Just off France’s northern coast sits a little island, Mont Saint-Michel, atop which is a lovely old monastery. Surely, you’ve seen the pictures. It’s an amazingly beautiful spot. When I say, “island,” that is true most of the time, though the most days the tide is low enough to walk there. In fact, it was…
Tucked up into the Atlas Mountains near the Amazigh hotbeds of Goulmima and Tinjdad, is a remarkable little village called Aghbalou N’Kerdous. Situated near a year-long creek that provides ample water for crops, the town, despite the altitude, has been thriving for ages. The word “aghbalou,” pronounced with a slight ‘r’ after the ‘a’ so that…
Sometimes, it’s nice to just get in a car and take a mountain drive. There’s nothing like the freedom to explore an area at one’s own pace, stopping at scenic viewpoints, lunching at an out of the way café, eating pomegranates while watching the sunset, or hanging out with shepherds watering their sheep. Unfortunately, Peace Corps…
On our way home from the French countryside, we stopped by Portbou for a celebration honoring the memory of Jewish philosopher, Walter Benjamin, who, while attempting to elude the pursuing Nazis during World War II, committed suicide to avoid capture. While there, we caught a glimpse of award-winning German director, Wim Wenders. That’s him near the…
Our first stop in Spain after a long travel day from Morocco, was the home of our dear friend Candace, Llançà. It’s a small, quiet village near the border of France along the Mediterranean coast. Idyllic? Absolutely! And, she was kind enough to not only host us, but drive us around the beautiful Costa Brava region.…
Next to the border to France is a small Spanish town named Cadaqués. As you can hopefully see from the photos below, it is a lovely, picturesque place. Sorry if some seem redundant, I couldn’t choose which I liked best. While their, our friend Candace, introduced us to an ex-patriot artist, Beverly Fettig, who rents…
Sometimes, after roughing it in the desert, a guy just needs to get away and be spoiled. What better way to do that than cheaply, during off-season at a almost empty, but swanky hotel? Especially, when the weather has been unseasonably warm and lovely. When I checked in to the Mercure Hotel in Al Hoceima. I…
Along the southern French coast is a small town called Collioure that has an incredible castle, a huge Catholic cathedral, a small seaside chapel, and adorable little old town. Unfortunately, I missed the closing time by three minutes, so I was not able to go inside. Still, it was awe-inspiring. Below are photos of the…
