Dear friends, After the visits to Volubilis and Moulay Idriss, we drove through some stark rolling hill country towards the ancient city of Fes. I just managed to capture some of the scenes through the bus window showing the rich browns and golds rendered by the drought and even a shepherd and his sheep. [...]
Dear friends, Our tour took us next to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Volubilis, where we spent a very interesting morning wandering in the ancient ruins with a knowledgeable guide to give us an idea of what we were looking at. Archaeological excavations of this site began in 1915 and continue to this [...]
Dear friends, Our real tour began in Casablanca, the port city and commercial hub in western Morocco, fronting the Atlantic Ocean. The origin of the town is not known but an Amazigh (Berber) village called Anfa stood on the present-day site in the 12th century. Later it became a pirates’ base for harrying Christian ships [...]
Dear friends, Last month I was lucky enough to spend just over two weeks in Morocco, traveling as I have done many times with a group organized by Wilderness Travel (www.wildernesstravel.com). Just days before our trip, there was a devastating earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains which killed thousands, destroyed many villages, and was [...]
Dear friends, I realized that I couldn't finish this series without focussing on the many cats that I encountered as I travelled through Türkiye. They were sleeping in corners and on comfortable cushions, peeping out from under cars or tables, enhancing the ruins at Ephesus, waiting for food at restaurants, adorning shop windows, accompanying [...]
Dear friends, One of the most famous sights in Cappadocia is the scores of hot-air balloons rising at dawn, a treat not to be missed. And what a wonderful way to start the day, although undoubtedly it was very early and very cold! Many already up and away when we arrived for our flight [...]
Dear friends, Probably the best-known of all the ancient sites in Türkiye is Ephesus, so of course we had to visit. Unlike most of the sites we visited along the coast, where we were often the only visitors, this place was pretty busy with tourists, many 'selfie' occupied. Historical accounts and archaeological remains of [...]
Dear friends, For the first of several Joanna's Journal stories about my recent travel to Türkiye, I would like to give a short introduction to the parts of this fascinating country my trip took me and a brief note on the remarkable history and geography about which I am now determined to learn and [...]
Dear friends, This day our voyage in Oman continued with a magnificent and for some, a nail-biting, drive through the mountains from Nizwa back to Muscat. The views were magnificent, the road challenging and the village of Bilad Sayt nestled under the barren crags very charming and photogenic. From one of the highest vantage points, what [...]