Drums in the night

Tangier is such an interesting city. We learned that the city was ignored by the previous King for over 30 years because he didn't like it, but that it is now gettingattention from the new King. The city has a romantic quality that is hard to describe and not evident at first glance. The first few hours we were here I had great regrets, feeling that the city was not safe for our family. I am now so grateful that we stayed almost a week and experienced what Tangier is all about. As we watch the groups of tourists that come for just a few hours, I feel sorry for them because they willmiss out on what we now have. The people here are kind and peaceful, even when they are hounding you to visit their shop or buy their goods. The calls to prayer and drumming in the middle of the night during Rhamadan are different and wonderful. We think the nightly drumming marks the time to eat and the time to fast, but we are not sure.

Today we visited the Minzah Hotel - built in the 1930s, it feels like you are stepping back in time. We ate club sandwiches on the patio overlooking the pool, being served by waiters in white dinner jackets and perfect manners. The Hotel has had many famous visitors -

Rock Hudson, Rita Hayworth, Aristotle Onassis - back in the time when Tangier was glitzy and international travel was a mark of sophistication

and wealth. The Minzah is another one of the many surprises you can find in Tangier.

We will miss this interesting city and Dar Nour, Saed, our new French friend Phillipe (cousin Richard's twin) and the resident chamelions - M.C. and Mojito. There is a lot of new development going on in Tangier - we hope to return someday to see what the city becomes in its next transformation.

Old post from Morocco

Asilah and Camels!!

We came to Morocco with a list of things we wanted to do here - one of which was ride a camel! Yesterday, after a wonderful day of shopping in the beautiful (and very clean!) city of Asilah, our taxi driver brought us to his friend who gives camel rides on the beach. Marc and the kids went first so that I could take videos and photos. The man had 5 adult camels and 6 babies - really cute! Marc and Ava were the first to get on a camel...I held my breath as the camel lurched forward and backward to stand up. Cullen was next and then came Aidan. Aidan’s camel was not interested in giving a ride and tried to bite its owner, then screamed loudly at the man. Aidan tried to get out of it, but somehow ended up on the camel with a look of terror in his eyes. They started walking down the beach and all of the babies jumped up to follow - a great procession to watch! By the time they turned around, Aidan looked fine and seemed to be having a little fun. After they returned, we took some photos and the camel owner suggested I sit on one for a photo - I almost got away with not having to ride one! Needless to say, I was happy it was just a short ride...I prefer horses!

Asilah is a gorgeous little town with a great Medina and views of the ocean. It is much cleaner than Tangier, although not nearly as edgy. Asilah is an artist’s community - as is evident from the fantastic murals that are painted on many of the buildings. Art galleries and street artists are around every corner and the art is wonderful. We bought a whimsical and colorful painting from a man on the street - much of his work was painted on the inside of torn up concrete bags...great recycling! If it survives the plane ride home, we will frame it and always remember our crazy trip to Morocco!

Gibralter and The Kasbah!!

The ferry ride from Alegeciras to Tangier was incredible. It took a little over an hour to sail across the Straights of Gibralter to the continent of Africa - wow! Gibralter is beautiful and we learned that its history dates back to the Neanderthals. As if the amazing scenery wasn’t enough, we were treated to a huge school of dolphins swimming next to the boat - great timing :).

After a long journey by plane, train, taxi and ferry, we finally arrived in the Kasbah! Our trip has been incredible and we have experienced a lot of different cultures, but nothing like this!! After finding our way to the port, we waited for the taxi that was sent from our Bed and Breakfast to pick us up. We had to be very firm in refusing help and taxi rides from the numerous men who tried to help us. There is an eagerness in their eyes as they try to help you with your suitcase or steer you to their taxi - hoping to make some money off the new tourists in town. Our taxi arrived and we piled into a car with no seatbelts in the backseats...when in Rome! We all stared out the windows as we made our way through crowded streets and into the craziest roundabout we have ever seen - cars going all different directions and lots of honking. The streets seem barely large enough for one car, but somehow, cars, bustling storefronts and many, many people seem to share them. The taxi stopped after entering an archway marked

Bab Kasbah and we were again immediately swarmed by men and young boys all attempting to carry our suitcases. This time, we were not so successful in getting them to stop. The taxi driver led the way as 4 young men carried our bags to our destination. They were very happy to receive the change we gave them in thanks. We are staying at Dar Nour - an oasis among garbage strewn streets, bands of feral cats and the general dirtiness of a crowded city. It is really amazing once you enter the doors of the building - a remodeled house with multiple clay tiled staircases, colorful walls and several rooms - each uniquely decorated and situated. We are in the Pacha Suite - decadent in that it is the only one with a full bathroom. We love it.

