amazing orchestra. It’s one of the best cultural shows of all the countries I’ve visited, the venue is beautiful, really professional and I enjoy every bit of the music performed.

Before dropping our bags at the hotel we do a quick stop at the city sign…

And check out a nice close by building showing the hand sign for love, as taught by Zara

It’s time to have our farewell meal which Zaya has organised for us at a lovely Korean beef restaurant. We have a salad to start, then soup, then not only a beautiful piece of beef but with a “side” of marrow bone and as if that’s not enough finished with cake similar to black forest. What a feast!

After dinner we take a walk to try walk off some of the grub and we pass a craft beer bar that Shane had spotted (you’d be surprised what he sees from a car) earlier today. It’s a nice old bar so we have one to say goodbye to the city.

We are flying out at lunchtime and as the traffic can be unreliable we leave at 9am to ensure we’re not late. Zaya drives us and on the way we stop for coffee to meet the lady who we booked the tour with. We are able to tell them how great a time we’ve had on this tour and get to the airport in plenty of time.

One last shot of the countryside and a ger home that is so typical of what we’ve seen in Mongolia.

Back to Seoul for us. Bye bye Mongolia!

I’m traveling to Rome for work. I have three nights with not a whole lot of free time but going to try to take advantage of the limited free time I do have and see some of this beautiful city. I’ve been a few times and it’s one of my favourite places to visit EVER!!

Two hours 50 minutes gets you from Dublin to Da Vinci airport and I taxi to the city as it’s already close to 9pm when I arrive. €50 flat fee to the city. I’m staying at the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace. It’s very fancy!

I immediately drop my bags and take a walk. It’s only ten minutes to the Trevi fountain.

I throw a coin over my shoulder, which hopefully means I will get to come back.

It’s a bustling area of town, so I walk back to a restaurant. I spotted on the way for a quick bowl of pasta.

The restaurant is called “That’s Amorè” and as I walk in they are playing Dean Martin. There are loads of great photos on the walls and considering it’s so close to a lot of tourist action it’s not too cheesy! I order carbonara and a glass of red wine and it’s delicious. The restaurant doubles as a cooking school during the day with Chef Fabio Bongianni.

There are beautiful buildings and impressive fountains on every corner, and in every square, around Rome. As I pass Piazza Barberini I take a closer look at Tritons fountain which is from the 17th century and sculpted by Bernini… serious art and history is everywhere!! This is why I love Rome.

Next day is busy with meetings but we are served a delicious parmigiana for lunch with a tiramisu for dessert…. So good! After work we are treated to a walking tour which I just love. We start by the colosseum and get some history of Constantine.

The views of the Colosseum at night are fabulous. I think this photo below may have to replace the one on my wall at home.

As we walk around the periphery of the Colosseum, we look towards the Roman forum and other ancient gates.

It’s hard not to photograph from every angle

Onwards we go, crossing the new metro line and continue along the imperial forum. I like the statue of Julius Caesar with the basilica in the background.

As we walk along this main thoroughfare there are buskers playing music and it’s very atmospheric as we see the sites of Rome by night. The views on both sides of the road are impressive and the tour guide gives us lots of history to take in as we stop for photos.

We continue to Piazza Venezia (Venice square) and the very famous Monument to Victor Emmanuel II. This is where the tomb of the unknown soldier is housed and also a very famous landmark where you see traffic being directed in front of it at a large crossroads. We take a group photo and yes it’s cold so we are well wrapped up.

We continue to the Capitoline and see the beautiful square, conceived by Michael Angelo in 1536 and executed over the next few hundred years. The beautiful buildings house art and archeological museums which I’ve visited before and are well worth a visit.

This is essentially the end of our tour, but before we turn up a quiet street for the restaurant we see what looks like the colosseum again but that couldn’t be right… in fact it’s the Teatro di Marcello. This theatre of Marcellus was an ancient open-air theatre where in the days of Julius Caesar locals went to see drama, and song. Amazing!

The restaurant is fantastic and unexpected from the entrance!! Long tables full of bottles and glasses, bread, empty food plates, bright lights and bustling waiters – it’s very Italian!

We start with a glass of Prosecco and have red wine once the first course is finished. We have a lot of food! For the first course we have fried fish and vegetables – my favourite being the zucchini flower. The artichoke in the photo below was also very good (never had artichoke served like this!). Then we have not one but two pasta courses, the first is cacio e pepe with guanciale (so good); followed by amatriciana (always a favourite). Our host wants to make sure we taste both of these specialities of Rome and apparently of this restaurant.

The main course is Veal involtini which is rolled veal stuffed with ham and Mozarella with a mushroom sauce and served with chicory – apparently the Italians eat a lot of this, it’s a strange kind of vegetable. We have sorbet with limoncello and vodka for dessert and all finished off by a small glass of Amaro (a bitter herbal liqueur).

