Morocco, a land of mysteries and stories

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 By Norma Hopcraft

I feel so exotic -- I'm writing to you from Rabat, capital city of Morocco. I will meet my tour group here at approx. 5 pm. My sister arrives from Marrakech then too!

I hear a demonstration of some sort down the street from the hotel. But I've heard that Moroccans like their king. A taxi driver told me, "He's friendly." I don't speak Arabic so I don't know what the discontent is about.

French is spoken here too, so I trot out my French. When people hear my American accent, they want to practice their English, so they switch to English. It's, like, impossible to switch it back to French! Sigh...I'm the one who took the trouble to cross an ocean, so I ought to be the one who gets to practice their foreign language, don't you think?

I hope you have a chance to do as much travel as you would like. Getting to Rabat yesterday required taking a journey with five legs in it -- three by plane and two by train. It was a bit much. But after a great night's sleep, I am adjusted to my new time zone today.

To prepare for this trip, I read two wonderful books set in Morocco. Please read The Caliph's House, about a year spent in Casablanca reconditioning an ancient palace, and In Arabian Nights, both by a great writer, Tahir Shah. They are recent books and give so much insight into the people and the culture. The books have so many stories in them -- story is what I've been working at and studying about for three-and-a-half decades.

He talks about Morocco having underground streams -- not of water but of stories. Of mysteries. It's true, I feel it!

Here are my first photos from Rabat.

This is Avenue Mohammed V, a place where Moroccans stroll with their families of a pleasant evening.

This is a government building (Rabat is the capital city). Bird of Paradise flowers (orange) are in the garden, growing here just because they can. 

A hidden, secret courtyard.

The change of guard at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, father of the current king.

Built in the 11th century, this is the Tour Hassan.

A Moorish doorway at the mausoleum.

I do love a Moorish doorway.

Details from the Tour Hassan.

The guard at the mausoleum. The poor horses were being plagued by flies on their faces. I wish the soldiers could hold a brush for the flies instead of a spear.

Very different look than the famous guard at Buckingham Palace.

I went to the Atlantic Ocean in Rabat to do a ritual I've done in the Pacific, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic at various points, the Caribbean: I roll up my pants and get my feet wet, no matter what the season, no matter how cold the water is, and re-dedicate myself to two things: Jesus and writing.

There were lots of women surfers at the beach! I didn't expect that in Morocco, where some women are in Western dress, some in scarves, and some covered except for a slit for their eyes. The surfing women wear a wetsuit and tie a long piece of fabric over it!

How about you? What travel plans do you have? What impressions do you have of Morocco? Comment below and I'll be sure to reply!

Isle de Bréhat -- A French Playground

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By Norma Hopcraft

Next my sister, my French friend Martine, her dog Tibou, and I -- the intrepid foursome through Brittany and Normandy -- went from Dinan to L'Isle de Bréhat, just off the coast of Brittany.

A loaded ferry took us across waters that had many rocks jutting up from the surface -- how many more were hidden just below? But we made it safely across, as you would expect from a ferry company, and we were enchanted immediately.

The agapanthus was at its peak of bloom, as were the hydrangea. The sea air was refreshing even while the sun was blazing hot. 

This was a very special place, glad I explored it, but certainly a playground of the very rich.

Houses were nestled into the landscape, which was burgeoning with blooms.

Rustic fences, stone walls, and hardy grasses caught my eye.

This is one cove, with boats basking in the sun.

A private cove for just one house.

The only problem with boating on Bréhat: the tide in this northern end of the world has big swings, and boats are often rendered unusable by the tide going out.

A path with ancient walls.

A cottage nestled into its lush garden.

Agapanthus growing wild, a mysterious house where certainly a family with some wild people in it must have lived.

Another view. What a place!

It's on a hill with sea air constantly flowing over it.

Another beautiful house.

Isle de Bréhat was just full of picturesqueness.

It reminds me of the kind of cottage known as Cape Cod. But here we are in the Old World, not the new.

A field of grass nodding in the wind.

My type of place: small and cozy.

A romantic door.

A statue just outside the restaurant where we had lunch.

Here's our lunch spot -- highly recommended!

Plants do well on Isle de Bréhat in the moist sea air, even in nooks and crannies. How about you? What special place have you been over the years? Comment below!

Just outside Dinan, Brittany, a jewel of a landscape

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By Norma Hopcraft

This jewel of a landscape could inspire your garden, your photography, your writing, your life! And there's a recipe for a French almond cake below to inspire your baking.

After hijinks, rascals, and medieval homes in Dinan, with all the history they evoke, we sought some quiet time along the River Rance, which runs along the edge of the city. Downstream from us, in the Port of Dinan, the Kiwanis jousting boats kept going, with Celtic bagpipes adding to the swirl and hubbub. But just upriver was a marvelously peaceful scene. We walked to the incredibly beautiful village of Léhon on a footpath that followed the river's twists and turns.

The path took us past a few scattered houses that seemed to have no means of access by car. 

The river was so quiet, it reflected perfectly.

I like how the bridge reflected until it looked like it was built in an oval.

The church for the little village of Léhon.

This is the scene in the heart of Léhon. I was dazzled by the beauty of a French village.

Ancient stonework. There's little in this world that's more picturesque.

Someone's well-loved flower garden.

