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Last day in Reykjavik!

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The Golden Circle

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Iceland

Both Luke and I wish we had time to visit more of Iceland, but we tried to make the most of our two days here. We drove around the classic "Golden Circle" on our first day, a popular tourist route in southern Iceland that starts and ends in Reykjavic. It includes Thingvellir National Park, the Strokkur Geyser, and the Gulfoss Waterfall. We took a detour on our way back to Reykjavic to visit the town of Hveragerdi, which is famous for it's geothermal activity. You can see steam rising from the ground all over the town, including in people's backyards, and local restaurants and bakeries use the geothermal ground as an oven to make cook pizza, bread, cake and eggs. We decided to walk the trail through the nearby Reykjadalur valley, which lead to a network of hot springs as well as a geothermal river. You can bathe in the warm river, which of course we had to try, while enjoying the beautiful landscape. We explored the funky city of Reykjavik on our second day. Our first stop was the National Museum of Iceland, where we learnt about the progression of the country from the original settlement by the Vikings to Norwegian and Danish rule to modern day Iceland. We spent the rest of the day window shopping, admiring the waterfront, and finally having our last supper at a local fish and chips food truck. It is very bittersweet to be now boarding our flight back to Toronto. Thank you Eurocco for a wonderful 9 week adventure!

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Just a few of the many photos we took in Jotenheimen National Park

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Norway

I am fortunate to have travelled to many different countries but I feel especially grateful for the time we spent hiking in Norway. I won't go in to too much detail because the pictures are worth a thousand words and we took a lot of pictures! We had one night in Oslo on either side of our 5 day hiking trip in Jotenheimen National Park. Oslo was very beautiful and modern but not nearly as exciting as the trekking. Here is a short synopsis of the of the trip. Day 1: Gjendsheim to Memurubu over Besseggen Ridge Besseggen Ridge is one of the most popular hikes in Norway, and was a spectacular way to start our trip through the national park. We did the hike the opposite way of most people, starting with a few hours of steep uphill walking before climbing down the ridge. The ridge runs between the north side of a large glacial lake and the south side of another smaller lake, so we had amazing, albeit terrifying, views as we clambered downhill. The rest of the trail consisted of milder ascents and descents before a short, quick descent down to the cabin at Memurubu on the shores of the glacial lake. Before the last descent, Luke's eagle eyes spotted a herd of 19 reindeer in the adjacent valley. We tried to get closer but they trotted away when we started towards them. Day 2: Memurubu to Gjendubu Day 2 was similar to day 1 in terms of topography: a steep uphill to multiple ascents and descents and a steep downhill to finish. As on day one, the blindingly green forest at lower elevations contrasted with the dark rocks and scrub vegetation higher up, and we continued to have a great view of the lake. However, the best part of the day was coming across a herd of 50 reindeer grazing on the cliff above the lake. Because we were downwind of the herd, we managed to get quite close to them without being noticed. We were initially thrilled when they came trotting up the cliff to join us on the plateau, but lost our nerve when the large males (with huge antlers!) began to confidently approach us. After putting some distance between ourselves and the herd, we still didn't know whether their behaviour had been curious or aggressive, but we were high on adrenaline for many hours after. Day 3: Gjendebu to Lairvassbu Day 3 was very wet. About a quarter of the path was still snow covered and the rest of it was thick mud and swampland. It also rained for most of the day. The hike consisted of gentle uphill terrain that took us around the edge of multiple frozen lakes, dark mountains, and glaciers. Although we continued to enjoy ourselves and take in the beautiful scenery and wildlife, we put the cameras away and moved at a quicker pace in anticipation of getting warm and dry. We didn't see a single other person on this day, and we had to break trail across all the areas where there was snow. Day 4: Lairvassbu to Skogadalsboen We had all kinds of terrain and scenery on day 4. We left the snowy mountains of Lairvassbu in a blizzard but we were soon walking through rivers that transitioned to forest and then a valley filled with waterfalls and sheep. By the end of this day, we estimated that we had crossed over 80 little rivers so far. Day 4 was our longest day of hiking at over 8 hours, partially due to the rocky and wet terrain but also due to my sore knee. Nevertheless, we continued to take it all in and enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment upon reaching the cabin at Skogadalsboen. This was our second day in a row of not meeting anyone else while walking. Day 5: Skogadalsboen to Sognefjellshytta Our last day of hiking started on the other side of the valley from day 4. The path was flat and easy to follow but the going was slow because we were distracted by all the ewes and lambs grazing nearby. Once we finally escaped the sheep, we trekked around the edges of mountains and glaciers that looked much less intimidating when the sun was shining. When we arrived at Sognefjellshytta, we were surprised to find that the lodge maintains a 6 km ski loop from May to July, where many elite and recreational skiiers were training in their down coats and shorts! At the end of each day, we sat down to a delicious three course meal and discussed the day's hike with other friendly, like-minded people. The other guests were usually Norwegians but they always spoke in English so that we would be included in the conversation. The cabins themselves were quite the sight, whether they were situated in the mountains, in a valley or on the shore of a lake. The cherry on top of a great trip was seeing a Moose on the side of the road on our bus trip back to Oslo. We said a sad goodbye to Norway and flew to Iceland, where we will spend the last three nights of our trip!