What a meal! We are all stuffed and start to walk back to the hotel but there’s a bit of rain. A couple of us jump in a taxi and have one sneaky drink in the rooftop bar before bed. It’s another early start tomorrow but it’s worth it!

Once the work day is over I take a 6 minute walk from the office to visit Santa Maria della Vittoria church as it houses the incorrupt body of Saint Victoria. I’m not entirely sure (based on my research) that she was actually incorrupt at the time of exhuming her – I’ve read conflicting reports!! Anyway here is her wax-enhanced skeletal remains

The church itself is beautiful and has a number of impressive works of art and a Bernini sculpture.

A short walk from the hotel is the Villa Borghese gardens. I want to check it out ahead of tomorrow as I plan to get a run in and check it out in more detail. The Via Vittorio Veneto runs by my hotel and straight through these arches to the park. Easy peasy.

There are lots of cool statues.

I particularly like this headless one… I’m sure there’s a story behind it but no plaque for me to study.

I walk back to meet a couple of colleagues for dinner and we head toward piazza Navona. We pass the Spanish steps.

From across the street there’s an interesting looking building that we check out. It’s Church Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza and it has study rooms upstairs. Very picturesque lit up at night.

More beautiful churches as we near the restaurant – this one is Sant Eustachio.

The restaurant that has been recommended to us doesn’t open for another half hour, so we choose another place across the street which ends up being fantastic. We order pizza, mine with mushroom and truffle and a Montepulciano red wine to go with it.

Next morning I go for a run around those beautiful Villa Borghese gardens. It’s easy to rack up 5km as I zig zag through the grounds.

Cold but fresh 😀

Lots of interesting monuments….

Great statues everywhere

Back at the hotel I have a quick breakfast and pack my work stuff away. I have a great chat with the taxi driver who says he’d love to see his home city of Rome through the eyes of a tourist! A final goodbye to the Colosseum en route to the airport.

Ciao Roma, hope to be back again soon!

A coastal walk in Maroubra with a swim in the sea pool and brekkie, of course!

Jacarandas in bloom…

Lorikeets in the front garden (I do love these birds)

Shanes’s birthday dinner with the gang ahead of our trip to Vanuatu. Delicious Mexican food at Nu’u by Nativo and a really good spicy margarita.

Watching the main man play baseball.

Poolside drinks in the garden.

Lunch with Hilary and a visit to her new office along with some shameless advertising of her amazing business that is now ten years old. Go Titian Consulting!

An aerial view over New Caledonia on the way home from Vanuatu (see seperate blog post for the week in Vanuatu – it was spectacular).

Arriving back to Sydney and seeing the beautiful coastline …. Manly beach I believe…..

A visit to the New South Wales gallery to see the new wing and some contemporary art.

Some beach time at Brighton Le Sands. The water was so warm and as there are no huge waves I was able to swim between the nets… delighted with myself as I could actually do laps!

Dinner at St Georges Sailing club for sunset and of course a shnitty!

A visit to “Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs” exhibition at the Australia museum plus a little bit of shopping in town as there was rain.

Got to play tennis a few times with my Greek ladies and it was a blast. The walk home along the coast was stunning.

A week in Queensland where we stayed at Kirra beach and I was able to get into the water everyday. We arrived late Friday night and were up early to tick a new parkrun off the list… Varsity Lakes. A 7am start and it was still roasting!

Post parkrun we jump through some fairly strong waves (well strong for me) at Kirra beach and then walk towards town for some brekkie. In the afternoon we do a little shopping and then have one at Precinct Brewing in Miami (yes Miami!!)

On Sunday we take a trip to Springbrook National Park. This national park makes up a quarter of the UNESCO world heritage listed Gondwana rainforest. We get a great view of Mount Warning and the surrounding hills and countryside, see all sorts of lizards and beautiful birds and there are plenty of wallabies on the road but they scarper when they hear the car coming. We also see two beautiful rosellas bathing in water – beautiful blue and red birds.

We walk the Twin Falls circuit and see two separate waterfall from a number of vantage points including walking behind the falls.

It was a really hot morning but the coolness from the waterfalls was really pleasant and the walk was mostly shaded by trees.

Beautiful viewpoints out over the valley. I was fascinated by the one small red colour among all the green vegetation.

A short drive away (but still part of the heritage site) we visit Natural Bridge where I saw a snake very close up and some bats in a cave. There are glow worms in the cave but you can’t get far enough in away from daylight to see them well.

The drive there and back was really lovely. We drive through some farmland and stop at a farm shop where I buy a fruit that I’ve never heard of before…..