There's Tibou, my French friend Martine's dog. He covered twice as much ground as we did as he ran ahead, then back to Martine.

 

A family enjoying a quiet moment on the Rance. 

How about you? Been on any woodsy walks lately? Did you recharge your creative batteries? Let's chat about it below in the comments section.

And now for the recipe you've been waiting for. My friend Marla, a personal trainer and yoga instructor in New York City, says it's delicious. She is the nicest person, which you'll be able to see for yourself at her website.

Almond Bars (Barres aux amandes). Courtesy of Watkins Pure Almond Extract.

4 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons of almond extract

Confectioners' sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until lemon-colored. Add the butter, flur and extract. Mix well. Spread into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake at 325 Fahrenheit for 30 to 35 mintes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Marla advises that people add 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla and be sure to use salted butter. She recommends sprinkling the top with chopped nuts (of your choice) and a bit of sea salt. Also, you could drizzle melted chocolate on top.

What Hijinks in These Medieval Houses?

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By Norma Hopcraft

Today I have some shots that I hope spark your creativity and send you to your workroom or drawing pad, or simply to the kitchen to make a meal with a bit of je ne sais quoi.

I'm inspired by architecture, which is the art of light and space. People live and work, breathe and have their being within architecture. Let's take a look at some from the Middle Ages.

After the hijinx at the port, we explored at the top of the hill, in Dinan's centre ville. 

Dinan has a fine assortment of medieval half-timbered houses. Get carried away with me: these houses are 1,000 years old. They have witnessed the births and deaths of countless generations of Bretons. Families and friends eating, sometimes meagerly, sometimes feasting together. Marriages lived out, heartfelt prayers said. 

The walls, ceilings, floors get embued with the spirit of all these activities, creating an ambience for the next generations to savor. 

Here in the centre-ville of Dinan is a half-timbered structure, supported by more recent columns, I'm guessing. I went in one of these houses. They're dark. 

A detail from another half-timbered house in Dinan. How would you feel about having your house supported by timbers harvested 1,000 years ago?

A biscuiterie -- a cookie shop -- under the colonade formed by this ancient building. How French!

These timbers were fitted together with splices and pieces and who knows what. What are you piecing together today? Tell me, in the comment section. 

Splices and pieces and a more recent column below. Would you like to live in one of these spaces? I imagine that the lives lived within them leave a person feeling crowded with personalities, with stories, with hijinks.

 

These are the gates between Dinan's centre-ville and the port of Dinan. France is replete with these reminders of history, of times past, of the people who preceded us. What are your thoughts about ancient homes and walls and gates? What do they inspire you to do? Please feel free to comment below!

Hijinks in Dinan, Brittany

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By Norma Hopcraft

My French friend Martine, her little white dog Tibou, my sister Chris and I went from solemnity in the abbey of Mont St. Michel to hijinks in Dinan.

We'll get to the hijinks. First I'll show you picturesqueness. Walking through the center of the village of Dinan, we found the side street that descends to the river Rance and the port of Dinan (this village is quite a ways inland but it does connect to the ocean eventually). The street knocked us sideways, it was so powerfully charming. 

By the way, to be alerted when my next pictures from France are posted, sign up for my newsletter, at the upper right.

Everywhere on the descent to the river we enjoyed charming scenes.

The descent to the port on the river Rance is steep, but that adds to the charm. Can you imagine living your life in one of these houses? What a beautiful scene to come home to.

The roofline is so French too.

I experimented with black and white on this same shot. What do you think? Which do you like better? Comment below!

Hydrangea in glorious bloom graced our time in Brittany and Normandy.

The perfect windowbox and the perfect sculpture for a home.

A half-timbered home dating from the Middle Ages, maybe 1200 or 1300. Just down the hill, we enjoyed an amazing lunch of galettes (crêpes in the Brittany style, made with buckwheat). Mine had honey and goat cheese in it. So fabulous! A very memorable meal.

The French gift for making beauty against old stonework.

When we got to the port, we saw that teams from Kiwanis clubs in the region were practicing rowing toward each other and then knocking the jousters (note: on a tilted platform) off each other's boats.

 

Even though these boats were rowed by men and women, they moved fast, and each jousting encounter was over quickly. There was only one opportunity, one thrust, to knock off your opposition.

The next day, Sunday, we went back to the port for the actual competition. The boats' teams were now dressed in costumes, like these characters from a famous French comic book series, The Adventures of Tintin. 

Here's a sea captain, Captain Haddock from the Adventures of Tintin, with a fake pipe that glowed. There were Native American teams in loincloths, teams dressed as zebras and other zoo animals, etc. The Kiwanis teams used their imaginations.

This team is dressed as construction workers, plus the caller, standing at the bottom of the jouster's platform, dressed as a ....?.... traffic cone?

Bagpipe music (we are, after all, in Brittany, with strong Celtic roots) played at the start of each jousting session.

5.

Here's a team with the King of England, his subjects -- and polo ponies.

Here's a joust in full costume, with bagpipe soundtrack.

                             This guy was shoved into the water, which was the whole point of the day.

How about you? Would you participate if your local Kiwanis or Rotary or Lions Club got up to such hijinks? Comment below!

And sign up for my newsletter in the top right corner to automatically get the next installment: the picturesque center village of Dinan. Then more from Brittany. Thanks!