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Madrid

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Madrid

Two days was barely enough to scratch the surface of Madrid; I would definitely consider returning in the near future. Madrid is a beautiful walking city, with many green spaces and quiet pedestrian streets. We enjoyed an early morning walk through the Parque del Rios, where thousands of locals were running, biking, playing soccer, and even roller skiing! Later on, we (mostly) window shopped on streets with antique stores and fashion boutiques, stopping every so often for coffee and baked goods. During the evenings on weekends, two of Madrid's best art museums have free entrance. We visited the Reina Sofia on Saturday night, and really enjoyed the displays of modern art after visiting so many museums that focused on the Romantic period. Predictably, our favourite exhibit was the one dedicated to Picasso and his artistic journey towards painting the famous "El Guernica" during the Second World War. The exhibit included both photos and information about the creation of "El Guernica", as well as other paintings by Picasso from the same period. We dedicated Sunday night to visiting the National Prado Museum. The Prado mostly contains pieces from the Romantic Period, but Luke and I spent most of our time in temporary exhibitions displaying 20th century art. We were not allowed to take photos of the pieces, but the titles of some of our favourites (in English) were "And They Say Fish Are Still Expensive" and "Boys on the Beach" by Joaquin Sorolla. One of our favourite parts of Madrid was the food. At one of the city's best seafood restaurants, we decided to be adventurous and ordered the seafood plate for two: a small mountain of crab, shrimp, and goose barnacles. Neither of us had ever heard of, never mind attempted to eat, a goose barnacle before and had to ask the people next to us for a demonstration. It took us twice as long and twice as much effort to make our way through the pile compared to the locals around us, but we never lost hope and managed to eat it all before the restaurant closed for the night. We are now on a plane to Oslo, Norway and mentally preparing for the dramatic change in scenery as well as temperature. Tomorrow we start our journey to Jotunheimen National Park for 6 days of hiking.

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The Sahara Desert

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The Sahara Desert

It felt fitting to end our time in Africa with a trip to the Sahara Desert. We signed up for a 4 day trip not knowing much about the itinerary, but having heard many positive reviews of the trip. Although we weren't quite prepared for the amount of harrowing driving or the exposure to the extreme heat (up to 46 degrees!), we were glad we signed up. Predictably, the highlights were camping for a night each in the Zagora Desert and the Merzouga Desert, known as the "little Sahara" and "big Sahara" respectively. We were served dinner and tea in traditional tents, listened to drums around the fire, climbed giant sand dunes, and slept under the stars. Of course, no desert trip is complete without sunrise and sunset camel rides. Unfortunately, 15 years of horseback riding experience did nothing to help prepare me for the camels. It only took about 10 bum-numbing steps to realize that 4 hours of camel riding over the next few days was going to be a lot. We watched some other tourists learn that sitting on a camel that doesn't want to be sat on will result in a long drawn out battle that you will eventually lose. In Merzouga our group was short one camel, so Luke and I had the pleasure of sharing one. I think it's safe to say that a couple that can survive riding a camel together can survive anything. After 4 days of collecting layers of sweat and sand, we treated ourself to a hammam at a spa in Marrakech this morning. The hammam consists of a steam, mud mask, and being scrubbed within an inch of your life. After losing a few layers of skin, we enjoyed an hour long massage and then hopped in a cab to the airport. Leaving Morocco is bittersweet. On the one hand, we will not miss the scorpions, intense heat or the feeling that as a tourist, you always have a dollar sign over your head. On the other hand, we met some wonderful people, learned a lot about Moroccan culture and the Islamic religion, and could not get enough of the figs, orange juice, and mint tea. We are looking forward to visiting Madrid next!

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More of Marrakech

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Cooking class in Marrakech

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Surfing plus donuts. We love Taghazout!