Tonight we have mushroom and truffle pizza from Bread and Butter – one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had… and some nice Aussie cider from Barossa.

During the week I take advantage of being across from the beach and fit in as much as possible…. A game of tennis in Terranora with Greg & Kylie.

After a couples match, us ladies teamed up to beat the lads!!

Cocktail time on Shane’s mums veranda looking out on the valley … always a stunning view.

I made a spinach dip in a cob loaf that I came across in the Cole’s magazine (Cole’s is like Dunnes or SuperValu for my Irish friends) and I have to say, it was delicious. I will definitely be making this at some stage over the upcoming festive season. I also packed from Dublin a bottle of Moet & Chandon which was a gift for my 50th and it was lovely to share it here.

Shane’s mam cooks a beautiful piece of lamb with roast potatoes and we have some very special wine… [side note the “veg” is coleslaw and salad because it’s just too hot]

A run around the very hilly Terranora where I admire the beautiful poinciana trees in bloom.

Runs along the beach….

The final beach walk… Coolangatta to north Kirra.

Back in Sydney – a Friday night vegetarian Indian meal…

Kamay parkrun in Sydney – another hot 7am start.

Hilary’s 50th birthday is today (well officially tomorrow but the party is today) – a beautiful lunch at the Fenwick in East Balmain. We take the ferry which gives us a lovely view of the Opera house.

Fab party with a gang of Hils friends and an absolutely delicious lunch with gorgeous cocktails and wine….

On the day the temperature threatened to hit 40 degrees so it is like a sauna outside but it’s beautifully air conditioned while we eat and drink… happy days!! I had bought a beautiful dress from a boutique near Hils office last week but it had a sleeve and I was afraid I’d be too roasting so there was another Gold Coast purchase made… a much better option.

It’s a 1pm start so I think we all know where this is going!

Beautiful view of the Sydney Harbour bridge so we take advantage of a slight drop in temperature for a shot outside with all the girls.

We always knew this would end up in the pub… great fun all round!

It’s a busy weekend for my final weekend away and next morning we are meeting the gang for a swim in Iceberg’s – the famous sea pool and fancy lunch spot overlooking Bondi beach. We swim first…

Then it’s time for the beautiful banquet lunch

The food was so good, I’m still thinking about the tuna and the beef tartare.

The sky was very overcast this morning after the crazy heatwave yesterday but it brightens up for a photo with blue sky.

From there we take a short walk by the beach, where the Bondi Rescue team are shouting to swimmers to get out of the rip (just as you see on the tv program) and have a few in Curly Lewis.

Monday is my last day. A fitting final visit to the beach with the birthday girl to round off the birthday celebrations. We hit Cronulla which is gorgeous.

Lunch at the RSL and the lovely Foof joins us. Check out that fabulous view … and the food was really good.

Back home it’s the final meal of homemade pizza in the new outdoor pizza oven – amazing!

Goodbye for now Sydney! See you soon!

We move to another riad which is a little more rustic than our fancy one but it’s still lovely.

It’s Riad Chorfa, on the other side of the medina by a different bab (that’s a gate) – Bab Laksour so we have other streets to explore.

The guy at the riad is super nice and gives us lots of information and suggestions of things to do for the next few days. There are 4 tiny turtles roaming around…

We check out our new digs and then set off to visit “Le Jardin Secret”, the secret garden. It’s an elegant, ornate 19th-century palace (I would use that term lightly!) with traditional Islamic gardens, plus a shop & cafe. It’s certainly a calm oasis away from the souks.

Next we head to the photography museum, but unfortunately it’s closed for refurbishment as it had some damage from the earthquake. Some interesting streets and buildings as we wander around.

Locals keep telling us the museum is closed and suggesting we go to the market as the Berber women are here for one day only …. I’m pretty sure we were told the same thing yesterday!!

We pass the Mausoleum of Sidi Abou Faris Abdelaziz Tebbaa. Oh and the pomegranate juice being sold on most corners is delicious.

We ramble through the souks again and go to the Marrakesh museum. It’s housed in a former palace so the building itself is very nice.

It’s a manageable size to get around in an hour.

Back to the riad to relax by the pool which is nicely shaded, so we can make plans for the rest of the evening.

We decide we’ll try “mechoui” which is the famous slow-roasted whole lamb or mutton that is cooked in underground clay pits. There are a few restaurants in a row and we chose Chez Lamine Hadi Mustapha – apparently they are all family run and this one has a photo of Gordon Ramsey outside!

The lamb is served with bread although later we realise we could have ordered salad and chips with it but we were so excited when the waiter pointed us to a seat and said “lamb yes!” we just agreed and were happy to get what we were given!

A tour passes by and the chef opens the whole in the ground to show the tourists – there’s a bit of commotion so I sneak over for a look and it turns out the guides sunglasses, which were sitting on the top of his head when he looked in, have fallen into the pit!!