The first day was a bit overwhelming as our new friends waited outside our door. It took half a day, but we eventually convinced them we did not need a tour guide and were not interested in their help. We wandered through the narrow streets, marveling at the unique doors, gorgeous bougenvilla, white-washed buildings and colorful walls. Dar Nour is situated in the heart of the Kasbah and just around the corner from the marketplace - the “Medina”. The kids love the Medina - happily shopping with their Moroccan money - the “Dirham” - ten Dirhims equal one Euro and there are bargains galore! Cullen in particular loves bargaining with the shopkeepers - we are all leaning on him now to get us the best price. He quickly learned that pretending to walk away is very effective in getting a better price. However, once you have engaged in negotiations with someone it is very difficult to end without making a purchase. At one point, I was negotiating for a blanket and after trying to walk away, the man rather forcefully tried to throw the blanket in our taxi and lowered the price to my lowest offer - I bought the blanket and we quickly left that shopping area. We have made many purchases already...shoes, scarves, beads, trinkets, magic boxes - you name it! - lots of fun.

The city is a mixture of Moroccan, French and Muslim influences - with French being the strongest. Dar Nour is very French - we are really enjoying the food and ambiance. The breakfast is incredible and we feel very cosmopolitan as we sip our coffee on the fabulous terrace overlooking Tangiers and the Meditarranean Sea. Our first night here we were invited to the incredible roof-top patio for a meteor party - complete with wine and a discussion of meteors led by a man who has a PhD in astronomy - in French of course. Marc and I are trying to revive our French...slowly coming back to us. At one point, I considered myself conversational in French - not anymore!! We have enough to get by, but couldn’t understand the meteor discussion. We never saw any showers, but enjoyed meeting a couple from Paris and learning more about Tangiers and the local politics and economy. We marveled at their story of how they attempted to purchase a second home here - for $15,000 euro - an incredible bargain among our standards. However, we learned that their negotiations fell apart when they became uncomfortable with the lack of a title system here. Apparently, if you purchase property, you receive some sort of a religious guarantee (not in writing) that the owner selling you the property actually owns the property. After 3 years of possession, you can then go through a lengthy process to receive a proper deed. Dar Nour is in its 3rd year and is now seeking its deed - hopefully they will be able to accomplish that task and keep this incredible place.

We have a relationship with our taxi driver now - setting times for him to pick us up in advance. His name is Saed and he is a very nice man and it is comforting to have the same person every day. Our French hosts have helped us plan our days. Yesterday we took their recommendation and went to a private beach they suggested that was 45 minutes away - “L’Ocean” - a beautiful beach on the Atlantic. It is very nerve racking for me to sit in the backseat and watch the kids bounce around the car with no seat belts - especially when we are passing all sorts of vehicles in the suicide lane. Marc and the kids know my strict rules about cars and seat belts and seem to get a giggle out of my looks of fear. Marc is much more relaxed about the taxis than I am.

Tangiers is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and we stopped to look at the vista where the 2 meet - wonderful to see. The private beach was fantastic! It is very, very hot here, so the ocean was a wonderful respite. We ate at an incredible restaurant and quickly befriended the owner - another Frenchman! Ava is a novelty here with her blonde hair. She is not use to the men who want a “bisou” from her. She is warming up to the idea :). Last night walking home from dinner through the Medina, someone among the huge crowd shouted “Allo Ava!” - it was one of the staff from B&B who particularly loves her - we all laughed about Ava knowing someone on the streets of the crazy Kasbah!

