Although Turkey had always been a must-see for us, we'd hoped to justify the layover by arranging a volunteer position through WorkAway. We did, but it canceled on us. So we arranged another one. And it canceled on us too. That left us without a gig, but with plans to come to Istanbul anyway. And … Continue reading Legends of Istanbul
Istanbul is the only city on the planet that straddles two continents. Most of this sprawling megalopolis of 15 million souls is situated in Asia. But there's also a chunk of it across the Bosphorous Strait, in Europe. That chunk is where most of the historical points of interest are located, and it's where we … Continue reading Istanbul Birthday Weekend
Our flight from Morocco into Barcelona was quite unprecedented. Not just because we'd never been there before. And not just because along the way we had the unprecedented sensation of flying over Gibraltar. But because our landing itself was unlike any we'd experienced before. Leaving Morocco, flying over the Rock of Gibraltar Our aircraft was … Continue reading Bouncing into Barcelona
May 12th was our wedding anniversary -- 32 years of married bliss and blisters. (We know, we know -- we don't look old enough to have been married that long. But we were only 7 at the time.) So we wanted to work in something special for the occasion, before our afternoon shift of teaching … Continue reading The Usual Suspects in Casablanca
Casablanca, we'd been hearing from several people who'd been there, is a letdown. It is, they reported, a city for commerce rather than a city for sightseeing. So we were pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. Of course, some people who have not been there have an overly glamorized perception of … Continue reading Here’s Looking at You, Casablanca
On May 3, the driver for British Language Academy, Khalil, picked us up at the campus in Berrechid where we'd been volunteering, and drove us back to El Jadida to teach for another three days. Actually, he didn't take us all the way there, but dropped us off at the bus station, where we caught … Continue reading El Jadida take II
So after a one-day detour to El Jadida, we were back to volunteering in Berechid. Sunday was, as usual, a busy day of classes at the school. But on Monday and Tuesday, the school was closed and we were free. So on Monday night, we decided to avail ourselves of one of the few noteworthy … Continue reading Bouncing Back to Berrechid
After teaching a few days at British Language Academy in Berrechid, Morocco, we were picked up, along with fellow volunteer Jason, and driven to Casablanca, where our van collected two more volunteers – these brand new, freshly arrived in town. From there we had a drive of about another 45 minutes to El Jadida, site … Continue reading Escape to El Jadida
After a pleasant train ride from Marrakesh, we got off at one of the stations in Casablanca, where we were met by a fellow named Khalil, whom we’d be seeing quite a bit of during the coming three weeks. He was a driver and general factotum of British Language Academy, our next volunteer post. April … Continue reading Bound for Berrechid
The bus ride from Oulad Teima, where we'd just completed a volunteering assignment, to Marrakesh was rather pleasant and scenic. The monotony of the chanting sounds the driver played on his speakers for nearly the duration of the trip was compensated for and colored by the friendly young woman across the aisle from us who … Continue reading Take me to Marrakesh
world travel with a theatrical flair 