Hocine (our guide from the tour) had told us that the square will be more “animated” at night so we take a walk around sussing out the entertainment and all the food options for tomorrow night. It certainly is a very animated square!!

Next morning I’m not feeling very well… not sure if I overdid it on the fatty bits of the lamb or if the two weeks have just caught up with me. I try to sleep it off as I don’t want to miss out on the cooking lesson we’ve planned for today.

We head for Moussine square (which happens to be right by our original riad where we stayed!) and meet Chef Leila who takes us to her home for a lesson and lunch.

There are two other couples and we all help prepare the food. It’s great fun and we pick up a few tips for some nice Moroccon dishes. The spices look so colourful and everything is so fresh.

No surprise his lordship is a dab hand at all the tasks he’s asked to do!

We make three delicious salads – tomato, aubergine and cucumber.

We make two different mains – lemon chicken and a vegetable tagine. The lemon has preserved lemons which they keep in a huge plastic “bin”… they add to them for months and they’re so tasty in the dish.

We also make a simple desert of yogurt and pomegranate seeds and each couple gets a tagine to bring home – hooray! That’s coming home with me! I’ve really enjoyed the afternoon and was able to eat a bit of lunch but I’m still not 100% so we have a quiet evening and hope to be fighting fit tomorrow.

Next morning I’m feeling a lot better so we head off for more exploring. We want to visit the cemetery and then head out of the medina to the new city. We walk through the Jewish quarter where it appears most of the damage from the earthquake took place.

Most of the places we want to visit today are closed. We walk to the Jewish cemetery which isn’t open on a Saturday. Bad luck. We continue around the Koutoubia mosque and come upon the Muslim cemetery. There is a sign above the gate, saying restricted area and no photographs, obviously we comply with the rules.

Love the toilet sign.

We stop for lunch in a little bakery that has lots of delicious looking treats. We settle for some pastisse that look like samosas of chicken and veg. I love watching the locals pop in to buy bread and pastries.

Passing Bab Nkob which was created during the French protectorate to connect the old city with the new district of Guéliz, we walk to the new town, which is approximately 3 km away.

The heat is brutal, but we’re trying to stay in the shade. It’s a very different vibe over this side of the city. Obviously modern but still has a Moroccon feel.

We are heading for Musée Macma which is a private art & culture museum celebrating the work of contemporary & historic Moroccan artists. I’ve also read it has some excellent photos.

It has some unusual artworks including motorcycles and lots of drawings with musical notation… not really what we were expecting but interesting all the same.

We walk back to the medina through Cyber Parc Arsat Moulay Abdeslam.

It’s a lovely park away from the busy main streets.

Some relaxing pool time before we head to a rooftop bar for a final sunset.

They have cocktails so we have a very nice mojito – so much fresh mint you can’t go wrong.

It’s time for our final meal in Jemaa El Fnaa square. There are so many stalls, mostly serving the same food – all look colourful and inviting. Every stall has someone trying to entice you in but we’ve decided on no.54 as we chatted to the guy last night and we liked the cut of his jib!!

We order skewers of meat and salads and of course accompanying bread and olives. It’s all cooked there at the stalls and is very nice. No booze here – water and soft drinks only.

Shane also has some type of lamb stew poured from a tanjia…. Now he’s happy!

A spot of local entertainment to finish off the evening.

Next morning it’s an early start as we leave a quiet medina – I can’t imagine it’ll stay like this for much longer… maybe an hour or so!!

We get a local taxi to the train station and head to Casablanca for our outbound flights – Shane to Sydney and me to Nashville (through Miami). We have loved Morocco – I have to say a better experience than I had ever anticipated. I hope to get back someday.

I’m traveling to Nashville for work. I always loved getting the chance to visit California for work in my last job, but how delighted am I that the Global team I now work with are based in Nashville. Total score! I arrive after midnight from Casablanca and head for the hotel Sheraton downtown.

I love that when you arrive in Nashville airport the messages over the tannoy to remember to pick your own luggage etc are courtesy of George Strait and Darius Rucker…. “This is George Strait welcoming you to Nashville and reminding you to check your luggage tag as bags can look the same”… hilarious!!

After a few hours sleep it’s already Monday morning and time to head to the office. It’s about a 10 minute walk and passes by Legends Corner which I can’t pass without a photo. In particular, because today is my mam’s birthday, and last time I was here was with her and the family.

I still have a touch of a dodgy belly from Morocco, so the first couple of days I’m not eating. Bit of a bummer as there is such good food here in Nashville. However, as the days go by I’m feeling better and manage some dinners with my work colleagues.