We were awoken last night with loud drumming and chanting outside our window - marking the start of Rahmadan. The mood is markedly different today - very quiet and still because most of the city is fasting from sun up to sun down. We have heard that the city becomes crazy once the sun sets. Today we are traveling to Asilah - another city about an hour away.

old post - Castle Leslie

Last Friday we drove north to Castle Leslie. We stopped for lunch in Monnahan and knew we were close to Northern Ireland because there was a Sinn Fein office in town - the conflict is dormant, but still interesting to think about. We arrived at Castle Leslie and were instantly enchanted with the grounds and buildings. An absolutely beautiful place in an amazing setting. Everything was so green - truly the emerald island! We stayed at the old Stable Mews - a short distance from the castle past the happiest horses on earth....beautiful pastures full of gorgeous horses that come to the fence to say hello when you walk by. The wedding was held at St. Tierney’s church in Northern Ireland - the kids didn’t believe that we were in a different country! No euros - just pounds! After a very touching ceremony, we went back to the Castle for a fabulous party - laying our heads on the pillows some time after 3am! It was fantastic to experience an Irish wedding - the main difference being the length of the festivities and the complete second round of food at midnight. Aidan was chosen to be an alter boy for the ceremony and he did a wonderful job helping the priest (Joanne's uncle!) light candles and bless the wedding rings with holy water. We were very proud of him. The wedding and reception were incredibly tasteful and elegant - just like the bride and groom. Patrick and Joanne are a wonderful couple and we are so happy for them.

Staying at Castle Leslie with Doug, Georgia, Leanna, Brad, Laura, Mary, Rudy and all the cousins was fantastic - so wonderful to see everyone after a long summer away. On our last day we were given a tour of the castle - many great artifacts and some stardom - Paul McCartney had his wedding at Castle Leslie and Mick Jagger, W.B. Yeats and other famous people stayed there as well. One artifact was called the "Bloody Shroud" - it looked like a red painting behind glass, but we learned that it was actually a cloth used to wrap a head that was severed at London Tower after the victim refused to convert from a catholic to a protestant, proclaiming before his beheading that "the price is too high" - quite a story!

Leaving Dublin!!

We will miss this wonderful city. The kids and I have spent many days exploring the city as Aidan and Cullen lead us with confidence through alleys and narrow streets on our favorite route over the River Liffey into Temple Bar, Grafton Street, St. Stephen’s Green and the grounds of Trinity College. This city is steeped in history and we have experienced most of the highlights. Our latest adventure was to the Georgian district - a beautiful area of town with distinctive red brick Georgian row houses. Merrion Square is famous for the many different colors of doors on the houses - red, black, yellow, green and even pink. We toured 29 Fitzwilliams Street - an 18th century house that has been preserved with period furniture. The guided tour describing life in that era was fascinating. We decided that although it might be nice to have 3 servants per household, we wouldn’t enjoy the chamber pots and lack of bathtubs. We also visited Christ Church Cathedral and the Viking/Medievil Museum - both fantastic and well worth the tour.

Today, we went to Trinity with Marc and wandered around the campus thinking about our nephew Brendan who recently graduated from Trinity and our nephew Kieran who is hoping to be accepted for admission in the fall. The campus oozes a feeling of academia and history. We learned that the Vatican considered it a cardinal sin for Catholics to attend Trinity until the early 1960s - a fact that astonished us. Ireland is a country with a fascinating blend of rich and varied history, as well as conflict and controversy that is quite recent by comparison - an interesting contrast. There is something exciting about conflict that occurred during our lifetime in a city that was invaded by Vikings in the 800’s.

This afternoon our focus turned to family as we met up

with the California contingency and enjoyed an afternoon and evening of the Irish/California blend. The wedding buzz is upon us and time spent with Patrick and Joanne is precious as we know they are wrapped up in the details and emotions of the wedding. The kids were overjoyed to see their cousins - Cullen begging to have dinner with someone other than me and

his siblings! We hardly saw Ava all night as she was much more interested in Cielo and Lola than us - ahh...girls to play with!

Tomorrow we leave Dublin and drive to County Monnahan and Castle Leslie,

the location of the wedding

and where we will stay for 3 nights. We are really looking

forward to seeing the Irish countryside and venturing over the border into Northern Ireland for the ceremony. This will be a traditional Irish wedding - from a full Catholic mass to dancing into the wee hours of the morning...we can’t wait! We are all so happy for Patrick and Joanne - they really are a wonderful couple. We have spent several days with Marianne’s family and we will be very sad to leave Ireland. We see them frequently enough to have close relationships - so much so that when we are together it is easy to forget the long distance between us. As we left their house tonight, I stopped and pondered the thought that it could be many years before we see it again. We will miss them all very much. After the wedding, it is off to Morocco and Spain!

