Bringing in 2013

Bags packed and off to the hostel which would be HQ before heading home, Poets Hostel. Once again another funky hostel, decked out with art work, comfy bean bags, rugs and spacious, airy rooms. Good find, Brasher! We jumped onto the metro to Eduardo VII park where we enjoyed a nice, cloudy view of Lisbon. Leisurely we strolled to the main plaza near Rossi station. It was here, at the local Maccas that we met up with Carol and Shane. We enjoyed a good chinwag over some burgers and fries. Later us girls headed for a stroll along Rua Douradores, however by this time the rain had set in and it wasn't looking too reassuring for celebrating the last day of 2012. Beaten by the cold we wandered home, to freshen up for our NYE dinner at the hostel.
By 8pm a large group of people from different parts of the globe got together to bring in the new year. Brazil, Columbia, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Switzerland and many more. Over dinner we shared, laughed and indulged in a banquet if food. With just 20 minutes to spare of 2012, we headed to the foreshore to bring in the new year. By now the wind and rain had dissipated and it was a bearable winter night.
5, 4,3,2,1 - at the stroke of midnight.... Happy New Year!!! Fireworks filled the sky, synced to the hit songs of 2012. Who would think I'd be Gangnam styling my way into 2013?!? A sign of good things to come, me thinks!! ;)

Oh Lisbon, I think I like you...

In Lisbon at 6am, what to do! In no hurry to be anywhere, we followed the other travelers from our bus to the train station. There we braved very, very chilly temps until the metro opened 30 minutes later. It felt like ages, when you are trying to warm on metal chairs. By 7:30 we managed emerge from the comforts of the subway system into the main tourist hub of the city. Not a soul was in sight! As we wandered the streets in search of the reliable Golden Arches - the weight of our backpacks won and we headed to our youth hostel, with no egg and bacon mc muffin! :(.

Kindly we were allowed to leave our luggage, as we spent the next 6 hours filling in time before check in. Pia had found a leaflet about a Sunday market, west of where we were staying, so with no agenda planned, we headed in that direction. Roaming the streets we came across a huge array of streetart, particularly stencils. Hawkeyes Pia was in her element, snapping away at walls and all. In our early morning stroll we bumped into an older American lady, also filling in time before checkin. Always interesting the people you meet. She was fulfilling a dream of completing her pilgrim across Europe in aims of reaching her finishing line in Tel Aviv.

Onward bound we went down streets, up streets, down stairs, up stairs! All n all it was a glorious, crisp winter morning and it was a pleasure being able to walk the streets. A treat we rarely get in Dubai. By midday we arrived at the LX markets. Unfortunately a lot of the stores and art gallery's were closed due to the Xmas season, but what we did get to see was a treat - Pia was in heaven, whilst it was a breathe of fresh air and just what I needed to inspire me to finish some art projects I needed to get around tooo! Bookstores, riddled with art - clothes stores, housing funky jewelry and retro textiles- cafes, riddled with sculptures and mouthwatering, fresh food. What more did our senses need!

With close to 36 hours without a bed, once checked in we crashed out for the afternoon... This could only mean one thing - exploring Lisbon by night. First to fill our bellies with food in the area known as Bairro Alto. It was in a side street, eating outdoors with green blankets that we met our 2 new friends for the night - Carol the Dentist, from Kenya living in Germany and Shane the entrepreneur, Hebrew speaking Englishman. We headed to the Bali bar where, previously a Rastafarian band were playing - hence Pia's request to go there. Uncanningly, we bumped into Carol and Shane again and from there the random night began! Grooving on the mini dance floor, whilst chuckling about the horrendously bad female tambouriners singing - hubby was definitely the musician of the duo. At the strike of midnight the bar closed and we headed around the corner to the Cuba bar, where salsa dancing was in full force. All the close bodies squished together was making me claustrophobic so to the street I went...There I met my new Lisboanite friends, Miguel and Miguel. Now as an entourage of 6 we headed down the street to another bar, since Pia had been highly embarrassed by Shane, insisting she dance with the shirtless bar owner. At the next location I met the French lads who were getting away from home for the festive season. From there we ended up at an old club decked out into two section. The nowadays chic club style to the vintage section, decked in antique furniture and framed pictures. Such a funky place! By the early hours of the morning we had worn out the soles of our feet and to the comforts of our hostel we headed.