I’m staying for the weekend as my Texas girls (Jennifer and Renee) and Molly from San Fran are flying in to see me…. Woohoo girls weekend in this party city!! I get myself through a busy week and by Friday lunchtime I’m ready to check out the town…..

The girls arrived last night, so we had a quick catch up at the hotel, but the weekend is about to get started. I have to work for a few hours Friday morning so the girls have already gone for breakfast. By lunchtime I am done, meetings finished, emails answered I’m ready to party. I meet the girls around the corner from the hotel and we head straight for Broadway. Robert’s is first on our list of bars to check out.

In 2006, I came to Nashville for the first time and met my parents, big brother, Michael, little brother, Con, and big sister, Ange who’d all flown in from Dublin. We had the most amazing time and will never forget being in Roberts bar. I think we may have been there every day, sometimes for so many hours that we would just get a burger so we could stay longer without being starving..

It’s just how I remembered it. The stage looks the same, all the cowboy boots lined up along shelves, and burgers and cheese toasties being made behind the bar. We intended to stay for one but end up being there for about five hours. The music is just so good, we are loving it and it’s bringing back so many good memories. Old school country mainly but mixed in with some other tunes… Delta Dawn is a new one on me (how is that possible!) but I certainly know it now!

Eventually, we have to leave as we have dinner plans for tonight. We are going to a restaurant called Janes Hideaway.

We’ve made a reservation for drinks at White Limozeen. White Limozeen is a Dolly Parton themed indoor-outdoor rooftop bar that sits atop Graduate Nashville on West End Ave, walking distance to Vanderbilt University.

It has some very interesting decor, including this large round bed, which full disclosure we only jump on for a photo op…

We order drinks and also around of Jell-O shots – this is such an American drink and it’s got to be done. They’re actually very nice, not too sweet and not too alcoholic.

There’s a little bit of rain but we go outside to get a photo at the big Dolly statue.

Saturday morning we hit a local institution for breakfast and I’m very excited to have biscuits and gravy….

Rather than going back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the day (I’m rocking a just out of bed look!) we decide to head to the Ryman to see if they’ll honour our tickets from yesterday! Molly had booked the tickets ahead of time to do the tour but we didn’t get there as we spent so long in Robert’s. We are hoping they’ll let us use them today and we have a secret weapon – her name is Renee. We send her off to use her charm and get us in… of course we never doubted her and we are in!

The tour is just how I remembered it but this time it’s set up for a show tonight so you can’t actually stand on the stage. Last time I was here the big brother picked up the guitar and sang a John Prine number for the visitors – it was class!

The exhibitions are fantastic – loads of great info on all the country greats and Elvis of course.

The lady’s spot the recording booth and put my name down to record a song. You chose from a specific list so the obvious choice was “Walking After Midnight” by Patsy Cline. Well worth $15 for the experience and the recorded track.

After a spot of shopping at the gift store we head back to the hotel for a quick cleanup before catching a ride on the hotel golf cart driven by Asher the Dasher back to Broadway!!

For the rest of the afternoon we hit bars on Broadway… most are now owned by famous county singers and there’s a few I’m very interested in….. we start with Ole Red which is Blake Shelton’s bar.

I’d love to meet Blake but have to settle for his cardboard cutout!

The band playing are amazing – I love the stage and space to stand around and dance… it’s brilliant.

Next we hit the Whiskey Bent saloon and see a girl who apparently was on American Idol. Her name is Taryn Papa and she’s really good. I throw $10 in the tip jar and ask her to do “Girl Crush” by Little big Town and she does a really good job of it.

I’m insisting on a selfie in every bar…..

Next is Miranda Lamberts!

This bar is huge… multiple levels with multiple live music acts. I like the easy vibe on the ground floor …

It’s packed with youngsters getting their booze on so not really our cup of tea…. A quick drink and… NEXT!

We pass Dierk Bentleys and go into Laylas which I remember from before and is more low key with mostly blue grass bands. The band of ladies are fantastic.

We round off the afternoon/early evening with a final drink in Robert’s… sure you’d have to! Molly and Jennifer head back to the hotel while Renee and I have just one more before following suit.

Tonight we are hitting a well known pizza restaurant called City House before going to the grand old Opry. The pizza and red wine is delicious. Anthony Bourdain was here in his “parts unknown” series.

We have managed to get tickets for a Keith Whitley Memorial show – “I WONDER DO YOU THINK OF ME: THE OPRY REMEMBERS KEITH WHITLEY”. It has quite the lineup, and we see Ashley McBryde, Keith Whitley‘s son Jesse, Lorrie Morgan (Keith’s wife), Terri Clark, Mark Wills, The Grascals, topped off by none other than Mr Garth Brooks.

The main man is hard to beat. There’s no screaming and you can actually hear him sing – LOVED IT!