Marc arrives!!

Marc arrived in Dublin 2 days ago - we could hardly contain our excitement. After waiting 2 hours past his flight arrival time, I couldn’t take their anxious behavior anymore! We went down into the street to look for him. After walking around the block a few times and eating treats from the market, we sighted his car coming down the road - perfect timing. Once he parked the car and found his way to us, the kids nearly knocked him over with their hugs. We all interrupted each other in our efforts to tell him about the past 5 weeks - his head must have been spinning. We made our way out into the city and to Reilly’s pub - Marc had a healthy portion of Shepard’s Pie and a frothy Guinness - a perfect welcome to Ireland! It is

really wonderful to have him with us - I am no longer homesick :).

Cullen's 12th Birthday!

Cullen turned 12 in Ireland - very exciting!! Aunt Marianne made her famous midnight chocolate cake for him and we celebrated with Marianne, Robert, Kieran, Brendan and Marguerita. Hard to believe that Cullen is 12. The kids have started a coin collection that is already quite impressive. We found a coin shop in Dublin that they love to visit. Aidan bought a Leed's penny from 1791 for Cullen - a great addition to the growing collection! Ava found some great old Irish pennies for him - coins larger than the American quarter. Brendan had just returned from a month in Thailand and Cambodia, so he gave the kids his left over money. They love the bills and the denominations - 2,000 and 5,000 bills (worth very little, but exciting to see such large numbers on bills!). Robert helped the cause by digging through his old coins and giving the kids straw pennies and other old coins. Kieran donated a silver dollar and other coins he no longer wanted. The collection is growing... Cullen also received an Irish fiddling book from the Mohrs and an infusion of Euros from Marc and other family members...he was very happy :). Cullen was missing a celebration with his friends for his birthday, so we will do that when we get home. Happy Birthday Cullen!!

Ireland Adventures

We are having a fantastic time in Ireland. Staying in the heart of Dublin has made it very easy to get around and see the sights. The kids really know their way around and are really enjoying the city life! We love to walk on Grafton Street and O’Connell Street and listen to the numerous street musicians and just watch all the people. Desperate for exerc

ise, I took them to St. Stephen’s Green for some races and running around - the Green is a beautiful park and we got our first taste of Irish weather as the rain came down!

We spent a wonderful day with Kieran - touring the Kilmanheim Jail and the Guinness Brewery. The Jail tour was a great historical overview of the Irish rebellions and uprisings - made especially interesting by the setting of t

he eerie jail cells. Fascinating to hear about the individuals who were instrumental in

the fight for Irish independence and to learn about the volatile history of this country. We will venture just over the border into Northern Ireland for the wedding ceremony - it was great for the kids to learn about Northern Ireland and how the division ca

me about. The kids have learned so much about history this summer. It is so wonderful to have the opportunity to broaden their view of the world.

The Guinness Brewery tour was also fantastic. I was very interested in seeing the 9,000 year lease that Arthur Guinness signed when he opened the brew

ery. The actual lease is set into the concrete floor

- very cool. We all enjoyed learning about the process of brewing beer and of course, tasting it!

I have never had a Guinness, so it was great to take the first sip in Ireland with my nephew! The tour ends in the Gravity Bar with a free pint and an incredible view of the city. Kieran told me when the foam had settled enough to start drinki

ng - like a cold latte....my favorite part was the foam. Cullen and Aidan snuck a little taste - both claiming to love Guinness! Uh oh...

Today we went for a drive into County Wicklow and to lunch at the famous Johnny Foxes Pub - a great pub in the countryside that has live music and delicious food. The walls

are lined with photos of famous people who have eaten there - from Bill Clinton to

Salmon Rushdie...quite a place! We then drove around Wicklow and enjoyed the beautiful views. Cullen is enjoying seeing his name everywhere - "Cullen" is a common surname here and also a name that appears on street signs frequently.

Tomorrow Cullen turns 12! He is very excited to be in Ireland for his birthday, but missing a celebration with his pals. Aunt Marianne is making her famous midnight chocolate cake for him, so it will definitely be a birthday to rem

ember! Marc arrives in 2 days....hooray!! Ava is beside herself and asks frequently "is it tomorrow yet?" and the boys and I can't wait to see him - hopefully they don't knock him over when he walks in the door!!