Thursday's Child: Kasbah du Toubkal, Morocco

Photo credit: Alan Keohane

This month, I promised to write about four hotels that are worth the challenge to get there.  Three were so remote that we had to use an alternate means of transport to deliver our luggage.

The Kasbah du Toubkal, in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, is probably my favourite hotel ever. It was rebuilt from ruins by hand, because at the time no electricity was available in the area.  Local materials and traditional building techniques were used in the restoration.  Now it’s managed and staffed by the Berber people of Northern Africa, who are known for their hospitality.  Throughout our stay, service was gracious and attentive.  We loved the rose-scented water that we washed our hands with at mealtime!

Photo credit: Alan Keohane

This isn't a luxury hotel.  Bedrooms are simple and comfortable, allowing the wonderful views to take a starring role. Meals are served in a cozy dining room, and the tagines we ate were delicious and filling.

One of the mules that accompanied us on our trek

The location is exquisite.  We spent two days hiking, and saw some of the most beautiful scenery we’ve ever been blessed to view.  Snowy peaks, green terraced farmland, streams rushing below simple footbridges -- every step along the path was a visual feast. On our first afternoon we crossed paths with a goatherd taking his flock home for the day.   And on our second day, a local villager invited our family and the guide into his home for traditional mint tea. 

Local Berber village

Oh, and our luggage?  The last ascent to the hotel is so steep that vehicles can’t make the trip.  We walked up from the village on switchback paths while a couple of mules carried our luggage for us.

This is the most lovely, unique and peaceful place I have ever visited.  If I had the chance, I’d go back in a minute.

Photo credit: Alan Keohane

Thursday's Child: Sightseeing in Paris

When I was a kid, a popular way to entertain other families was to invite them over to watch slides of your most recent trip.  I realize I’ve just lost everyone under the age of thirty five.  But for those of you still reading, do you remember being invited to Aunt Betty’s house to see 600 slides from her trip to Florida?  Me too.

I promise my travel posts won’t be like that.  A couple of photographs, a short description, and on to the next photo.  With the added benefit that you can switch to another blog at any point without hurting my feelings.

With no further delay, I present: “What we did this summer in Paris”.  Cue up the slide projector.

The Eiffel tower probably gives Paris the most recognizable skyline in the world.  Whether you have a view from the top or the bottom, it’s spectacular, and you’ll soon understand why Paris is called “The City of Lights”.  A word of warning: I am the queen of avoiding line-ups, and I couldn’t figure out how to spend less than two hours (and four separate lines) getting up and down the tower.  It’s worth it anyhow.

Who started the rumour that Parisiens are rude?  I met some of the most wonderful people while we were in Paris.  And they had every excuse to be rude to me because I was speaking French extremely poorly.  My accent is what you would expect from someone who grew up in southwestern Ontario, with a tin ear.  My vocabulary is acceptable, but my grammar is atrocious.  And I can only speak in the present tense.

If Parisiens really were rude, they would have laughed me out of town.  But most of them, like our desk clerk Akeem at the wonderful Hotel Le Sainte-Beuve, actually encouraged me to keep using my French.  This, despite the eloquent English I heard him speak to the customer ahead of me.  Akeem spent over ten minutes patiently listening to my hesitant questions (all posed in the present tense) and answering them in a way that even I could understand. 

Our hotel was just a block and a half from Jardin du Luxembourg.  But it wasn’t until day four that we had the chance to spend some time in the gardens.  We stopped at Amorino en route, for what is possibly the best ice cream in the world, and spent the next two hours walking, relaxing and reading in the gardens.  Surrounded by French-speaking families and couples, for a short time we were on the path less traveled.

After spending a week in the countryside, we returned to Paris for one last night.  This allowed us to visit the Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe in the pouring rain.  It also permitted us to sample Laduree’s famous macaroons.  We stood in line for twenty minutes to buy them, and it was raining so hard on the way back to the hotel that I had to protect the box under my windbreaker.  And the macaroons were totally worth it.

Next  Thursday:  the best shopping in Paris!

Thursday's Child

“Monday’s child is fair of face

Tuesday’s child is full of grace

Wednesday’s child is full of woe

Thursday’s child has far to go …”

Those of you who have met me know there are a few things that I value above all others.  My family and church are at the top of that list.  Writing has always been an important means of self-expression for me.  And ever since I was a 16-year old working on a tobacco farm, I’ve saved every penny I could spare for my travel fund.

I came by this love honestly.  When I was a kid, my father spent the spring and early summer poring over pamphlets from the local CAA (the Canadian version of AAA, for my American friends).  Every August we hooked up the car, hitched up the tent trailer, and hit the road for our holiday. I’ll never forget visiting the homes of my favourite authors, Louisa May Alcott and L.M. Montgomery, and meeting the real-life Maria Von Trapp at the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont.  (My sister and I were speechless with excitement; she was incredibly gracious.)

For me, there’s nothing as exciting as starting to plan a trip, reading and researching a destination. Hopefully I can share some of that excitement with you!  I’ll be blogging about places I’ve been and places I’d like to go.  I’ll be sharing funny stories and anecdotes about my adventures.  I’ll write about the delicious, and not-so-delicious, food we eat on holidays.  Occasionally, I hope to invite a guest blogger to write here too.

I hope you’ll take this journey with me!