Strolling the street of Sevilla

Today we had to check out since the only room available was twice the price! As much as we liked the luxury for the last couple of nights, our decision was made - Midnight bus to Lisbon! With our luggage in storage for the day we headed to the city centre. First pitstop, a quaint cafe where we drained our glasses of hot chocolate and munched on toasted cheese and ham sandwiches. Yummo! Next we joined the queue of people lining up to enter the cathedral. Fifteen minutes later and trying to fend off a one legged (well dressed) beggar we made it inside of the cathedral. The length of the interior was 126 metres and the height in the centre area reached 36 metres. It would have been absolutely freezing in the middle of winter. It wasn't until we read the information booklet that we discovered the cathedral of Seville is the most extensive gothic cathedral in the world - explained the many dark, eerie corners. Within the cathedral we headed up the Giralda bell tower. At the top of the 98 metre tall tower we admired the panoramic views of Seville. As we winded down the 35 levels of the tower - the need for some sunshine was required so we headed to the Orange Tree Courtyard, where we had some chuckles mucking around with our camera settings. As the rain clouds rolled in we got lost wandering through the streets which headed in the direction of the bus station. Here we wandering through the alleys - Pia spotting streetart whilst I tried not to trip over my own feet on the cobblestones for the umpteenth time.

Once our bus tickets were purchased we headed along the riverfront and through Constitucion avenue back to the market stalls. Around the corner was a local supermarket where we stocked up on our little picnic supplies. Even with the impending rain on the horizon we still purchased a little bottle of red, chorizo and crackers. Next stop the French market stall for some mulled wine - Pia had been craving some festive goodness. So as we nursed our mulled wine under the shelter of the French stall, whilst watching generous portions of chocolate crepes being served and a nearby busker entertain the next generation with his skills at making gigantic bubbles. A good chuckle when a large bubble would stray out of the children's grasp into an unsuspecting pedestrian - POP!

With our bellies warmedand plastic cups in hand we headed to the foreshore to take up the local tradition. Unfortunately it wasn't a glorious afternoon like the previous day, but bearable! After a mini mission to get the bottle open - thanks Swiss Army knife! We watched the sky change shades, evening walkers stroll the park and cheeky youth entertain themselves and us with their firecracker shenanigans.

Now officially frozen to the bone, from spending 10 hours on the streets of Sevilla - we headed to the safety of our hotel to abuse the free wifi, whilst we waited for midnight to roll around, so we could catch our much anticipated bus ride. ;)


Backpacks strapped, we made our way to the station, where we joined another 40 souls heading to Lisbon. Thankfully all went without a hitch. Sadly, when we arrived in Lisbon, 5:45am the next morning one of our fellow travelers bags had be stolen. Leaving us concerned for the young fella but also thankful it wasn't our bags - probably the weight of the Moroccan rugs had come in handy for once.

Espanol!

