Drinking from a Firehose in the Middle of the Desert

Entrance to our riad in Fes

Blogging is relatively easy for me when  we have a lot of down time; the post is mostly about one or two topics, or describing a day or two.  It's especially easy when I can use a robust lap top computer with strong internet instead of an iPad tablet.  So, how to distill the last jam-packed six days, hundreds of photos, and countless topics on a tablet into a single post?  I really can't, as we have been trying to drink from a firehouse of Moroccan experiences, sights, sounds, flavors, history lessons, and interactions.   Maybe when we get home I can fill in the gaps and go into detail with some carefully curated photos.  Meanwhile, for those who have encouraged me to write more (and those of you who who haven't), here are a few drops from that hose. And by the way, its not all desert here.  We've rode through miles of orchards, olive groves, irrigated farms, and forests.

Rabat
Our pre-trip group of 6 merged with 8 travelers in Rabat, the capital city on the Atlantic Ocean.    It was the second day of the El IAd, and the streets were basically deserted.  We toured one of the king's several palace grounds, several ruins, walked the promonade at sunset, and had an amazing meal in a spectacular former mansion hidden in a narrow alley.  Rabat isn't the typical capital city of  a developing nation--it's clean, modern, and mellow.  Drivers actually stop at stop signs and they rarely honk their horns.
(Below mascot at ceramic tile cooperative, followed by Rabat monuments)

Fes
Inland about two hours from Rabat, but still in the north, Fes was founded in the 800's between the Rif and Atlas Mountains.  It had a sewer system from the beginning.  We stayed in a riad (a large home with a central courtyard) that was built 400 years ago in the part of the city that was established in the 1200's.   It was actually three raids combined and modernized, and it is spectacular.  (Trip advisor says it's only $108 per night, but it feels like $1,008.).  It's a 1/4 mile walk through alleyways to get there.

We spent a day with a guide exploring the inner city, a laybrinth of alleys, shops, factories, and homes accessible only by foot or donkey.  With 64 miles of alleys, it is the largest non-motorized urban area in the world.  We walked only 5 of those miles.  We visited a Jewish temple, a tanning factory, and a beautiful 800-year old Madrasa.            

Below:  Tannery in Fes

Below:  Madrasa photos

The Madrasa (an Islamic school teaching all subjects to students of all faiths) was the most interesting.  So much of our modern academic system and terminology is based upon them, such as words like endowment, chair, scholarship, etc.

Below:  scene from inside the old medina

While here, we divided into small groups to have dinners with local families.  Our gracious hosts lived in an apartment in the newer French section and they were so eager learn about us, to candidly answer all of our questions and treat us to some tasty Moroccan lamb tangine.

Volubilis and Meknes tours
Volubilis is an amazing set of well-preserved Roman ruins encompassing 100 acres and 1.6 miles of walls.  Founded in the 1st Century, it has mosaic tiles in the floors of some homes, a sewer system,  and more.  Much of it was either destroyed by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake or looted for sultan palaces, but so much still remains intact.

Seventeenth Century Meknes is the onetime home of the Moroccan sultanate.  It boasts the largest city gate in the world and a 25-mile perimeter wall. The old city has a massive structure that housed 12,000 horses and a granary that could hold several years' worth of wheat.

Below: stables & Grainger of Meknes

We concluded our three-night stay in fascinating Fes with an informal dinner on the rooftop, watching the sunset and the full moon rise in the 100 degree heat.  Today (Thursday) we head toward the Saharan Desert, with a lunch stop at a ski resort high in the Atlas Mountains.  We've been to a lot of interesting places over our 40 years of marriage, but Morocco has to be one of the most interesting, and unique.  It's relatively clean,moderately priced, and the people are friendly.  All-in-all, it's been a most pleasant surprise!

Your happy traveler and frustrated blogger,
Ron

Northern Morocco--Beautiful, Modern, & Friendly

Morning view from our room in Chefchaouen

Don't believe everything you see or read about the Arab world. Some places, like Morocco, defy the stereotypes, and we've had a delightful time learning this first-hand.  It is modern, relatively clean, beautiful, and friendly.  It's a land of geographical, cultural, economic, and cultural contrasts.  Oh, and did we mention beautiful?