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Marrakech

Marrakech is a fascinating city, but it can wear you out. The 40 degree temperature, confusing streets, and constant hassling by the locals make it harder to enjoy all that city has to offer. However, after almost three weeks in Morocco, we felt prepared to take on Marrakech. Shortly after arriving from Taghazout, we watched the sun set from a terrace overlooking Jemaa el Fnaa, a large courtyard that becomes a bustling marketplace at night. We sat down at an authentic looking stall for dinner and with my rusty French I tried to avoid accidentally ordering us sheep brains, the stall's specialty. On our first full day, we took a Moroccan cooking class. We learned how to make roast pepper salad, harira (a traditional soup eaten during Ramadan), vegetable and fish tajine, and date rolls for dessert. I also learned that if you want to ditch the spoon and mix the chilli marinade with your hands, the way it is traditionally done in Morocco, you should be prepared for the burn. We signed up for a tour of the city on our second day, having learnt in Fez the many benefits of walking with a guide in a big Moroccan city. The guide keeps hasslers at bay, helps you bargain when making purchases, and makes navigating the streets of the medina look easy. We visited the Bahia Palace and the Saadian tombs, and walked by the Koutoubia Mosque (only Muslims are allowed to enter the mosques). One of my favourite parts of the tour was visiting the old university of Marrakech. Unlike the one in Fez, it was no longer in use, but we enjoyed seeing the beautifully decorated classrooms on the first floor and the dormitories for students on the floor above. Our guide also lead us through the Souks, aka the markets, where groups of craftsman worked with each of metal, wood, leather, and fibres. Tomorrow we begin our last big adventure in Morocco: a 4 day trip to the Sahara desert! Side Note : I am trying to post surfing photos and photos from Marrakech but there have been some technical difficulties. I will try again after the desert!

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Taghazout

Our 11 nights in the laid back surf town of Taghazout flew by. We were well taken care of with daily sunrise yoga classes, three course meals, and of course, lots of surfing. Surfing in Taghazout was different in a few ways from the any of the surfing we had done previously. Most days, we were on our own in the water, which meant a lot of trial and error. Waves depend on the geography of the surf spot but also on the ever changing conditions that include the tide, wind, and swell. Consequently, we were always having to re-evaluate whether we were in the best spot to catch waves, the direction of the current, or if we were even on the right size board for the conditions. On some days we struggled: paddling around and wiping out more than we surfed, but we knew that it was all a part of the learning experience. On our best days, we were confidently surfing in overhead waves on the smallest boards we had ever used. Taghazout was also a different experience because of the ongoing construction of large hotels along the beach. Cranes and tractors served as landmarks instead of trees. Seeing the "before" picture of the development made us appreciate the protected beaches and national parks where we had surfed in the past. We met great people during our time in Taghazout, including the local surf guides and instructors, the camp's amazing cook, and fellow guests. The surf camp had a terrace overlooking the town and beach that was perfect for reliving the day's best waves and wipeouts. We now have 1 week to explore Marrakesh and the surrounding Sahara desert to finish off our time in Morocco!

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Pictures of different parts of the Fez medina, including the pharmacy, textile shop, university courtyard and the tannery.

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Meknes and Volubilis.

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Fez

We had heard a lot of negative things about Fez before we even got there. Other travellers said that the locals hassled you constantly and to be on high alert for scams during any interaction with them. We weren't sure what to expect when we arrived. For the most part, our experience in Fez was positive. We ate great Moroccan food, thought the medina was fascinating, and found the locals friendly. Unfortunately, Luke was not feeling well for the majority of our time there, which did affect our ability to enjoy the city. After hearing and reading stories from other solo female travellers in Morocco, I was nervous to explore by myself. I did get to see many important parts of the medina on a guided walking tour. The guide started the tour by giving me the basics of the Fez medina: at 8 kilometres long it is the largest in Morocco, and is divided into over 300 "quarters". Each quarter contains a mosque, school, fountain, and a bakery. I thought it was interesting that a Moroccan bakery is not where people buy bread; instead, it is a communal oven where families bring their own dough each morning to bake their bread. My guide then lead me to a Fez tannery, where leather is still produced from hides using traditional methods. The hides are first placed in melted limestone for a week that is over 1000 degrees in temperature to remove the hair or wool. Many of the workers had scarred or missing digits from working around the limestone. The hides are then transferred to a vat of dye. Since the workers must stand in the vats, the dyes were all from natural sources: mascara for black, poppies for red, and saffron for yellow. After being hung to dry, the leather is sold to craftsman. We then visited the University of Fez, which I learned is also considered a sacred place for Muslims to go to pray. We arrived just as a call to prayer was sounding from the mosques and hundreds of people were flocking to the university courtyard. We finished the tour with a visit to a traditional pharmacy, where I watched a woman extract Argan oil from the nuts, and a textile shop that sold scarves, bedcovers, and table cloths of every colour. While Luke was still recovering in bed the next day, I joined a few other travellers on a day trip to some of the nearby smaller cities. My favourite was Volubilis: an excavation of the ruins of a Roman city that was very similar to Conimbriga in Portugal. In the city of Meknes, we visited a luxurious Riad (a traditional Moroccan house with an inner courtyard) that had been converted into a museum, and the past Sultan's stables that once housed thousands of horses. After the hectic city of Fez, we were ready for a change of pace. We are now in Taghazout, a small city on the Western coast of Morocco, for 10 days of surfing!