Sunday has come around very quickly so we pack up and head to our brunch spot for a final meal together. It’s a place called Husk and it’s in a beautiful old house with lots of history. They have a significant breakfast/brunch menu, including appetisers and mains. We make the most of things and order savoury dishes each with some sweet dishes to share. Throw in a Bellini cocktail and everybody is happy. I think we stay over two hours at the restaurant and then we slowly make our way back to town.

We check out a different area of town on the walk back and see lots of little shops, cafés, bars and you guessed it – more live music.

Eventually we find our way to the cowboy boots store. We know we shouldn’t but about an hour later, Molly and I have bought matching pinkish red cowboy boots. We’re so long in the shop, we have to say our goodbyes to Renee and Jennifer who need to get to the airport for their flight.

Molly and I decide we need to go to Roberts for one last drink …. it has to be done. Yet again, the music is fantastic and it’s hard to leave this place.

I could stay for hours. I feel I’m all beer’d out but I manage one more (actually I think we had a cider!) to send us on our way.

It has been an amazing weekend so happy I got to see the girls and delighted that we all loved the country music and the bars. It is a crazy party town in a lot of ways, but once you find the right bars it’s amazing. It’s defo the best place to visit if you’re a country music fan or even just a fan of good music.

Until next time, Nashville, be seeing ye!

Chefchaouen nestles in the hollow of two mountains – ech-Chaoua, meaning the horns – from which it takes it’s name. It is commonly known as the blue city with its Andulucian style colour and architecture. We arrive before 6pm and stop at a viewpoint before climbing (by bus) up the hill.

There is another climb (by foot) to reach our riad which is called Riad Jasmine.

It is fairly high up and offers beautiful views of the town especially as the sun is setting.

After the obligatory mint tea welcome and checking out our beautiful rooms Shane and I take a walk towards town to have a look around.

The narrow streets and painted blue walls are very picturesque.

There are pretty blue narrow streets around every corner….

And great looking doors!!

Having climbed back up to our riad, we are roasting so we decide to have a quick dip in the pool… initially cold but so refreshing once we’re in.

Dinner tonight is on a terrace overlooking town and it is just beautiful. There is no alcohol at this riad so we are delighted to get the chance to drink what we carted from Fez. We have a white, a rosé (or Gris as they call it) and a couple of reds which are particularly good… all local Moroccan wines and all averaging approx €5 at the Carrefour! The waiter insists on opening and serving them to us as if we were in a fine dining establishment. We are served a mix of delicious starters and lemon and olive chicken tagine.

The temperature has gone down significantly so it is really pleasant sitting outside looking over the somewhat blue town.

Next morning we have a very fancy breakfast where we have a choice of eggs. I go for the eggshouka which has peppers and lots of oil with two eggs.

Only one night here unfortunately so we get packed up and are ready to explore all that is blue.

So many pretty photo opportunities. It’s hard not to keep snapping.

We seem to be ahead of the hordes …

A couple of group shots before we go….

And one more for good measure… it’s just such a nice setting for a photo, it’s hard not to click!!

Having maxed out somewhat on the blue photos we head downward to the main square. At the centre is the Alcazaba. This fortress was built by Moulay Ali Ben Musa, the founder of Chefchaouen, in 1471.

We also see the Great mosque which was built by Prince Mohammed Ben Ali Ben Rashed during his reign (1540 – 1560).

We see the Bab El-Sour gate built during the reign of Prince Moulay Ali Ben Rashid 1471 – 1511.

The Bab El-Ain Gate located along the walls leads us out to the street where we’ll pick up the bus.

First there’s time to taste some prickly pear which tastes very refreshing – like a pear with a lot of seeds! Another beautiful water fountain along the side of the road

We’re on the bus again and have a journey of about 4 hours ahead of us. We pass some salt pans and Hocine tells us this is where the majority of Moroccan salt comes from. [side bar: we see a lot of Dacia Dusters on the roads and I see a lot of these at home too. Apparently they’re made in Morocco]

We pass olive farms and fields of wheat and barley and spot a few lambs… or sheep.

Shortly after seeing said lambs we stop for lunch at a town called El Arba Du Rharb and are served up lamb chops!! It’s 32 degrees (i.e. roasting) and we are served enough meat for about ten people – kofta, chicken and lamb all grilled on the roadside.

Seriously good food which by the way included salad, bread and chips, in a humble roadside cafe with the most hospitable locals serving us. So so nice but I may now have meat sweats!!

We arrive to Rabat, the capital city by the late afternoon and get straight to seeing the key sites. First off the mausoleum of King Mohammed V (that’s the current kings grandfather). It is indeed very grand.

We go inside and see the tomb which is guarded at each side.

