Morocco 2014

Marrakesh

Being honest, I was not ‘ready’ for Marrakesh. I think this is partly because I flew from Madrid, was picked up at the Airport and taken to my accommodation that I had pre-organised (a Riad). All of this tends to shield you from the transition of being in a new country. The Riad I was staying in was in the Old City but the high walls and tranquil garden in the centre of the building made you feel anywhere but in a city. I had been to Africa before; I had been to the Middle East, but the moment I left the Riad and entered the alleyways of the Old City ready or not, I was in Marrakesh! While I say that I was not ready, this is not a negative, for me it means the sights, the smells, the atmosphere was new and surprising and in fact this is the excitement of travel that I yearn for. Perhaps best of all I had this feeling again in the evening, for this is when Marrakesh truly comes to life.

 

 

 

M’Hamid

Travel south, and keep travelling until the road goes no further and all you see beyond is the desert – for now you have arrived in M’Hamid. My journey to M’Hamid was focused on experiencing the desert, to sleep on the sand and stare at the stars, but the desert shared something else with me, a storm. We could feel the weather changing and could see the change in the sky but I do not think any of us would have predicted what the next few hours would hold. It was my last day in M’Hamid and we walked up to the bus station to pick up my ticket for the next morning. The sky was becoming darker and darker so we walk out and looked to the south, and there we saw it. A wall of sand was coming towards us, a sandstorm easily 100’s of metres high descended on us and blotted the sun. we stood in the doorway of the station, only able to see a short distance into street where the sand was swirling around. The wind only got stronger and stronger and it was then that the rain come: we could hear the roar of it as it approach. The storm hit with such force, rooves where ripped off homes, trees were uprooted and the streets become rivers. This desert village was overwhelmed with water.

In the distance I can see the mountains which signify Algeria. Around me is the desert, a great expanse of space and sand. I scan what is in front of me, the shapes, the shadows and the subtle change of colours. I consider everything but nothing in particular – my mind is wandering and enjoying the freedom that the vast space has presented.

  

Dades Valley 

Dades Valley is one of those places that are difficult to put into words. I had not planned to visit the Valley but had a few extra days so just picked a place on the map. The moment I arrive, I was simply at peace. I was staying in a beautiful little family run place and I was the only guest so I got to know the family well. I also spent a lot of time sitting, just looking out over the valley, absorbing everything. I am not sure if it was because of the rain but the colours in Valley seemed so much more vibrant, it truly was special.

 

 

 

I had spent a day just wondering around the Valley, exploring on my own. In the evening I was debating what I would do the following day. I had heard there was a small gorge that you could go to deeper in the Valley but I was not sure how to get there. I had decided that I would just spend the next day walking near where I was staying but got talking to the son of the family that I was staying with. After chatting for a while I asked if he would take me on a hike the following day and he was happy to do so (for an agreed price). I really had no idea where we were doing when we set off. We immediately left the road and starting to cut through fields and little villages.

After hiking for some time, we came to the entrance of Monkey Fingers Gorge. This was a very narrow entrance and the walls on either side towered above. I soon understood the name as we had to shimmy up the rock, suspending ourselves above the water. In some circumstances where our monkey fingers were not enough we had to wade through the water, or climb up waterfalls. After a while in the gorge we climbed up out and cut across a ridge line, the stark change in scenery seemed to add a new dimension to the hike. After a while on the ridge line we came to more of a plateau and in the distance was what looking like a rock gatehouse (two hills slightly separated). As we walked through, the view stopped me in my tracks. We were perched on a small cliff looking at a dry river bed that stretched out and in the distance we could see the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas Mountains. What I found most amazing was the contrasts: the contrast in the shapes and types of rocks; the contrast from where we had just been; and the contrasts in the colours.

Fez

The secret to Fez, well that is rather simple: it is to be permanently lost! Fez has the largest old city (Medina) in the world where cars cannot enter and this is not by choice, the alleyways are so narrow that they physically cannot enter. Add to the narrow alleyways that many are covered which prevents any type of orientation and you have a living, breathing maze.

