Marrakech by Mike Wood

My family and I live in the South East of England and the genesis of this tale lies in the fact that my best friend in England is Moroccan. For many years Mohammed and I talked about a trip to his home country which we finally got round to doing in 2003 visiting his birthplace of Casablanca, where I was lucky enough to experience the warm hospitality of his family, as well as touring a number of other towns including the charming port of Essaouira and, most significantly for me Marrakech. Walking inside the ancient City walls of the old town of Marrakech is like stepping inside the pages of the bible. For centuries the Red City has sat at an intersection between cultures, a trading post and meeting place for intrepid Europeans, ethnic arabs from the East and the Camel Caravans that crossed the desserts to the South from sub saharan Africa. Today its narrow streets, too tight to accommodate cars, are teeming with life from

street vendors, food stalls, donkeys and carts, locals of all ages and tourists from the corners of the globe. At the heart of Marrakech sits the incomparable Jema al Fnaa square filled with the sights sounds and smells of snake charmers, storytellers, acrobats, performing monkeys, henna artists, musicians, dancing boys, orange juice sellers, primitive dentists and all manner of other enterprises and entertainers. At dusk the north side of the square becomes the worlds largest and most welcoming open air barbecue. The best discovery of all from that first trip to Morocco was the hidden world of the Riad, the traditional form of courtyard home built inward facing around a central garden, in fact the literal meaning of riad in arabic is garden. Each Riad is a private space with no outward facing windows, its closed form providing shelter from the heat of the sun as well as privacy for traditional muslim families. It is difficult to believe the contrast between the calm of a Riad courtyard and the vibrant chaos of the streets outside.

My mind was made up, I had to have a Riad! My wife was willing to go along with the plan although at that stage she would really have preferred a Gite in France or a nice cottage in Derbyshire. There followed two years of frustration searching for the right Riad to renovate only to be thwarted by sellers who changed their minds, difficulties of understanding and translation, title deeds that could not be found, and a hundred and one other obstacles. Reassuringly the more we went back to Marrakech the more we became convinced that this was the one place in the world we had visited which we could see our family coming back to indefinitely. Marrakech is such a cosmopolitan City, it seems a new restaurant opens every week many to top international standard, the souks are endlessly fascinating, the seaside is a short day trip, and the Atlas mountains are your playground with walking trekking and even skiing in winter all around an hour away. Where else can you bathe in dependably warm sun on a private roof terrace within sight of snow topped mountains!

Early in 2006 the search finally bore fruit and we took possession of a beautiful tall, proud old Riad in Baroudiyine, one of the oldest districts of the old town Medina near to the Marrakech museum and the historic Ben Youssef Mosque with its fabulous Maddrassa. Then having waited patiently for so long for our Riad a second one fell into our laps! My wife Lucie, who by this stage was as passionate about the project as me was idly sitting at her keyboard one day and for reasons best known to herself tapped the search term 'riad for sale' into google. Up came a delightful courtyard garden house, perfectly proportioned, only five minutes from our new Marrakech home and annoyingly quite a bit cheaper! So we had no choice really, we had to buy that one as well, a feat which was accomplished less than a week from meeting the charming German owner. So there we were, proud owners of two Marrakech Riads each with their own charm and both in need a more than a little TLC. Their subsequent renovation and conversion into successful boutique hotels Riad Papillon and Riad Cinnamon involved five years of highs, lows, escalating budgets and constant learning about a very particular and fascinating culture......... but that is another story.

Mike and Lucy are running 2 Riad hotels in Marrakech. You can contact them on www.marrakech-riad.co.uk to discuss and book your accommodation.

My Special Cities by Bjørn Lødøen

Every year popular cities are chosen as the most popular destinations in a region, a country or in the world. These cities are picked on the basis of special criteria such as the most visitors, best attractions,etc. My most popular cities in the world out of those I have visited are also based on such criteria, but always because of some special experiences while staying there. Special cities I have visited in the world are San Francisco, Cape Town and Singapore.

Hermanus and Walker Bay in Cape Town

I will never forget Cape Town. One of the most enjoyable cities in the world. Robbin Island, Table Mountain and the Waterfront all make it a fascinating city. But a visit to a small holiday destination a short ride from Cape Town set my heart and soul shivering. Hermanus is fast becoming one of the most loved holiday destination amongst South Africans as well as international visitors. Wedged between mountain and sea offering spectacular views over Walker Bay, Hermanus promises remarkable natural beauty in the heart of the beautiful Western Cape. During the past decade, Hermanus has grown into a vibrant seaside destination complemented by fine restaurants, numerous art galleries, boutiques and shops, as well as a multitude of outdoor and adventure activities for the nature enthusiasts. But why so special for me? On the edge of the sea cliffs there is a café located just near enough to watch what is going on in the wavy ocean.
You will experience seals and whales playing a fantastic movie right in front of your eyes. You will not believe it until you see. It is so near that you almost feel they are there for you. Hermanus is known as the heart of the whale route and offers the best land-based whale watching in the world; undeniably the towns’ most popular tourist attraction. The Southern Right Whales come to South Africa between May and December to mate and calf and are the most frequently seen in Walker Bay. It is a fantastic experience which I will never miss when going back to Cape Town.
Stellenbosch wine district, near Cape Town.

San Francisco is almost always being chosen as number one tourist spot in the USA. This counts for me too, but not only because of Alcatraz, the sight of the Golden Gate or its Cable Tram tour. It is mostly because of the special treat you get at Fisherman’s Wharf. As a person from the West Coast of Norway, the best seafood I get is stone Crab. Stone crabs is one of the real popular thing you can buy at Fisherman`s Wharf. I love them and it is the first thing I do when visiting “Bagdad of the Bay”, as San Francisco is often called. You buy them boiled, ready to eat. Bring them to your hotel room, buy bread and mayonnaise and a bottle of good white Napa Valley wine. This meal is perfect for me and after having stuffed myself with this delicious treat, I can go out and enjoy the life in this wonderful city. Why do I eat it in my hotel room ? Because I can do it my way, without taking notice of the way the restaurant want me to eat it. I can forget about the eating code and the other guests and just dig in. Therefore, visiting San Francisco; The Stone crabs make my day!

Singapore has always been a popular tourist spot. A modern vibrant city, mixed in with all of the old parts of the city; Little India, Chinatown and Orchard road. I love Singapore; The people, the food, the smell and the different cultures. On our first tour to the city, I think it must have been about 15 years ago, we went on a tour of the city and ended up outside the famous Raffles hotel. We could not miss the opportunity to visit one of the Lions City most famous attractions, dated all the way back to 1887. Having heard of all of the famous playwrights, novelists and actors, Noel Coward visited the hotel for the first time in 1931, we were really looking forward to enjoy the fantastic atmosphere. We headed into the Writers bar, a bar tributed to the writers who have stayed at the hotel or have written about. Of course we ordered a ‘Singapore sling’ but we were so surprised being kindly asked to leave. We did not know there is a dress code at the bar, no shorts, but appropriate long trousers. At first we felt embarressed but later on we understood that our shorts did not fit in. I have been back to Singapore later, also to the writers bar, but properly dressed! However, I will never forget the moment when we had to give up our Singapore Sling.

These three places have given me a special experience to be remember for ever. In that way they became My Special Cities.