In general you’re not allowed to photograph any military or police but at the mausoleum the guards actually pose for a shot with visitors!! Rav and I reckon we’ll take the opportunity although we don’t get too close.

The mausoleum is located opposite Hassan Tower, the minaret of an incomplete mosque which was commissioned near the end of the 12th century and intended to be the largest mosque in the world but the mosque was never finished. The minaret which would have been the tallest was damaged in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

Many pillars were brought from Volubilis (where we visited yesterday) to build the mosque that never was.

There’s a great view of the Mohammed VI Tower which is a 55 storey, 250m skyscraper and one of the tallest buildings in Africa.

As is the norm in pretty much every town we’ve visited we walk through some gates and admire the walls.

Some small streets with craft shops lead us to an ocean view.

We check in to our accommodation for the night – another lovely place in the old medina called Dar Shaan. We are all on the first floor.

Time for a dip… decent enough size pool on the rooftop that I can actually swim in!

Nobody is keen on a big dinner after the magnificent lunch earlier so after a couple of g&t’s by the pool, we take a walk around the medina.

We do need a little something so we go into a very local restaurant for a small bite. We finally get to try the harira soup which is like minestrone – grand but nothing to get too excited about. Mind you everyone in the restaurant is eating it. It’s a very cheap meal…. I ordered an omelette which was less than €1.

We take a walk before breakfast along the coast the next morning. It’s quite misty and there are a handful of people out running and doing various exercises along the way some even taking a dip!

We continue to the lighthouse.

From there we cross the road and do a loop back to the medina passing the graveyard which is huge and covers both sides of the road.

As we leave Rabat we drive along the Atlantic coastline and there’s a beautiful long stretch of flat pathway lined with trees. There’s also a huge rock pool which would rival any rock pool in Australia, if there was actual water in it! I’d love to have my runners on here and run the length of the pathway….. flat and straight with a sea breeze.

We arrive in Casablanca and visit the mosque of Hassain II. This is the third biggest mosque in the world. Mecca and Medina (Saudi Arabia) being the other biggest and it has the highest minaret in the world. It was started in 1987 and taking 7 years finished in 1993.

It sits on the Atlantic and is really stunning inside and out. In total it fits more than 100,000 worshipers in the overall complex – 85,000 outside and 25,000 in the inside prayer hall. It’s like a a massive football stadium!

The ablution room is particularly impressive.

When you get up close the detail is magnificent. There is marble everywhere most of it from Agadir but a small piece of white brought in from Italy. The woodwork is cedar wood all local to Morocco. The ceilings, doors and columns are all magnificent.

It’s one of the few mosques in the world and the only one in Morocco where non Muslims can visit.

We walk along the coast to get a view of the mosque from the sea but the tide is out so not quite as dramatic a view. Still striking though.

It’s lunchtime now and so that means seafood. We get dropped at a seafront restaurant called Tropicana Space. It’s a bit chaotic as there are a lot of tour groups arriving and Hocine is insisting on finding us a good table where we can look out at the ocean. We eventually get to order and while the fish is ok the drinks are terrible (we ordered virgin mojitos but they are made with some awful mint syrup that tastes like mouth wash). I have “beignet calamari” but it’s not a type of calamari donut, it’s fried calamari! Of course I knew that but a little part of me was hoping for a beignet!!

Back on board the bus we have about a four hour journey to Marrakech. It might be time for a nap! I hope this truck makes it under this bridge… they carry very wide and high loads!!

The scenery continues to impress…

We arrive in Marrakesh and we’re staying in the same riad as our first night. We have some drinks on the terrace and an amazing final meal together.

Goodbye to our friends and safe onward travels. A few more days in Marrakesh for me and Shane in the final instalment coming soon.

Next morning after a bit of a lie-in and a leisurely breakfast we meet our guide at 10am to start a tour of Fès. Fès was built in 1276 and was the administrative centre of Morocco until 1912. We jump in the bus and head to the palace. You cannot go into any of the palaces of the king. This one is the oldest in Morocco dating to the 14th century.

We drive up to the highest point to get a full view of the medina and it is very impressive.

Back in the air conditioned bus (thank God!) it’s time to go to a pottery shop. It’s impressive to see how the tiles are made and cut into pieces then assembled on tables etc… such a lot of work.

We also see bowls and tagines being made.

I really want a tagine but Hocine tells me to wait for a different opportunity. I do buy a beautiful serving dish though… can’t wait to use it at home assuming I get it safely to and from Nashville (oh yeah, I’m not going home from Morocco I’m going to the US for work so all my purchases will be coming with me!).

As we head into the medina we stop to look at a number of storks on the roof of one of the buildings. They are huge and build massive nests on top of the buildings.

