Madrid

Madrid

Tapas Tapas Tapas Tapas Tapas!

We arrived in Madrid Monday evening and before we even left the airport Charlie was literally jumping up and down with excitement in anticipation of the tapas. The bocodilla de jamon that we had on the layover to Morocco wasn’t even close to given the fix! At the suggestion and direction of a lovely Australian couple we met on the plane we took the Metro into the center of the city to Maria Carmen’s apartment. Charlie and H had taken cabs or lifts on previous visits and the Metro is super simple and efficient in Madrid. Maria Carmen is a friend Charlie met through H on his last trip to Spain in 2007. She was generous enough to put us up for 3 days, MUCHAS GRACIAS AMIGA! The three of us headed out for a tapas adventure in old Madrid for the evening, well at the standard dinner hour in Madrid, 10:00. Chirizo, jamón and acetunas (olives) were our first stop. The tapas culture in Madrid is wonderful and an excellent way to try lots of amazing foods without sitting and gorging at a single sitting. You stop by a taparilla, order a drink and a little bite to eat and enjoy them while standing at a counter people watching. After South America and Morocco it was nice to see so many fashionable people. Although Rawson was wishing she had some Carlisle with her. The black fleece is only so versatile. Off to taparilla #2. Maria Carmen is quite connected in Madrid, so we slipped into one of the most popular spots, Lucio, that was jam packed and were immediately greeted by the maitre’d who gave us a prime counter spot. Croquettes and more jamón… all fabulous. We’re hooked.

Tuesday we started with Cordatos (Spanish style coffee like a café ole, but less milk, more coffee) and a little “business” on the computer at Maria Carmen’s, then off for more tapas, claro! We stopped off at a place Charlie had been talking about since before we left San Francisco. He’d been there with H and Maria Carmen in 2007 and just could not stop praising it. We looked around and finally spotted the old school taparilla in Maria Carmen’s neighborhood. We ordered pimientos de pardon (a uniquely Spanish green pepper they grill and salt and looks similar to a jalapeño but isn’t hot) and some pulpo (octopus), a Caña (small draft beer) for Charlie and Rawson wanted a white wine. A pitcher came full of wine to be served in little dishes, similar to what you would put soy sauce in at a sushi restaurant. Rawson was skeptical but quickly caught on and loved it. Very typical Spanish lunch with a beverage accompaniment! We were off on foot to explore Madrid. We explored the old city including Plaza Mayor, Puerto Del Sol and the Royal Palace. The weather was fabulous and we mostly enjoyed strolling around looking at the spring flowers and the 1000 year old architecture. We took an obligatory siesta prior to meeting up with Maria Carmen around 8:00. She took us on a little walking tour of the city surrounding the Prado and Botanical Gardens where her office is. We stopped in a tapas restaurant for the most delicious olives ever! After a little chirizo and some gambas (shrimp) Yeni and Conchita arrived. These sisters are also friends from the trip in 2007 with H. We had some more tapas here then off to taparilla #2 and lots of catching up. The señoritas all had early mornings at work so we headed home around 1:00. Yes 1 AM and that is early for Madrid. No wonder everyone lives the siesta life!

After a slow start on Wednesday we walked across town (again perfect spring weather) to meet up with all of the girls for a paella lunch on the park near Pintor Rosales, a beautiful tree lined boulevard. We had a fabulous meal at Casa de Valencia, superb service, but mostly the company was grand. Back to work after lunch for those who are employed, and we walked back to Maria Carmen’s to freshen up for visiting the Prado Museum that evening prior to dinner. Well, we had a little detour along the way that took up the rest of our afternoon and evening. Our credit card was compromised at a vendor, sadly, and we had to spend some time dealing with the destruction. We had just enough time to freshen up before heading out to meet Maria Carmen at her office at 8:30. Our fabulous guide showed us another barrio, or district, of Madrid, Salamanca where Greg Cox and H lived when they were in Madrid right after Thunderbird, with more tapas. This taparilla, Rincon, was apparently Greg’s favorite and had the BEST chorizo yet, and it was free. After we’d had our fill Maria Carmen took us on a little driving tour of the city at night, her favorite time in Madrid. The lights were stunning on the centuries old buildings. We headed home early; our flight to Mallorca was on Thursday.