We feel very safe here wandering the streets after dark.  Moroccans like Americans.  In fact, in 1777, in a "Treaty of Brotherhood," Morocco was the first country in the world to recognize our independence.  Women drive cars and motorcycles, have free access to birth control, serve as mayors and members of Parliment, and don't wear full Hijabs.  (Most, however, choose to wear head scarves.) The country is 95% Sunni Muslim, but pretty mellow about it and tolerant of others.  Unlike other Arab countries, there are no religious police or political prisoners, and so far, we've seen little--if any--military presence like we do in other countries.  The people here seem to revere their highly educated King Mohammed VI and his enlightened economic policies.  In our opinion, the policies would be even more enlightened without all of his many palaces.

Casablanca

Just one night and a few morning hours here, but that was enough.  We toured the world's third largest mosque, stocked up on beer and wine, and then headed north to the Rif mountains.  Our definition of hell is a large city in a developing country, especially these days with epic traffic jams.

Chefchaouen

We base camped three nights in this beautiful mountain city known for its distinctive blue-washed buildings.  It was a huge caravan crossroads 600 years ago because of its water supply and proximity to so many other places.   It's quite a place, and photos just don't do it justice.  We stayed in a 400-years old hacienda, wandered the narrow alleys and took a day trip to have a cooking lesson and lunch with a relatively poor family in the countryside.  What a fun and tasty experience!

Tetouan

This is a UNESCO world heritage site on the Mediterranean Sea with a big Spanish influence on architecture and language.  We had a local guide.  Good thing, as we would have been hopelessly lost in the narrow alleyways of the medina (the ancient walled city, founded in the 1400's.). This was the day before Aid Al Adha, a major religious festival throughout the Arab world, and we encountered mobs of people stocking up for the five day holiday, buying new clothes, food, and fancy sweets.  Sheep were in high demand, costing about $200-$300.  We heard a lot bleating and saw a lot of reluctant sheep being dragged to their ultimate doom the next day (Friday).  Before heading back we enjoyed an amazing seafood feast on the Mediterranean. The ride back through a spectacular gorge and mountain pass over the Rif mountains was so spectacular that none of us fell asleep.

Tangier

It seemed like a neutron bomb hit Tetouan, Tangier, and everywhere in between.  We were told it's like that most everywhere in the Arab world.  Everyone was at home or in the mosques.  Sheep throats were slit, and the carcasses were hung to age for a day or so.  We managed to find a resort hotel to serve us coffee and sandwiches enroute to Tangier.  About the only people we saw along the roads were desperate migrants from the rest of Africa, hoping to make it to Europe or find work in Morocco.  

After settling into a very nice hotel on the waterfront with the Spain coast in view, we toured an even older medina, about 3,000 years old, with another local guide.  We saw a lot of sheep hides in garbage cans and boys and young men roasting the hair off the sheep heads so that they can be cooked in tangines tomorrow.  Tangier is modern and cosmopolitan, long a favorite of writers, The Rolling Stones,  James Bond scenes, and Spanish tourists.

On to Rabat, the capital city

Saturday, we head to Rabat where we will meet eight other travelers for the main part of the trip.  We've had so much fun together.  Our close-knit group include:  Janice, a child rights lawyer from Detroit; Maria, a retired US State Department political officer, Vanessa, her sister (loudly pronounced See'Star) and cattle rancher from Puerto Rico, and Diane, a psycho therapist from Oakland.  Our guide, Nory, is the best.  He's a Berber from Morocco, and he met his Dutch wife on one of his guided mountaineering trips in the Atlas Mountains several years ago.  He commutes from the Netherlands to guide these trips with Overseas Adventure Trawvels (OAT).  

For more photos, go to https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1742770512451596.1073741854.100001559939155&type=1&l=993212bad0 Even if you aren't on FB, you can view the photos.  Enjoy!

Alice, Ron, Kathy, Maria Rasheed (driver)
Diane, Nori, Vanessa

Leaving for Our Last Vacation

We're leaving Sunday for our last vacation.  Yes, you read it right:  our last vacation--from work, that is.  That's because we are officially retiring in November.  From then on, our travels will be a vacation from our permanent vacation, a.k.a. retirement.  It just feels so good after 36 years, especially with such a wonderful team replacing us. We love what we do, our clients, and colleagues, but not being tied down. Above all, Ron's health scare last October was a wake up call that life is too short.  Our health, time, and each other are our most precious resources.

Shanti & Alan from London, John & Babette from Austrailia

We've heard many good things about Morocco, so when the opportunity presented itself, we jumped at the chance.  We're taking a three-week tour with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), which includes camping in the Sahara Desert for a couple of nights.  On our way home we'll stay in Paris for a few days with daughter Shanti and her boyfriend Alan who live in London.