We spend a couple of hours walking through the souks, they seem bigger than Marrakech but I’m not sure how that’s possible!

Among the souks, hidden behind a large door is the Bou Inania Madrasa. Built between 1351 and 1357, it housed students and was an important mosque, known for its beautiful mihrab (prayer niche).

The tiles again are beautiful….

Cats are everywhere….

There are also beautiful water fountains randomly throughout the medina.

We are also treated to some entertainment… Fès style!

We also see the building (called a Zaouia) which contains the tomb of Moulay Idriss who was the founder of Fès. We look inside as “to non-Muslims respective glimpses possible through open doors”.

We are invited into a family friend of our guides house for a lunch of couscous. Hocine introduces us to another Hocine who walks the souks with us directing us at corners and regularly on his phone and greeting people along the alleyways. (It’s quite amusing) He is one of ten siblings apparently and his mother is cooking the couscous!

I’m excited as I haven’t had couscous yet. It is a giant serving that initially we think is just vegetables but there seems to be nearly a full chicken under there and it seems never ending.

We all eat our fill but there is still lots left.

We finish with fruit and of course some mint tea that Hocine pours for us.

There’s a fair amount of shopping getting done today. We buy beautiful blue scarves (that was on my list) and now we’re heading to the tannery. I’ve never seen a tannery and it’s very impressive but the stink is rotten. Luckily on the way in we are handed a bunch of mint – I have mine practically shoved up my nose!

It’s time for a bit of bargaining as these Australians aren’t very good at it (sorry lads I know you’re reading this but I think you’ll agree!!). Belts, slippers and bags have been purchased and I think I did a fairly ok job on the price but I know if I had my sister or supperclub girls with me we’d have gotten an even better price!!! It’s fun though… and the sales guy tells me I bargain like a Berber woman – apparently that’s a compliment!

There are so many pretty little streets around the medina.

The walls of Fès are extensive. I like the ruins just outside where we are staying…

It gets to 37 degrees today and we are all roasting and a bit knackered. A couple of the crew have a touch of the lurgy or, as we like to call it the Monique-a-virus!! time to jump into the cold pool to cool down…

There are beautiful products in the huge bathroom in our rooms so I take advantage of the black soap and scrub to do a mini hamamm!

At 7pm it’s time for a sundowner on the terrace and we listen to the call to prayer from up there… it is impressive when it starts as there are many competing calls.

Once it’s dark we take a walk to a low key restaurant that we can see from our terrace. There’s a camel burger on the menu so I know what I’m having.

Next morning another lovely breakfast is served at the riad…

And then we take our leave of Fès and drive approximately an hour to Meknés.

More walls to see and we visit the mausoleum of Moulay Ismaïl, who ruled Morocco from 1672 to 1727 and was considered the most bloodthirsty in Moroccan history. He also fathered 867 children with 500 women!! He founded the current dynasty (the Alouite dynasty) and the current king – King Mohamed VI is a direct descendant.

The current king has just two children a son 19, and a daughter 10 and seems to be separated from his extremely popular and progressive wife. Apparently before this wife (who doesn’t seem to be given the title of queen), no one ever seen the wife of the king. This is the first one they’ve seen!! Hocine assures is that the rights of women have undergone a lot of changes for the better in recent years and a lot of this is down to the king and his wife.

Every section has more beautiful archways doors and tiles

The most beautiful gate in all of Morocco (the blue gate) is unfortunately under renovation That was a short stop but a good one.

Meknés (the capital of Morocco at one point) is a busy town and before we exit we stop for an ATM and some water. There’s a bit of confusion as the bus needs to move from where we pulled in. After a bit of rambling around all are accounted for and we can continue on our way.

We stop for lunch in the town of Moulay Idriss. This is the birthplace of the founder of Fès and is a picturesque town on a hill.

It is a holy city and for those Moroccans who cannot get to Mecca they make a pilgrimage here. Moulay Idriss was the first Islamic leader and a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed. He died in 791 and was buried in this town although I’m pretty sure we peeped into the place of his tomb yesterday in Fès (slightly confused.com). Non Muslims are not permitted to visit his mausoleum. At least that stacks up!

We have a delicious meal of meat on the grill with beautiful tomatoes and grilled onion.

We are eating with some locals who all bid us Bon appetite.

A short journey by bus back down the hill and “across the road” to the Roman ruins at Volubilis.

Founded in the 3rd century BC, this was an extensive city and the ruins are quite vast. They are the most extensive in Morocco and are impressive by any standards.

Among some mosaics and lots of pillars, we see the impressive basilica.

The countryside is very different from what we’ve seen in previous days. Meknés and the surrounding area is where most of the vineyards and olive trees are.

We continue the drive toward Chefchaouen but I will save that for the next blog post…. Inshallah!