We thank Maria Carmen for putting us up and being such an amazing hostess. We look forward to seeing her, Yeni and Conchita again soon, maybe back in San Francisco. We had a grand time, Gracias a todo!

Majorca

Having met one of Dan Ford’s good buddies, Yuri Burka, only in January, we were blown away by his gracious offer for us to come to his home in Majorca (just a short flight of the coast of Barcelona). Yuri and his lovely wife Cristina live in the gorgeous little town of Valldemossa with their ever smiling 8 month old boy, Niko. Yuri and Cristina have made the unusual but (in our estimation) incredibly well thought out approach to life of buying their retirement home first. So, they live in an incredible country home that they completely gutted to keep all the charm, yet add all the amenities. Bravo! Majorca is a medium size island, but has every topography and luxury you could want. Yuri moved there in the early 2000’s and he and Cristina got married almost exactly a year before us in the nearby town of Deia (pronounced Day-ya). Our first afternoon, we walked Niko in his 4 wheel-drive stroller through the cobblestone streets of Valldemossa on a tour with the beautiful little town of 1800 permanent residents. That night, Yuri took us out in Palma (only 25 minutes away) the largest town on Majorca at 300,000 residents. A bustling little city in its own right, this is also the location of a bar Yuri is part owner in, Agua Bar. Great little Rolling Stones-blasting dive bar if you ever end up in Palma! Several drinks later, we let the smart one who didn’t indulge, Rawson, drive back!

Friday we packed up Niko and some beach gear and the 5 of us headed to the Cala in Deia. This cove hosts crystal clear water and a generations old family restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean. What a gem Yuri and Cristina have found in this spot. We had some fabulous fresh seafood and cava sangria. Following a relaxing lunch the water was calling Yuri for his first swim of the year. Charlie was kind enough to capture the shock of the 18 degree, celsius of course, water when Yuri jumped in, Brrr! After a first 24 hours graciously hosted at chez’ Yuri y Cristina, we were joined by Anthony Zarr and his girlfriend Rebecca who live in London. The 4 of us took residence for the weekend at an AMAZING place recommended by Yuri just outside of Deia, Costa d’Or. This arguably 4 star place is in off season, so we were lucky to get great prices for the weekend after sicking Rebecca on them for negotiating purposes. They didn’t stand a chance! Thanks Rebecca! We headed into Palma to fetch Anthony and Rebecca and for dinner. We sent Anthony into a luxury boutique hotel to get the 411 on the best taparilla from the concierge. She steered us to a typical Madrid style taparilla which was perfecto! Magnifico! Estupendo! We took the long drive back to Deia and called it a night.

Saturday sadly was just not the sunny day that Friday was. Costa d’Or started our day out right with a massive buffet breakfast. Rebecca indulged in the dulces as they were plentiful. We explored the village of Deia and as we walked up the cobblestone streets toward the ancient church where Yuri and Cristina were married we stumbled upon some French children selling lemonade, very appropriate for the Gulicks. We stopped and bought two lemonades, sin asucar. After we choked those down we found the church and the quaint little cemetery at the top of the hill. Deia had a gastronomic festival going on in the village center so we took part while we were strolling around. Even though the weather was not prime, we headed back to the Cala for lunch and the boys took in a couple of obligatory games of backgammon. Shockingly another siesta was in order, so we moseyed back to the Costa d’Or. We met up with Yuri and Cristina for a late dinner in Deia at Sebastian for a top quality meal. Yuri insisted we see the town’s local bar, singular. So we took in one last drink before retiring for the night. This bar has a rich history dating back to the 60’s when Deia was first “discovered” by expat musicians and artist. The bar is known to rock it out, but after a quick drink, we headed home for the night.

Sunday following another lovely breakfast we packed up and drove around the island a bit before heading into Palma to take Anthony and Rebecca to the airport, they were off to London to get ready for another week of hard work, (we’re not sure what that is anymore). We said Adios to our good friends and met up with the Burkas and some of their good friends and Cristina’s sister Laura, at an ocean side Paella restaurant. Another great meal and more wonderful people! Yuri and Cristina have a fun group of friends! We headed back to Valldemossa to relax at the Burka’s. That evening we celebrated our new friendship with a bottle of Champagne and an American style BBQ on their asado.

