Foodie Marrakech...

You'll never go hungry in Marrakech...

Honest!
You can eat for £1 or £100 and that within a couple of square miles.

Breakfast at Le Grand Café de La Poste. I had one of the best plain omelettes ever there one morning. Earl Grey and fresh juice squeezed on the spot.



















Squid cooked three ways and Thai sticky rice at Café 16.











Followed by the most flavoursome macaroons I have ever tasted.
The lilac one was flavoured with violets and lavender.
Other flavours included Mint, Lemon, Coffee, Rose, etc... washed down with freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice....
No wonder Maryam likes desserts at Café 16!














A glass of refreshing mint tea at the Menara Café after a long walk...

























A drive up the Atlas Mountains and Ourika Valley where tiny shacks serve delicious tagines and salads by the side of a gentle stream.

















In the evening you have a choice between the Jemaa el Fna Square in the Médina where revellers gather around the numerous food stalls and dine on wooden benches and tables...









































...Or make your way along the Médina's quiet alleyways...

























...to slum it at one of the most amazing places in Marrakech, Ziwana where Kate Moss launched her Dior fragrance last December...

A cross between Dali, Picasso and Gaudi...











































Give me strength to get over this cold winter without losing my mind...


...

Green and Colourful Marrakesh...

For a city that often melts in the Saharan heat, Marrakech is a green oasis of serenity and beauty.
The Majorelle Garden boasts some of the most complete collections of cacti and exotic plants.

Throughout the city, buildings are surrounded with palms, orange and lemon trees.

Water flows abundantly from the Atlas Mountains after the Winter snows have melted.

More Marrakech...

What can I say about magical Marrakech that I didn't say back in July?
The temperature was a little cooler... 29 to 33 degrees Centigrade!!!

We left home at midnight to drive to Luton Airport and were in Marrakech at 9.15am.
After dropping our cases at my cousin's we walked in glorious sunshine to Jemaa El Fna, the most famous square in Morocco.

We then made our way to the Ryad (Moroccan house turned into a hotel) which my cousin J. will be managing once the alterations are finished by the end of December.
His boss, a London fashion photographer is very impressed with J's contribution. After all he speaks all three languages needed to get things done in Morocco, Arabic, French and English. His haggling ways have saved thousands of Dirhams.

We then had a light lunch at a restaurant called Kechmara, which is Marrakech spelt an odd way. (Photo)

After a short siesta we headed for Le Comptoir, a spellbinding restaurant-cum-night club.
In an outdoor seating area, with scattered leather cushions and low tables and chairs we sipped on delicious Mojitos while perusing a French-Moroccan menu.
The food was very good and so were the Moroccan wines.
As we ate, the lights were dimmed and the music changed from Buddha Bar to gently thumping. A group of suited gentlemen seated one either side of a sumptuous staircase played a mix of old Andalusian-Moorish favourites as we climbed to the first floor where a thousand candles lit up a most beautiful lounge.

In danced a woman balancing a huge tray of candles on her head, followed by a few more belly dancers. Young, beautiful and slim they wriggled their lower bodies frenetically at times then very sensually. The audience was enthralled and spellbound.

More next time...

Radio Gaga....

Whenever I am in Spain I try to listen to the Algerian Channel 3 French Radio, from just across the Med, as it reminds me of my student days and my weekends at the beach.

Last Wednesday I sat on our porch just after midnight, listening to a phone-in. The guest was a local potter who was being interviewed about his work. The guy knew what he was on about as most of his family has been in the pottery business since the turn of the century.


Every now and then someone called. But invariably, most of the calls were of the type:
"Can I wish Happy Birthday to so-and-so?..."

Short of people interested in the subject of pottery, the presenter asked how the callers were enjoying their Ramadan evenings.
"With friends and family..."


After half an hour of listening to silly phonecalls the bottle of red Rioja that was keeping me company decided that I should call the radio station just to remind the listeners that the subject in discussion was pottery.

The researcher asked where I was calling from.

"Spain."

"Where?"

"Spain... Espana..."

He recovered from his shock and put me on hold.
Within 15 seconds I was LIVE on Algerian Radio, talking about Algerian pottery...

"Why is it that little is known about Algerian pottery whereas its neighbours, Moroccan and Tunisian are very popular in Europe?"
The guy had the right answer:
"Lack of tourism..."
We waffled on for something like fifteen minutes and then the presenter asked a question that nearly made me choke on the wine...
"So how are you enjoying Ramadan in Spain?"

For what seemed ages, I mumbled and fumbled for an answer... but before I could finally think of a lie, the phoneline got cut off.

The following day, Thursday, it rained so much that golf was out of the question...
Karma?






I enjoyed my rest very much and am back at work dreaming up my next escape which is not that far off... A Belgian wedding...

Two Blogging Years...

Two years on and this blog has been rated for general audiences.



Does this mean that people between 7 and 77 can log on without fear of having their minds warped by the content of my posts?

I started blogging because it was a novel way of wasting time. Most of you faithful blogfriends have been there for the ups, the not-so-ups and the downs...
You see, I often make the running of three restaurants sound like a walk in the park and it would be if I did not have to employ staff, feed customers, or just get back to work after my holidays.

When I started over 22 years ago, it was a challenge, a way of looking after myself, Karen and the kids. The first restaurant came at a time when the town was devoid of decent ons, so what I had learnt in a couple of pizzerias, came in handy. I began aiming for the stars and improving, got rid of the pizzas within a month of opening and got the place noticed by a few guides.
What does one do after such a cushy start?
Simply look for the next challenge.

Today, after a few moves and openings, financially it can be attractive to have three restaurants, ego boosting too, because of the recognition.

But I did not really mean for life to go so fast! And that's when the dreamer in me rises to the top.

Travel lifts my spirits and liberates me. Spain is exciting, the South of France, enchanting, Marrakesh, magical... And every time I go somewhere I want to stay for ever.
Art fascinates and transports me... I want to do everything, from mosaics to drawing, sculpture to painting...
Reading enchants me and tempts me to write in a language that is not mine, even though it is the only language I feel comfortable with.

















If this blog goes slightly quiet it is because this dreamer is dreaming of turning his dreams into reality, one at a time...
.