Friday, Sept 13th, Chefchaouen, Morocco

Greetings!

More than the Berbers of Northern Morocco ever wanted, they've been protected by foreign powers.  First, the Phoenicians, then the Carthaginians, next the Romans (1st Century BC)  and the Vandals (5th Century AD), and finally the Byzantines (6th Century AD). Invaded, protected, invaded, protected, abandoned, invaded, protected.  They survived them all, and are the basic ethnic group today throughout this area.

We strolled around Chefchaouen this morning, with Zak leading us through the maze of alleys and stairways.  Never seen so much blue.  Cats stretched awake, and children darted around us as we walked up and down the smooth cobblestone streets.  Above the town, we found a spring which provides hydroelectric power to some of the mosques, and opens to a causeway where women wash large rugs and dry them on the roofs of the wash houses.

We drove out to the countryside to the village of Houmar where a rural family let us join them in preparing a couscous platter surrounded by lots of very personal questions.  They were open and generous in responding to our interest in their lives, and their perspectives on the issues facing Morocco. 

Returning to Chefchaouen, we toured the Casbah (fort) which has been used to guard the town since 1471AD. After a short nap, we participated in a discussion on the status of women in Morocco given by a local activist. 

Finally, we had dinner at the Aladdin Cafe, a few blocks from our riad.  Competing with our previous night's elevation above the town, and the highest quality meal, we also were treated to a bird's eye view of a mountain fire across the valley and spectacular blaze flames rizing into the evening sky.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Friday, Sept 13th, Chefchoauen, Morocco.

Thursday, Sept 12th, Chefchaouen, Morocco

Greetings!

Morning departure on a travel day means getting your bags out in front of your room by 8am, having a variable buffet (with an omlete chef and table service for drinks) breakfast by 8:30, and boarding a bus at 9am.  Depending on how much gear we unpacked the night before, it means making sure that we haven't left any electronic adapters or cables behind, and that the clothes and bathroom supplies are packet.  I inevitably leave my shampoo in the shower.

Zack is one of the youngest guides at Overseas Adventure Travel, with seven of their tours on his resume.  His enthusiasm for learning, his attention to detail, and exceptional sense of humor, make him perfect for the tasks.  We are enjoying him immensely, and feel comfortable we are in good hands.

We're surrounded once again with seasoned travelers, and are enjoying the fruits of many adventures between them.  Most have chosen OAT in the past, and it''s been interesting hearing about their experiences with the company.

Except for a stop at an entertaining barbecue restaurant, our drive north and east from Casablanca was a long educational talk helping us with basic communication and Morocco 101.  Late afternoon found most of us asleep while we passed through a series of towns named after the day they hosted community markets. 

I've been looking for birds, and only finding snowy egrets and some stork nests.  The photo I took long ago in Spain titled "Cranes in Spain" featuring stork nests on the tops of building cranes were probably related to those here.

Our final stop (Chefchaouen) is a beautiful town, full of blue buildings and a fort built in 1471 to defend the area south of here against the Portuguese and their colonial ambitions.  For a Berber tribal community, whose future protection depended on Spain, France, and the      Arab world, Chefchaouen seems like a place to spend the night and take stock of the country.

To see more photos taken today, click on Thursday, Sept 12th, Chefchaouen, Morocco.

Wednesday, Sept 11th, Casablanca, Morocco

Greetings!

Arrival day is pretty predictable.  Getting to the airport, getting to the hotel orientation, and dinner.  Waiting in the flight lounge in Paris for our flight to Casablanca, we found a couple of our travelers, and several more when we passed through customs in the Casablanca Airport, and waited for our guide at the exit.  Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) has at least two separate groups of travelers departing here at the same time, and we encountered some confusion determining who was with each group.

Using the ATM, bathroom, and scouting out someone with an OAT sign, we finally boarded a bus and began the process of telling our stories of who we are, and how we got here.  Four couples, two from Seattle, and one from Virginia,  All our age, all serious travelers, experienced OAT veterans. 

Checking into Le Casablanca Hotel, Zak answered our questions and briefed us on the evening.  Once given complimentary drinks and keys, we had an hour before a walk through the neighborhood. 

Our walk included the locations of the best restaurants and the most upscale grocery to scope out the local wine, water, and beer.  Some of the restaurants and hotel locations will serve alcohol, some not.  Better to be prepared. 

As we walk, all continue the story-telling and exotic location adventure descriptions,  Our story always includes some background on our family histories, wine history, careers, and Santa Rosa/Sonoma County. 

After returning to the hotel, we make reservations at the restaurant, and meet up for dinner.  Zack provides more information on the trip, the cleanliness of the water, and the breakfast, baggage collection, and departure time for tomorrow. 

Here's a link to a  couple more photos taken today (Wednesday, Sep 11th, Casablanca, Morocco)

Tuesday, September 10th, Charles DeGaulle Airport, Paris, France

Greetings!

My young cousin's wedding in Pennsylvania was perfect.  Inexpensive (tacos and pizza, with a Cinnabon cake and cupcakes), full of family (but the Fearons were overwhelmed by his bride's side), and in the second floor of a small main street bar in a great Penn State University town (Lewisburg).  This is where the 2020 Presidential campaign will likely play out.