We had such a wonderful time in Mallorca and will definitely go back. This place is so tranquil and beautiful. Our hosts we amazingly generous. We hope to return the favor very soon!

Off to Sofia!

Ciao!

Morocco

After a very long flight we arrived in Marrakesh and somehow (with no Arabic or French) almost made our way to the Riad Eden where we were to stay for the next 2 nights. Our taxi pulled up to a very narrow street and proceeded to let us out and hand us over to an elderly gentleman with a wooden cart who would show us the rest of the way through the Medina to the Riad. Again, not really understanding much and being able to say next to nothing, we put our faith in this man and began a journey of winding through the streets. From days of dessert raiders and general unplanned growth, the medinas (not unique to Marrakesh) twist and turn in an intentional attempt to confuse and baffle (hence the raiders of old would get lost). Alas, we found a lovely B&B, here called Riad Eden (thanks to A Zarr for the rec), run by a French couple, Emmanuel and Helene. If you end up in Marrakesh some day, this place is a little slice of luxurious heaven. We were greeted with mint tea which is a custom in Morocco; one we like very much. There wasn’t much of the day left so we went exploring this foreign land. Marrakesh is split up into two parts; the Medina, or old city, and the new city. They are very different. The Medina hasn´t changed in 100´s of years, if not a 1000. The New City is very modern and almost western. We walked through the tiny streets of the Medina dodging mopeds that were bobbing by weaving around the pedestrians. In the main plaza you can find everything from fresh fruit stands (the oranges are divine), dried fruits and nuts, monkeys and snakes, and street food galore. It was a sight out of Indiana Jones movie. We were expecting the Moroccan people to be a bit more western in appearance, but those in the Medina are still very strict in their traditional Muslim attire. Almost every woman was wearing a Hijab, or head scarf. Strict Muslim women are required to cover everything but their face, feet and hands when in public. And they don´t like to have their picutre taken, but more on that later. Anyway, we found our way to a roof top terrace to get a birds eye view of the central plaza, Jamma El Fna (and the satelite dishes) and took it all in. After wandering around for a couple of hours we returned to the Riad Eden for a traditional Moroccan dinner of Tagine, which is a clay dish with a cone top, of chicken and olives with preserved lemon which was divine. Tagine can be compiled of many different meats and veggies, but the presentation is always the same where they bring out the covered dish and remove it with a flourish like a silver lid in a shee-shee restaurant in the west. We didn´t expect to find much, if any, alcohol while in Morocco, as it´s a Muslim country, but we found that they actually have a good selection of local wines. The tradition was brought by the French, but the Moroccan soil seems to be well suited. For desert we had a lovely orange tart. We were pooped from a long day and headed to bed early.
Tuesday began with a wonderful breakfast at the Riad. Emanuel, our host, sat with us and gave us some suggestions for the day and helped us plan our next few days in this lovely country. We spent the day roaming the Souks, a bazaar set in the old town among the winding streets. Spices, flowers, jewelry, clothes, crafts etc. are all for sale here. It was a shopper´s delight. We saw many sights in the Medina and got some great photos. Charlie had a blast haggling with the proprietors as is an absolute requirement when shopping. Initial offer prices can be 2, 3, 4 times what the seller is really willing to accept. We made a stop through the famous and beautiful Jardens of Marrakesh were the ashes of Yves St Laurent were spread at his request when he passed away last year. Dinner tonight was in the new city. We walked to get a better feel for the culture. The streets are very busy here and full of cars, bicycles, mopeds and donkey driven carts. The walk took a little bit longer than anticipated as Charlie´s excellent logistical skills completely broke down in the twisting turning streets. Three enquiries of instructions later and some arguably sketchy streets, we found our way to Le Comptoir, a new restaurant and serves traditional Moroccan cuisine and a feast for the eyes. We had a fabulous meal and Vin Gris, rose wine. The table next to us were two young guys from San Francisco (Mike and Jimmy) and we became fast friends. The show began with two two women walking down the grand stair case with candelabras full of lit candles on their heads. Then the belly dancers came out. What a show. We were so impressed that we all decided we needed to retire to the upstairs bar to see more of the show and take in a houka. We ordered a shisha and watched more of the belly dancers. Upstairs turned out to be a bit more provocative than in the main restaurant (aka sleazy looking guys shoving bills in the cloths of the dancers; a big step beyond the Chilean cafe y peirnas) but it was an experience none the less. We said goodbye to Mike and Jimmy and took a taxi back to the Riad. See you guys back in SF!