Not even the first signs of morning could penetrate the dark curtains in our hotel room. It wasn't till at last 10 that we returned to the world of the living and attempted to head out and explore Sevilla. Taking advantage of the hotel discount we jumped on the city bus tour. This helped us get our bearings of what there was to see in Sevilla. Sitting on the open roof, double decker bus we braved the 10 degree weather and the icy wind that had the delightful sensation of a hundred pins pricking our skin. After completing one full circuit we jumped off and began wandering, north along the river. As the temps rose, so did the atmosphere in the city, locals and tourists began filling the streets. At most street intersections we would bump into tourist, who also had their maps out trying to figure out where to go next. As we wandered further north along the river we stopped in at the bus station to work out how long it would take to get Lisbon - 7 hours by bus. Now we knew how to get to our next location, it was time to soak up some rays and explore Sevilla. It wasn't long before Pia was in streetart heaven. Behind the station was an amazing array of artwork - filling buildings, walls, bridges and any other concrete or metal mass. The remainder of the afternoon was spent catching the bus to the northeast point of our bus tour, La Macrena. From there we walked along the canal, mingling with the afternoon joggers, taking in the street art which covered the walls, parallel to the river. There were certainly many photo opportunities. As the sun set on the horizon, locals found a spot along the river to relax and enjoy the mild winter temps. Dog walkers, rock climbers, cyclists, tightrope walkers and every Tom, Dick and Harry filled the foreshore. Occasionally we would stop and take in the atmosphere and enjoy the chilled European lifestyle.
After surviving the whole day without feeling the need to nap, we regrouped at the hotel, dumped our day packs and headed out to enjoy some post festive celebrations. The local park still had the Ferris wheel, food stalls and ice rink set up. As we wandered through the stalls the urge to consume churros was too great! Nom nom nom. :) From there we wandered along the avenue in the direction of Jardines Alcazar. It was here they had set up stalls representing different countries, where they were selling local cuisines and beverages. Even Australia was there offering Fosters and steak sangies! Our goal of the evening was to make it to the town hall to admire the Christmas light show. Whilst walking along Constitucion Avenue we were in awe of the thousands of Christmas lights that covered the street. Buskers lured crowds and filled the sidewalks, whilst latenight shoppers enjoyed the end of year sales. Before we knew it we had followed the crowd to the exact place we wanted to be. As the clock striked 9 and the lights dimmed on Town Hall, we were spoilt with an amazing light show. After a generous 15 minutes, we were treated with an extra special finale. They had set up foam machines on the roof, so when they turned them on it was like a white Christmas - snowing! What a treat, hehe! Covered in speckles of foam we made our way into the side streets to find some Spanish cuisine. In a little side alley we found a Tapas bar riddled with people. As we squeezed in and propped ourselves on the corner of the bar, we went on to purchase a variety of tapas, varying in different pork products ;) and enjoyed with a nice glass of red. Not completely full, in true Alisha and Pia style we had spotted the desert cabinet and there spinning around amongst the cheesecake and chocolate mousse was my much desired lemon meringue!!! You can guess what was sitting in front of me at the end of the evening... Satisfied!

From one continent to another

Rise and shine! Up at the crack of dawn to head north and into a new continent. By 8am we had offloaded our luggage and indulged in our final true Moroccan style tea. About an hour later we headed off into the misty morning to enjoy a 3 hour bus ride North. At our half way mark we met a fellow Aussie traveller from Cairns. A recent doctor graduate, filling in his last month of freedom roaming Morocco before his life of real work begins. Pia and Ben used to wander the same haunts so they had a good chat reminiscing over the better things in Aussieland. At Tangier we said our farewells to Ben and headed to the port to enjoy a ferry ride over to Spain.
Tickets purchased : check
Luggage scanned: check
Immigration: check
All aboard: check
Next: waiting 2 hours for the ferry to fill up with passengers. In the interim I did what I do best on this trip - sleep. Pia was left to entertain herself and enjoy the soothing docile accents of the tour group that sat next to us. Once the engines started we were just a mere 35 minutes from the next continent we were set to travel into the new year. Whilst waiting for our bus connection in Tarifca to Arefciras we saw a group of 4WDs drive onto the ferry to participate on the Desert Dakar Rally. As fresh as they looked now, that certainly wouldn't be the case in the few weeks to come. Wishing them all a safe journey!
Within a couple of hours we were on another bus outta Algerciras to Sevilla - as slumber set in the next 3 hours went by in states of semi and unconsciousness. By 11 pm we rolled into Sevillas smaller bus station, to be greeted by many locals waiting for connecting buses to who knows where. In no desire to go hunting for bargain priced accommodation, we chose the closest place to crash to us. Hotel Alcazar - certainly a set up far fancier than Morocco and surprisingly around the same price as a twin share in a decent hostel in Europe. It wasn't long before the 13 hours of traveling took its toll and both Pia and I succumbed to the land of nod.

Chilling in the Blue Town

Certainly in holiday mode. As we got our carcasses outta bed we headed out to the cosy medina of Chefchaoun, into the new village. There we strolled through the streets and watched the town come to life. In one of the piazzas we parked our bottoms and watched the local kids play soccer and listened to the men haggle in the fish markets. From there, since we were half way to the bus station we thought we should check out our tickets to Tangier. All we had to do was follow the street going down hill for the next kilometre. Along the way we said hello to policeman, the local mechanic and anyone who said g'day. Luckily, at the bus station we found a bus company that left at 8:30am. Unfortunately not the most classiest company we came with, but the Moroccan express, lol... Would have to do! We headed back to the medina to munch on a much needed brunch. We found a local pizzeria where we chatted to the owner in English and our limited Arabic vocabulary - oh those friendly Moroccans. With our batteries recharged we went on exploring the rest of the medina. All the streets and alleyways were covered in different shades of blue. Old doors and renovated doors were hidden in a sea of blue walls. Local men wandered up and down the streets in their jellaba looking like Jedi's from Star Wars. I was just waiting to see a light saver for sale in a market stall. After getting trigger happy with our cameras for a good couple of hours, some relaxation was in order.

