Marrakech has been the southernmost city I have ever been, and also the first city in Africa I visit, and I am not really happy about it, I must say. I did enjoy the trip because of the company, but I did not fall in love with the city. I guess some externalities helped to this too.
First, for the whole first day it was pouring. Generally, I do not like rain when visiting a city, but Marrakech is definitely not the place for that. Come on, it is “Sahara’s Door”, and what did we get? Rain!
Secondly, political relationships between Morocco and Spain led to a demonstration in Casablanca during the weekend I was there against some Spanish decisions… People from all around Morocco attended that demonstration and the Zoco in Marrakech was mostly closed for one day (the sunny one to make it worse).
Last but not least, it is a touristic city, and hence many people live with a bunch of euros they get from the tourists. Fair enough. The problem is how some of them try to get it. They really push for offering you any kind of service and do not understand a “no” unless you repeat it 15 times… Too much for me.
Anyway, I am looking forward to a new trip to the south… but it will probably be more nature-related, and avoid the cities for the moment… 😉
More pictures from Marrakech in this slideshow.
Long weekend in Spain, and a pending invitation to visit Paris. I was there a couple of years ago, but Paris is always nice to revisit. In fact, revisiting was the perfect plan for this trip, as I wanted to take it easy. So, a lot of walking around this beautiful city, getting some insider’s tips and information about life in there, and enjoying the French cuisine at an affordable price.
Of course, the walking included all the typical spots…
… and also meetups with some friends living or visiting the city, making a good usage of the Parisian terraces. I like the fact that they are intended to make customers look to the rest of pedestrians, instead of the people sitting with them.
Milano was okay, but the daytrip to the Lago di Como was gorgeus. You can reach the Lago di Como from Milano in less than an hour and for around 3 euros. Quite fast, cheap… and worth it!
First thing I did when I arrived there, was taking a boat that goes all the way up the lake till Bellagio. Great views from the boat, with high mountains surrounding it and with small towns spread on them.
Lago di Como is well known because Mr.Clooney (George) owns a Villa there… I don’t know which one, but there are lots of nice (and extremely expensive) places to live in… althought the weather seems not to be too fine. I enjoyed some clouds which added an extra of humidity and decreased the temperature a couple of degrees. It seems it is quite common on that area, as in Milano.
The boat ended in Bellagio, where apart from repairing my broken glasses (I almost lose one of the glasses!), I enjoyed a delicious pizza and a small cute town. It is said to be the most beautiful one around the Lake, and in fact, it has inspired some of the most famous casinos in Macao, and of course in Las Vegas (you probably remember them from the Ocean’s Eleven saga).
Just two hours later, I was back on the boat, with some time to take a look to Como and its cathedral, and take the train back to Milano.
More pictures from Lago di Como in this slideshow.