Wednesday we arranged or a rental car to meet us at the Riad and we headed out to the Atlas Mountains for a few days. The drive out of Marrakesh was challenging (Charlie bobbing an weaving, Rawson holding on for dear life) but we made it and about an hour outside of the city things started to change. The landscape turned green and the snow capped mountains began to appear on the horizon. It is truly amazing how different the landscape here is. It seemed that every 50km or so things changed. We winded our way through the mountains, crested the summit and made our way through the Berber villages to our first stop in a small town named Boumaine at the gates of Gorges du Dades (Dades gorge). Along the way we saw the simple lives of these people everywhere. The women with their brightly colored clothes were harvesting vegetables and flowers in the fields next to the river, while the men were either herding their sheep and goats or trading with other men in the towns. It really felt like these peoples lives haven´t change since the Old Testament was written. We saw the sign for our Riad right as we entered the town, Perle de Dades. We turned down the small dirt road and took the Hundai where it was not made to go, more rally driving. We came to the end of the road and found, not our riad, but a river. Oops we thought, but then we saw a small sign written in French. We concluded that it said we needed to reach the riad from the other side of the town. Hmm, guess that Moroccan SIM card we bought came in handy after all. We called the Perle and they sent someone down to meet us and drive us to the riad. We drove around the town to the other side, 15km down a long dirt road and finally made it to the Perle du Dades. The name says it all, The Pearl! This riad overlooks the river, valley and town. The views were just stunning. The riad was a tranquil oasis. We took a mint tea outside next to the pool and watched the sunset over the town with the snow capped mountains in the background. Dinner at the riad was wonderful and peaceful, you almost felt you had to whisper. Early to bed, early to rise.
Thursday we drove to the Dades gorge through more Berber villages, beautiful landscapes full of brightly colored flowers, red and orange rock formations to the gorge itself. Quick side note, our INTENTION was to drive the Todra gorge the first day. However, signs are varying in reliability and frequency and the sign to the “gorge” didn´t exactly clarify which. So, we got to see Dades first! No Bry, the Google GPS didn´t work here. We were truly amazed at how beautiful this area is. We tried to get some photos of the locals hard at work, but they were not too happy when we snapped their picture. We were able to ask a few permission, but we quickly gave up in favor of good karma. The drive was truly stunning. The closest comparison to be made would be like driving through the Grand Canyon; it seems that huge and overwhelming. Along the way we made many stops for photos. Every town you pass through you are “waved down” by frantic children age 5-20 like they have the most important news. Selling everything from flowers to fossils to trinkets is the news. We made one stop at the highest point of the valley were we found a perfect turn off. Out from behind some rocks came a pair of boys, they must hide there knowing the tourist will be enticed by the view. A couple coins and half a loaf of bread later, we were the proud owners of some prehistoric ocean shell fossils from whenever this area was last under the sea. On route back, we had lunch at an inn along the road before heading back to the Perle for a 2nd night.
Friday, the Muslim day of rest, we visited another gorge, Todra. This gorge was very different from Dades. It´s warmer in this valley which allows the Palm trees the sun they need to flourish. The contrast of red earth, bright green palms and violet blue sky was fabulous. We felt so lucky to be here during this time of year. The flowers are all in bloom, red poppies (not poppies but they look just like them), yellow, blue, purple, white and orange. A true feast for the eyes. The Berbers use all of these flowers for natural color in their crafts. We drove deep into the gorge and after turning around we saw a Berber man looking for a ride. Hitchhiking here is very common and safe. We decided to give him a ride. He was quite friendly and spoke French, Arabic, Berber and Spanish. We were communicating well. He explained that he and his family were nomads and lived in the mountains for 10 months of the year herding their 100 animals (sheep, goats, camels), and the other 2 months in Tineghir, a small town in the Todra valley. He