Ahh, back in France again. We are in Bordeaux for a few reasons... for one, we are not ready to plunge right into another huge city. For another, it would be nice to see more of France than just Paris. And last (but not least) it has some of the best vineyards ever known, and so we can get fancy world-class wines for just a couple of euros at the grocery store. Now if only we knew a little more about wine, we would know what to pick! Bordeaux has a nice rive...

Spain is really like ten different countries under one umbrella, and Rebecca and I are doing our best to hit them all. This past week we spent in Barcelona, where the people are Catalunyan, and Spain is basically considered a foreign country (and not a very popular one, at that!). And indeed, Barcelona feels a lot more like a cosmopolitan European city than a Spanish one: it features a wealth of modern architecture, some cutting edge museums, inventive food and...

Well, we left Marrakech about a week ago.  Two night trains, a day train, a bus, a ferry,  two taxis and 36 hours later, we -finally!- made it to Barcelona, where we meant to be over a month ago.  But before I get to that, I just wanted to leave some parting thoughts on Morocco, now that Ive had a chance to reflect on the whole experience a little bit. Morocco, Morocco, where do I begin?  As Lonely Planet put it, "it will confound and confront y...

[I have added several blog entries all at once, so please browse through my Morocco section if you want to catch up.] We are deep into Morocco now, exploring the legendary Marrakesh.  Here, I think we have found the pulsing heart of the city - perhaps of all Morrocco:  the wide central square Djemaa el-Fna, where locals and tourists alike flock.  In the afternoon, the magic herbalists and fresh juice-squeezers begin to set up.  By dusk, they have ...

Casablanca - perhaps Moroccos most famous city.  We stopped here for only a few hours.  Just long enough to go to an expensive cafe for juice, and see the monumental and impressive Hassan II mosque.  The inside is cavernous and pleasantly cool, chock full of intricate stylings and lots of marble.  Outside, you can marvel at its minaret - at a staggering 200 meters, it is the worlds tallest.