 

Spain 2014

Barcelona

We were very fortunate to have found an apartment that was in the heart of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. The apartment itself was a beautiful old apartment with high ceilings and a terrace overlooking a square. We could walk everywhere and spent our time enjoying the narrow alleyways, beautiful buildings and amazing out of the way restaurants.

 

  

 

As young people we find ourselves trying to negotiate our path, trying to find our way through the maze, mapping where it is that we are going, where it is that we have been. But I am finding as I get ‘older’ more and more I realise it is just about the journey and the rest, well the rest will simply take care of itself.

 

 


Lost in the Alleyways
Often our first choice when we left the apartment was: are we going to head north, south, east or west? After that we typically let fate decide on where our journey would take us. I find it very liberating to be faced with a choice of turning left or right and making the selection simply based on which direction seems more adventurous. On this particular day we stumbled on this square, it was the heat of the day but the square was very cool and protected from the sun. We found a comfortable spot in the corner of the square and watched: watched the people come and go, watched the shadows change their shape, and watched the stories that the stones held.

     

La Nou de Bergueda 

I have my instructions on a scrap piece of paper in my top pocket. Catch the subway and stay on until the fourth station. Walk out of the subway, cross the street, turn left and follow the street for five blocks. At this cross road turn right and walk down to the Centre Cívic Joan Oliver Pere Quart building. Be in front of here at 19:00 to meet Imma. I must admit to an amount of nerves when I am meeting a complete stranger that I will be staying with, but that first warm smile is always enough to put most of the nerves at ease. Any residual nerves / reservations were allayed as we drove deeper into the mountains and our conversation delved deeper into our lives. Imma and JP lived in a tiny village nestled in the mountains. I spent an incredible few days here sharing in their love of the area.

 

 

Berga

After an amazing time with Imma and JP it was time to move on. I had organised to stay with another family but they were not able to meet me until the afternoon and JP had to head back into Barcelona in the morning. Public transport is basically non-existent in this region of Spain (particularly between villages) so JP dropped me in a small village where I would meet Esther in front on the library in the evening. I walked slowly through the village, getting lost a number of times in the alleyways, before I found a small tourist information place. In speaking with them they mentioned that there was an interesting bridge to visit some 5km out of the village, right I had my adventure for the day. With my (poorly) photocopied map and my supplies, freshly baked bread and water, I set off. As roads narrowed and the village gave way to fields and the fields gave way to forest, the song in my heart and the excitement in my stomach grew. To be walking somewhere that only a day ago you had no idea existed and even as you turn each corner on the path it reveals new things, is indeed a special feeling. The bridge itself certainly did not disappoint and I sat on the rocks with the stream bubbling next to me absorbing everything.

Farm Stay

When I was communicating with Esther about staying with her, she sent me this message - We live in a valley, there isn't any village, any store, any street, only some farmhouses here and there, deep in the forest, and a narrow road near the stream; the place is beautiful! I think you will like it. I try not to have expectations when I am travelling but I must confess I did let my mind wander in relation to Esther’s home. Well, simply extraordinary, the calm that I felt in Esther’s home, the setting and not to mention the fact that I was adopted into her family are memories that far surpassed any expectation I may have had. Esther lived in a farmhouse, parts of which were built in the 14th century with a lot being added around 1773 – it was humbling to be living in history. To top the experience off it was mushroom season so each day I would walk out in to the forest and collect a bounty of fresh mushrooms to share with the family. Smelling freshly picked, wild mushrooms is like you are inhaling the essence of the forest itself.
 

Madrid 

 Madrid, a big city after the mountains: I am sure I would have had a level of trepidation had it not been for the fact that I was staying with a friend that I had met a few years earlier while travelling. I was very excited to meet up once again with Araceli and catch up on all that had past. Araceli showed me her city, we hung out at cafes, we strolled around the alleyways, we sat in parks and one of the nights we enjoyed the nightlife and walked home with the sun coming up. But there were also times that I would walk alone, finding the city for myself.

 

 
 

 
 

 

Toledo