invited us to have a mint tea in his home with his family, we accepted. The home is simple and just 2 or 3 rooms. The adobe structure was a former Jewish home, as most in this town were before Israel was formed and they were all abandoned. Now they are just for the Berbers during their time to sell their goods. The Berbers do not pay for the use of the home. We entered the home and were invited to sit in the main room on the floor which was covered with colorful rugs. To one side was a loom where the sister was making yarn from Camel hair and weaving a rug. We met the older brother who was clearly the head of the family and spoke very good English. He explained to us that he learned English when the movie Jewel of the Nile was being filmed nearby. He worked on the film, although we aren´t sure if he was in the film as a local extra or if he was serving the crew tea etc. Either way he was charming and friendly, as they all were. We sipped our tea and viewed their crafts. The Camel hair rugs were exquisite. Our favorites were the Cactus silk rugs. He explained that the colors of the rugs we a mark of the nomads who made them. The black rugs were colored with magnesium from the caves in the Atlas Mountains. The red comes from the earth and represents Berbers from the desert, the true nomads. The blue represents farmers or those who don´t move around. And the white is the beach sand from the coastal Berbers. After all of our history lessons we headed to our next destination, Ait Benhaddou, where there is a faboulous Kasbah. Many films have been shot here including Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and as we know, The Jewel of the Nile. There are several families that still live inside the Kasbah according to some. We saw some souks inside, but the most interesting part was that the entire fortress is made of adobe and seems to crumble beneath you. This site won´t last, what a pity. In order to tour the Kasbah you must cross a river, or wash rather. We looked for a place that we could rock hop, but found none. We rolled up our pants and headed across on foot. We traipsed around for a while and then crossed back over to the side where our Riad for the night was, Lokfel, also run by a Frenchman, Pascal, who had left the old country in search of better days. The riad was quaint and had a lovely terrace (but no view). We´d read about the dinner here and that you would need to book early. We did and weren´t disappointed. This was one of the best Moroccan meals so far. We retired early as we had to get on the road at 6AM to make our train to Casablanca at 11AM. Pascal woke early as well and greeted us with a fabulous cup of coffee and pastry for breakfast, way above and beyond. We shoved off in the morning light and got some additional fabulous shots. Especially nice were all of the fields of flowers. We´d call them wild flowers but as they are harvested for their color we don´t think they are wild at all. We made the train to Casablanca with no problems.
We arrived in Casablanca in the afternoon and were greeted by Adil Gharris, the nephew of Charlie´s good friend Rachid Gharris from university in Freiburg, Germany. Rachid was kind enough to have his brother, Houcine, and his family put us up in Casablanca for the night. Adil picked us up and drove us to his parents´ home just outside the center of Casablanca. Houcine and his family welcomed us into their lovely home. We were overwhelmed by their hospitality and generosity. In the afternoon, Adil took us for a tour of Casablanca showing us the highlights, as we only had this one afternoon there. The three of us then stopped at an ocean side cafe with a fabulous view to watch the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean. We have much in common with Adil, we are similar in age and ambition, and got along splendidly. In the evening we all went back to Houcine´s for a home cooked meal, our best in Morocco. Monday morning we woke to another fabulous meal, coffee and breakfast on the garden terrace. We can´t thank the entire Gharris family enough for their generosity. We hope we are able to return the hospitality if they have the chance to visit us in San Francisco, or where ever we end up! Unfortunately, several of the family have been unsuccessful in trying to visit US; visas for Moroccan men 15-40 are all but barred from visiting our country since 9-11 regardless of who they are. We can only hope that this changes in the coming years and we can some day welcome them to our home as they did us, En sha-allah.
We were blown away by Morocco. The people were unbelievably warm and welcoming throughout the country. The architecture is beautiful and the spring flora and fawna are just lovely. The food was to die for. We highly recommend a vist and will be sure to return here one day, (after we learn French).
Avoir Morocco!We´re off to Madrid to spend a few days with Maria-Carmen! Stay tuned for more adventures with Rawson and Charlie!