Since we returned from our 40th anniversary family celebration in Alaska, it's been a fun summer on our road to Morocco.  Shanti and Alan and Alan's Australian parents visited us. We camped on the coast and near Mt. St. Helens,  and enjoyed concerts at wineries.

On the way towards Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center from
Toutle, WA.  The ride back was exhilarating!

Shore Acres St. Park near Coos Bay

Kathy resumed playing tennis after several years of absence, Ron resumed lap swimming after his shoulder healed and set a PR on pushups and overhand pullups.  We said hello to a new Jeep and goodbye to our beloved VW diesel Touareg with a generous settlement buyback by Volkswagen.

Cascade Head with brother Neal

Our campground on Lake Simistus, OR

Totality
(near Madras, OR)

However, our highlight was a five-day Airstream rally with over 300 Airstreamers in Central Oregon for the eclipse. Like the millions of people who experienced this awesome communal event it in the path of totality, we'll never forget it.

Courtesy of our friend Maris Avots

Just a microcosm of eclipse spectators all over the US

Official Rally T-Shirt

Beam us up for the eclipse, Scotty

We don't know what kind of connectivity and time we'll have to post blogs, but we'll try if the opportunities present themselves.  Best wishes for a good September!

North to SE Alaska for Our 40th

It seems like it was just a few years ago we celebrated our 40th birthdays. They were a big deal then with black balloons, gag gifts, and cards about being over the hill. All we had to do was just show up, laugh, and wonder where the time went.  In retrospect, that milestone was nothing compared to our recent 40th wedding anniversary.  We arrived at it with a lot more luck and effort than just showing up every day, although that certainly helped.

We needed more than black balloons to mark this occasion, so we decided to go BIG and host a celebration in Glacier Bay, Alaska (48 miles by air from Juneau) with our daughters, their boyfriends, and Kathy's brother Steve. Getting them together in one place at the same time from London, Boston, New York, and Oregon City took months of planning, and we're so glad they could get time off to join us.

Bear Track Inn,10 miles on dirt roads
from "downtown" Gustavus

Unlike our honeymoon when we backpacked without porters to the 16,000' elevation near the basecamp of Mt. Everest, we're getting soft in our old age. We stayed at the wonderful Bear Track Inn, on the edge of Glacier Bay National Park. True to Kelemen-Ellis family style we crammed each day full with outdoor activities and the evenings with food, drink, and card games.  It was a trip and family event of a lifetime, and hopefully we can do something like it again in 10 and 20 years.

Alaska, with its scenery and wildlife, is truly amazing.  See it while you still can (and while its unique wildlife and glaciers are still there)!

Day 1:  Arrival

Day 2:  A wet and scenic day of sea kayaking

Day 3:  (Our anniversary) Glacier Bay

We saw sea lions, eagles, mountain goats, a wolf,
humpback whales, puffins, and much more.

Our boat, complete with Park
Ranger Patrick, who narrated the
geology, history, and wildlife
the whole day

The much more

Margerie Glacier, 1 mile wide, 21 miles long,
250 ft. high, 50-100 ft. below water.
(Note cruise ship for scale)

Grand Pacific glacier, 2 miles wide, 34 miles long,
60-80 feet above sea, 0-60 feet below

On our way back to Bartlett Bay

An anniversary toast

Special cake

Day 5:  Flying from Gustavus to  historic
Skagway and back

The train from Skagway to White Pass, along the route
of the Yukon Gold Rush

Day 6:  Homeward bound.
(The 10:30 pm sunset view from our room)

The Big Apple, Part IV

    

We love the "Fearless Girl" sculpture.  She drew
more crowds than the Wall Street bull.

Some people say we're impulsive; others say we're spontaneous.  They're all correct.  On a whim, after reading a New York Times article about Renee Fleming planning to go out on top as an opera star in Der Rosenkavalier, we bought tickets and booked a flight to the Big Apple.  We weren't disappointed.  They do opera BIG in the Big Apple!

Big Night at Lincoln Center

Chandeliers at the Met

We stayed with Feruza, our "Third Daughter" ever since she was an Uzbek exchange student with us 2002-03.  She's now a proud US citizen and a nurse at Cornell NY Presbyterian, enjoying the city life in the Upper East Side, close to Central Park.  Hanging out with her was the highlight of the trip.