To the Hamam we go!! It was certainly entertaining trying to communicate with the dear, old lady who worked there, since she didn't speak a word of English. Actually, no one who attended the Hamam spoke English. We definitely had found the hangout for the local ladies. I'm gonna keep this one brief since writing about the Hamam, might not nearly be as chuckle- worthy as hearing the story firsthand!

A couple of hours later we emerged from the local bath, scrubbed, massaged and so fresh 'n' so clean, clean!! Next on the agenda was back to the hostel to chilax and try and hold off eating dinner till at least 6:30pm... Argh, we lasted till 6.

Snuggled up in multiple layers, we headed out for our last supper in Morroco. We found a lovely three story restaurant that looked over the piazza. There we munched away on our delicious tagines! Unfortunately it was so chilly and the little town had already gone into shutdown mode that we made our way back home to return blood circulation to our fingers and toes at a very responsible hour of 'nanna' o'clock.

Xmas in Morocco

Feeling more human, we got ourselves packed, consumed another delicious brekky, booked our accommodation for the next town and raced to the blue gate to catch a taxi to the bus station. With 30 minutes to spare we purchased our tickets and had our bags weighed... This is when we discovered how heavy our carpets were! 😱
The next 4 hours were spent enjoying heavy winter rain, so heavy the interior of the bus rained. We enjoyed a quick pitstop at a local roadhouse. Whilst I tipped the cleaner a few larger coins then expected,
in my distracted state, I came close to knocking myself out with a goat carcass hanging from a pylon. Eyes up! For the remainder of the drive we moved further into the mountainous ranges, saying goodbye to the eucalyptus trees that riddled the road side and green fields. It was such a nice change admiring the green landscape and puffs of crisp, white clouds that littered the vibrant, blue sky. By mid afternoon we reached the peak that looked down onto Chefchaouen aka the Blue town. Once we collected our luggage we headed to the entrance but there was no taxi to greet us. With our recently bursting at the seams backpacks, we ventured up the steepest hill we'd both seen in awhile. Conveniently, when we reached the top, who was there... Yes, our new BFF, Mr taxi man. Better late than never! He kindly dropped us at the northwest entrance of the medina, where we were instantly greeted by locals. At this point we were not in the mood for assistance and defiantly marched on, in what we hoped, was the right direction... Thankfully we made it to Hotel Yasmina unaided and with no obligation to tip anyone. Here we met Wendy the walker. This lovely lady from England has been traveling for the last 4 decades all over the globe, completing some of the most challenging hiking trails. We spent the next hour chatting about all sorts of interesting things. We certainly let Wendy know that when he wrote her memoirs we'd be sure to read them. ☺ After roaming around the quaint little medina, we couldn't wait sny longer to eat dinner, no matter how early it was! Since it was Christmas and all, we thought we'd have a little feast. This entailed eating the last couple of Moroccan dishes we hadn't tasted. Firstly we munched on a delicious chicken pastella. The sugary, cinnamon pastry with the savory meat stuffing complimented each other quite nicely. Then we ordered the rabbit with figs... Now I'm not the most savviest connoisseur but I know what a fig taste like. Cutting an apricot in half and sprinkling the middle with sesame seeds, ain't fooling nobody. Unfortunately there was no Xmas pudding on the menu, do we headed down the piazza to a local bakery stall who served mouthwatering pastries. It was here we met our Aussie loving, Moroccan hippy stall owner. This guy spent a quarter of his year in Australia trying to make it on the market scene. As soon as he knew we were Aussies, we chatted away about anything and everything - he even offered to serve us tea made with 46 different herbs... Hmmm seems like we'd be flying high after that tea. Instead, we politely declined and enjoyed some mint tea or 'Moroccan whiskey' as the locals like to call it. Merry Christmas!!