Our visit with my aunt Kitty (really my older sister during my first five years), was also perfect.  Four years older than me, she lives in her oldest son's Hudson two-story 100-year old fixer-upper, overdue to be fixed up but scheduled soon.  Still volunteering at her favorite bookstore/bar (the Spotty Dog), she updated us with the lives of her sons and their families, and w5 m de questioned and listened for all the clues into how her life was going.  A fall she took into a fire hydrant in front of her hue, and one she took while we visited the Thomas Cole House above the river, causes concern.   Her sons and I are still working out our joint responsibilities for her, and I expect the conversations to need to be not put off much longer.

The last four days in New York included meals and visits with both sons and their families.  I'm really proud that both are active parents, as their wives are working hard on their careers and it's so exciting to see the history of poor fathering in our family changing with them.

We also had time to attend the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament on the finals weekend, watching the expected favorites either get beat (Serena Williams) or scared pretty badly (Rafa Nadal).  There were also lots of other tennis to watch as the boys, girls, doubles, and wheelchair finals were being held during the days on the outer courts.  Amazingly, the World Surfing League Longboard Championships were held this weekend on Long Island,  and we made it to that too.

Altogether, this last ten days has included everything I had hoped it could, and went extremely well.  Even the driving through Manhattan during rush hour twice couldn't diminish our spirits.

At this moment, we're sitting in the Paris Airport at 10am after a six-hour flight from JFK.   In a couple of hours, we fly to Casablanca where we'll check into our hotel, get some real rest, and await the tour group's initial dinner and orientation.  I chose not to take photos up until now, but that will change tomorrow.  Here's a link to the basic city daily itinerary.  I'll fill in the details in a few days.

Gregory

Wednesday, Apr 3rd, Santa Rosa, USA

Greetings!

A successful group travel is usually the result of several ingredients: a talented tour company leader and experienced local guides and drivers; friendly, interesting, and cooperative travelers; and comfortable weather.  This trip got gold stars for all of the above. 

We can't say enough about Serra Hughes of Adventures Abroad.  We were first introduced to her in 2017, when she led us through Greece and the surrounding islands.  Her warmth, charm, and wits made our travels with her remarkable, and she displayed it all again over the last two weeks.  We also thoroughly enjoyed our local guide for South Korea (Miriam), who brought a deeply personal approach to framing the history, culture, and social conditions of her country. 

We're sitting in the Taneda Airport in Tokyo, waiting for our last flight leg home.  We'll arrive in Santa Rosa on Wednesday at 3:30pm, six hours after we left our hotel in Seoul this morning.  But we'll have been flying, or on our way to and from airports, for 26 hours.

We had a great adventure as usual, and we hope you all enjoyed it also.  This blog only partially serves to inform you.  As always, we'll be happy to share more in person.  But after we get some sleep.

ps. The right side of the blog may look a little different beginning today.  Google eliminated Google Plus today.  I'll see what I can do to restore a means to allow those of you who want to explore my larger use of the Google toolkit.

Tuesday, Apr 2nd, Seoul, South Korea

Greetings!

Seven thousand years ago, a couple of volcanos poked up just off the coast of the small island off of Korea's southern coast.  One sank within a hundred years, the other (Seongsan Lichulbong) grew into a beautiful lush crater which our group climbed this morning. 

Six-hundred steps lead to a larger than Diamond Head-like structure that is a pure test of leg will-power to get to and back down.  Pat and I chose to climb half-way up, and then take the route to the overlook of the small bay north of the crater where the Haensoe (diving women) showed the public their  skills.

On the north side of the volcano, and for many miles up the coast, the women of the island have provided food for their families by diving freestyle to gather from the sea.  As most of the young men on the island have perished in the many conflicts with the Japanese, this island is matriarchal, and the Haenyeo (Sea Women) are venerated for good cause.  We stopped by the museum dedicated to them, and gained a huge respect for the community of providers that guides this island's families.

Finally, we toured the largest lava tube in the world.  There are many lava tubes under JeJu Island, but one can be walked for about a kilometer of its 7.6 kilometer length.  The descent is difficult (many steps), and the floor is very uneven, so take a flashlight and go slowly.  Pat and I turned back after halfway, but were still impressed with its size and the views of the rock layers.

We fly back to Seoul tonight, and I'm actually writing this while waiting to board the plane.  To see the rest of the photos taken today, click on: Tuesday, Apr 2nd, Seoul, South Korea.

Monday, Apr 1st, Jeju, South Korea

Greetings!

Jeju Island is 65 miles south of mainland South Korea.  It has the tallest mountain in the country, 150 miles of beautiful coastline, and has always been a  vacation spot.  We flew to it from Busan this morning, and we're flying out tomorrow to Seoul.  This afternoon, we checked out a tea museum, a collection of basalt columns on the coast, and a Buddhist temple.  As we did, you should know that the Cherry blossom season lasts a week to ten days.  Today is the height of the season, and we've been at the right place almost every day.

The Jusangjeolli Cliffs, part of the Jungmun Tourism Complex on the southern part of Jeju Island, has cliffs with tetragon- or hexagon-shaped columnar pillars. They were created when thick basaltic lava at about 1,000 degrees Celsius flows from the mouth of a volcano and cools rapidly. About 30-40 meters tall, extending for about one kilometer, they are the largest such natural formation in Korea.

The original Yachcheonsa Buddhist Temple left no records of its origin.  The stories are that in a cave or a small hermitage a Confucian scholar drank water from a mineral spring, and it resulted in a dream and better health.   He built the first temple (Yaksuam), and lived their the rest of his life.  

In 1982, work on the present temple began.  To see more photos of it, and of the entire day, click on: Monday, Apr 1st, Jeju, South Korea.