We've been to New York together about four times, and each time we try to do something different. What's new this time?  The Ground Zero Memorial, the top of the WTC on a beautiful day, the Fearless Girl sculpture on Wall Street, exploring Brooklyn Heights after walking the Brooklyn Bridge, a self-guided  walking tour of Harlem, Columbia University, and an audio tour of the magnificent Grand Central Station. 

Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn Heights

The famous Apollo
in Harlem

Residential street in Brooklyn

We also took in some favorites:  Central Park in full spring bloom, a favorite South Indian restaurant, Sotheby's, and the gastronomic sensory overload of Eataly.     Why Sotheby's, you ask?  Its free and a great place to see a lot of mostly modern art and jewels up for auction, including some well-know pieces.  This time we saw some Picasso, Chagall, and Andy Warhol prints.  We also got to observe an auction in progress, and saw diamond earrings go for over $1 million. Unlike the booze-fueled, festive and high-energy  atmosphere of the charity auctions we attend, this was pretty mellow.

Inside Grand Central

Grand Central deserves some mention. Over 750,000 people pass through it each day.   Completed in 1913 and restored in 1998, it's a beautiful engineering marvel rich with history. It's the world's largest train terminal, with 45 track platforms and 63 tracks.  It has two times more steel than the Eiffel Tower.  It has one of the deepest basements in NY, more than 10 stories deep, 90 feet below sea level.  The dirt and rock was used for fill at Ellis Island.  In terms of income per square footage, the terminal is the most successful shopping center in the US, grossing over $150 million per year.  For some beautiful photos and fascinating info, check out this link.

New York is going bonkers with new construction.  Cranes, jackhammers, scaffolding, and pedestrian detours are everywhere.  This was especially evident in Harlem, which like parts of Portland, is undergoing a lot of gentrification.  It's a city of high energy, noise, and diversity.  That's exciting.  But it also takes a lot of money to live there.  We're glad to be back home to the verdant and quiet Willamette Valley!

In other news...

Ron turned the corner about five weeks ago and has fully recovered from his stomach surgery last October, except for a few minor pangs in weird places now and then.  His strength and endurance are above where he was before the event.  Unfortunately, he's developing a major rotator cuff problem. And Kathy has her aches and pains, too.  That's part of mid-life adventures, for better or worse.  

In early February Ron celebrated younger brother Mark's  60th birthday in Las Vegas with "The Bro's."  They had a good time, but not the energy as they did for Neal's 50th in 2009.  

The Bro's Mark, Ron, Joe, & Neal with
Cousin Vicki & her husband Bob (center)

Ron's New Toy

As part of his 66th birthday present he bought an electronic drum set and has started taking weekly lessons.  "It's challenging, but fun," he reports with ringing ears and a sore shoulder.

Kathy joined the board of the Elizabeth Bowers Zambia Education Fund--a nonprofit established after a Salem Peace Corps Volunteer died from a bicycle accident in Zambia in 2000.  Her parents created the nonprofit, which has built schools and funded women's college scholarships in the village of Lumwana, Zambia.  Kathy has also been more involved in dealing with her 92-year old mother in nearby Dallas, OR, and serves as head of Technology, Webmaster, and Investment Committee chair at Assistance League of Salem-Keizer.  

Spring is here in all its Oregon glory, and we're looking forward to taking our Airstream on the road to the Ashland Shakespeare Festival next week.  Then Ron flies to Denver for his nephew's college graduation.  Then Shanti's boyfriend's parents from Australia arrive.  Speaking of Shanti, she just received her British citizenship!

Shanti, our dual citizen

We're very happy for her.  Originally it was so that she could secure her employment options anywhere in the UK and the EU, but now with Brexit, the EU options are fading.  We raised our daughters to be like the Fearless Girl sculpture on Wall Street and to be global citizens, so we're proud of Shanti for following her own path.  But deep down, we feel a pang that she may never come back to the States, let alone Oregon.  She and Alan are shopping for a flat in London.

Skyler turned 30 and joined an 'adult' gymnastics league in Boston as one of the older members, competing in everything but the vault.  So far, she's mostly injury free and just competed in a national meet in Cincinnati. She's loving it!

Lots of good things are in the works for this year and beyond, but we'll talk about them as they happen in future blogs.  And those are just the things we have planned.  Most likely some spontaneous and impulsive things will crop up.  The always do.  Stay tuned.