Morocco: Notes on Design

December 30th, 2020 Today we’re pressing pause on our virtual travel through Morocco to learn about a foundational aspect of the country’s art, design and architecture: Islamic Geometric Design. Islamic Geometric Design is found around the world and once you understand some of the basics, you’ll be better able to understand its value and complexity, while also being able to

Afternoon in Asilah, Morocco

December 29th, 2020 After yesterday’s drive, today we’re in Asilah on the coast of Morocco. Behind the fortress walls, a sleepy town basks in the sunlight — it looks a little bit Greek, a little bit Spanish and entirely Moroccan with its Berber wares and pointy leather shoes. (Oh, how I wish I had brought a pair home.) Asilah is

Down the Coast of Morocco

December 28th, 2020 After yesterday’s virtual tour of Tangier, today we’ve hired a driver and we’re on our way down the N1 coastal highway of western Morocco. The Atlantic is bright and blue today, and an empty beach stretches the entire length of the drive to our day-trip destination. After 45 minutes, we arrive at Asilah — a town that

Tangier: A Visual Feast

December 27th, 2020 Today we begin our virtual visit to Morocco with a post I wrote in 2018. We visited the northern part of the country in May of 2017, after spending time in Portugal and Spain. Viewing these photos again now lights the fire within me. Morocco has such depth and beauty, from the medinas to the countryside. This

Next Stop: Tea for Two

December 26th, 2020 For those of you celebrating, Happy Kwanzaa! Wishing you a safe celebration with family in the days ahead. With Christmas behind us, let’s get back to the magic carpet and resume our virtual travels. Yesterday we stopped in France at Notre Dame. Today we’re flying southwest to the Strait of Gibraltar on our way to Morocco. In

Into the Tanneries of Fez, Morocco

Travelling, one accepts everything; indignation stays at home. One looks, one listens, one is roused to enthusiasm by the most dreadful things because they are new. Good travellers are heartless. ~Elias Canetti, The Voices of Marrakech Death hangs constantly in front of us as we visit the Chaouwara tanneries in Fez. In the West, we rarely see where our food

A Thousand Shades of Chefchaouen

Near the northern tip of Morocco, in a pocket of sunshine at the base of the Rif mountain range, we arrive at Chefchaouen. Often called the Blue Pearl of Morocco, the town is a collage of blue and white against the earth tones of the landscape. Since its founding in 1471, Chefchaouen has felt the influence of neighboring countries and

The Fingerprint of Fez

Throughout this post you’ll find the words of author Paul Bowles, an American expatriate who lived in Tangier, Morocco for 50 years. He wrote an essay called “Fez” in 1984. His thoughts on the city still ring true today. I’ve interwoven my story with excerpts from his essay, noted as italic quotations. *** We ride the train from Tangier to