Other Destinations

OUARZAZATE, MOROCCO’S GATEWAY TO THE SAHARA, AND THE RED CITY OF MARRAKECH

After we left Essaouria, we headed east into the interior of Morocco, to the small city of Ouarzazate, on the edge of the desert. The route is dotted with small, historic villages and farmhouses, and although it was a long trip, it was well worthwhile. The main claim to fame for Ouarzazate is that it is the location of Morocco’s Atlas film s…

EL JADIDA & ESSAOUIRA–TWO COLOURFUL RESORT TOWNS ON MOROCCO’S ATLANTIC COAST

Categories: Other destinations

After a most enjoyable time in Casablanca, we drove south down the coast to El Jadida and Essaouira. The distance to El Jadida is 102 kms, taking around 1hr 15 mins., through pleasant if not spectacular countryside, observing how the landscape unfolds and opens out onto the Atlantic coastal town, with its small harbour and golden sand beaches…

‘HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU, CASABLANCA’ – RICH ART DECO ARCHITECTURE AND THAT FILM

Categories: Other destinations

We arrived at Casablanca via a fast train—identical to a French TGV or the Spanish AVEs—from Tangier. The journey took just on 2 hours, and was on time to the second. Casablanca is the economic and business capital of Morocco, with around 3.5 million people in the urban area alone, with skyscrapers, traffic, noise, alongside a traditional medina. Known as the “white city”, named for the whitewashed Moorish buildings that scatter out from the coast, now blend…

VISIT TWO FASCINATING TOWNS ON A DAY TRIP FROM TANGIER

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We visited the World Heritage town of Tetouan and the blue town of Chefchaouen on a day trip from Tangier. The delightful people running our little Riad suggested that a car and driver was the most efficient and cost effective way to see these towns, given that Tetouan is over an hour by local bus and Chefchaouen was more than 2 hours by bus. Both towns are always mentioned as Must Sees in that part of the country, and as we discovered, well worth visiting…

DISCOVERING COSMOPOLITAN TANGIER, MOROCCO’S NORTH COAST JEWEL

Categories: Other destinations

Known as “the white city”, Tangier stands at the Strait of Gibraltar, just 31 kms from the port of Tarifa over on the coast of Spain, and where the Mediterranean and Atlantic waters converge. The city has a long history as a cosmopolitan trading centre, and given its strategic location, was the subject of struggles between numerous empires, from the Romans and Byzantines, to the Imperial Portuguese and fascist Spain.

PAROS –IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AEGEAN, AT THE HEART OF THE CYCLADES

Categories: Other destinations

We had sailed past the island of Paros a number of times in the past, but were always en route to somewhere else in the Cyclades such as Santorini, or Naxos, which is just 8 kms away. We determined this time around that we would make a point of stopping there for a few days and explore what had looked to us, peering across at it from the deck of a huge ferry, to be a picturesque town with pretty beaches and bays full of boats, large and small. What a gem it t…

PICTURESQUE PATMOS – THE ISLAND OF REVELATION

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The island of Patmos in the Dodecanese group is widely revered as the place where St John the Evangelist wrote the Book of Revelation. We had sailed past the island on a number of occasions in the past but hadn’t stopped off, as we were always en route to somewhere else. This last visit, we determined to add Patmos into our itinerary as we were staying on Kos, only a 2 hour trip on a fast ferry. This beautiful island is relatively small at barely 2…

DISCOVER KOS – THE ISLAND WITH SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

Categories: Other destinations

Whenever we go to Greece we like to do a combination of places that we know well and love to return to, while adding in a couple of places we’re yet to see. This last visit, the first of our new destinations was the island of Kos, one of the Dodecanese group of islands located in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Like so much of Greece, Kos is rich with ancient Greek and Roman landmarks such as temples, shrines, villas, an ancient Agora, picturesque villages, beau…

ATHENS – MORE THAN JUST THE PARTHENON

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When we think of Athens, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the Parthenon, perched high on the Acropolis overlooking the city spread out below. As the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, similarly, the Parthenon is surely the symbol of Athens. As splendid, and totally unforgettable, as it is, there are some other outstanding sights to visit if you’ve got a spare day or two. Here are a couple of our favourites that are always on our list to visit each time w…

NEW LIFE FOR TWO HISTORIC COMPLEXES IN HONG KONG

Categories: Other destinations

As well as being a perennial shopping mecca, Hong Kong has some exciting new projects that have breathed new life into a number of landmark historic buildings. Two of these are the former Central Police Station complex and the former Police Married Quarters, both on Hong Kong Island.