Majestic Morocco (Part 2) Fès and the Sahara

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The Medina of Fès was the most jaw-dropping site we had seen so far! The enormous honeycomb of white-washed stucco buildings under cerulean skies is the kind of vision we had all been waiting for! Over 9,000 alleys wind their way through the souk which still lies behind medieval gated walls. Enclosed within the walls are also 350 active mosques… Read more »

Majestic Morocco (part 1) Casablanca to Fès

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“Where’s Mimi?” asked my daughter to my then four-year old grandson. “In Morocco-docco!” came the unhesitant reply. And indeed we were!! Originally, Ray and I were going to meet up in Morocco for a week during the year I spent in France–that is in 1979–but I decided to come home and see my family instead. Ray never quite forgave me,… Read more »

The Lure of the Nile (London and Egypt, 2019)

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On my first trip to Egypt, I had traveled by dahabiya. The elegance and charm of that mode of travel can only be dimly imagined by those who have not experienced it. My boat had been equipped with every comfort including a grand piano in the salon and an outdoor sitting room on the upper deck. How many blissful hours… Read more »

A la recherche du temps perdu

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Like so many others, our plans for travel in 2020 were thrown into disarray. It hardly seems right to complain, since so many people have suffered real pain and loss, whereas our only pain is that of gentle sorrow. And yet, I find myself wistful. This year we were at long last to lead our son, his wife and their… Read more »

Vietnam Part 2: The Center, straddling the DMZ

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Hoi An and Hué Danang is a sparkling new university town and its airport is just about 30 minutes from the tourist mecca of Hoi An. Leaving the airport with our new guide Hoanh, we were impressed by the clearly young and very smartly dressed population as they glided by on their motorbikes, iPhones at the ready. The streets were… Read more »

Vietnam: Part I – the North

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Part 1: Hanoi and Halong Bay Many, many people had told us how much they loved Hanoi. That was surprising to us, since in our youth it was depicted as an evil place. We were nevertheless intrigued. It was also the launching spot for a short cruise into the oft photographed Halong Bay, so it was the starting line for… Read more »

Next stop Bangkok!

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After we returned from Egypt last year, we couldn’t wait to book our next adventure! Southeast Asia had been calling me for some time and when I realized that Explore Travel and Cruises out of London, the agency that booked our splendid cruise up the Nile on the Dahabiya Dream also had trips to Vietnam and Cambodia, I did not… Read more »

A mostly Scottish yuletide or 12 days of Christmas in the UK

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Christmas is admittedly a family holiday. However, now that we have grown children with families of their own, it sometimes occurs that our kids need to be with the families of their spouses on the west coast. It’s only fair. But it is kind of a bummer. This year, rather than staying home and moping, or trying to pretend we’re… Read more »

Au Canada!

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Ray began his love affair with Montreal in 1968 when international travel and cheap beer were a novelty for him. I didn’t get there until I was a TA doing my master’s in French language and literature at UCONN. I loved it slightly less than he did, perhaps because at the time Québec City was so much more charming, less… Read more »

Oregon: you’re getting to be a habitat with me!

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Ray and I have been following our son around the USA for many years as he pursued interests, education and careers across the country—Olympic National Park in Washington, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Utah and Flagstaff are on the list. And now he, his wife and their baby have settled on the spectacular coast of northern Oregon, so it has… Read more »