The magic of Fez

I have always dreamt of visiting an African country. I had my first opportunity last year and I think I made a very good choice: Morocco!

And now it's a pleasure to share some of the pictures I took there. I admit I was a bit disappointed since I couldn't go to Marrakesh, but I was very glad to be in Fez.
What can I say about it? 
Two words: magical and timeless. It is almost impossible to describe clearly enough how beautiful and enchanting it is. I guess I took nearly one thousand pictures, and it was hard to choose only some of them to upload here. 

Let's just hope I've made the best choices again.

One of the doors to enter the Medina, the ancient district. The Medina is a really huge maze: a lot of small streets, no cars are allowed inside, and that's the oldest part of the city. The Medina of Fez is famous, because it is the biggest one in the world. It is really easy to get lost there!  

The traditional tanneries of Fez. That's where they produce the autentic Moroccan leather.

And a traditional Moroccan restaurant! You cannot leave Morocco without tasting its delicious couscous and the incredible tagines. And with such a beautiful place, any meal can be a pretext to a great feast!

The doors and the shops in the medina.

A picture from outside. Those are the walls that encircle the medina and protected it from invaders.

Wonderful landscapes...

The medina seen from the South Borj. 

The ruins in the North of Fez.

Another sight of the medina. This time taken from the other side, the North Borj.

The minaret of one of the various mosques. But that one is located in the modern part of the city.

Back to the medina. That is the entrance to a medersa, that is, a Quranic school. Its architectural style is strikingly beautiful in my opinion.

Going through the streets of the medina.

This picture has also striken us... it is beyond words...

One of the doors to the Royal Palace. Yes, Morocco is a monarchy, and its King is greatly appreciated throughout the country. 

And that's it. No need to know, we saw a lot of things and learned so much about that country. Anyway I still think there could be no better way to start exploring the African continent. Now it's time to think about our next destination...

Thank you again for your visit! Or better said, this time in Arabic, شكرا! (shu-kran, or that is how we used to pronounce it there! :D)

Una città piena di arte: Firenze!

A perfect city for those who love art in all its aspects. Yes, of course we're talking about Florence. This jewel is the main city in the stunningly beautiful region of Tuscany, and an absolute must see for anyone travelling in Italy.

I'll just upload a few pictures of my first time in Florence. It is really impossible to apprehend the greatness and beauty of the city by only seeing pictures. We're well aware of that. But it might convince those who still hesitate whether they should or not visit the city...

 One side of the enormous Basilica di San Lorenzo.

Il Mercato

Ecco! Il Duomo di Firenze. That is the great symbol of the city. 

Le Porte del Paradiso (Heaven's Doors). This is the entrance to the Baptistery, just in front of the Cathedral.

Neptune's fountain in Piazza della Signoria.

Basilica di Santa Croce. Florence has a lot of churches. Each one has its own original features and art. Santa Croce is where many famous Italians are buried (such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini... ) 

Machiavelli's tomb.

Piazza della Santa Trinità.

Another great sight: Giotto's Campanile. Just beside the Duomo. 414 steps all the way up to the top. No lifts! But the sight you have once you're there is an excellent reward! 

There it is! From the Campanile, you can see Il Palazzo Vecchio, another famous building of Florence.

Brunelleschi's Dome, in the Duomo. An extraordinary masterpiece. I thought I'd need hours and hours to fully appreciate how beautiful it is! 

Another view of Florece, this time taken from the Duomo.

I was absolutely in love with Florence. Once again I said to myself I didn't reserve enough time to explore all the places that must be seen. I hope I'll go back someday.

Anyway one would need a lifetime to explore Italy with all its magnificence and cultural, historical and artistic richness.

È tutto per oggi, ragazzi! Grazie mille per la visita a questo blog! :D

¡Hola, muchachos! ¿Vámonos a Madrid?

Hey everyone! What's up?

I know it's been again a long long time since we last updated this blog. But I've felt the urge to do so, and now I think I can post some pictures of another wonderful trip. 

And what can I say about today's destination? Bulls, paellas, flamenco, great beaches and very rich culture and history. Sí sí, mis amigos you have guessed it. Of course I'm talking about ESPAÑA! :D

It was one of the first countries I ever visited and that was back in 2010. I'm going to put the best pictures I took in Madrid, but remember I'm no professional photographer. 

Let's get started with ¡la Plaza de toros de España, señores!

And then we go directly to the Royal Palace. :D

And standing directly in front of it, la Catedral de la Almudena.

The most famous museum in Madrid, el museo del Prado. 

Next to the Puerta del Sol there's a message in memory of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on 11 March 2004. 

And the best place to relax a bit and eat a good paella or even better: a cocido madrileño. ¡La Plaza Mayor de Madrid!

Puerta del Sol.

La Gran Vía.

The Spanish flag. I love it. I love Spain! ¡Me encanta España! ¡¡¡Quiero volver!!!

And Puerta de Alcalá.

Well, guys, I think those pictures are enough to convince anyone that Madrid's well wroth a visit. The city is incredibly beautiful and offers a lot of options. I really enjoyed it and I'd advise it to anyone who would ask me what to see first in Europe. But that's not all, of course. Spain has also Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Málaga, Bilbao, ... 

I really miss those days in Spain. I hope I'll have another opportunity to go there.

Buenos, eso es todo, muchachos. ¡Gracias por vuestra atención! :D

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life"

Hello guys!

And today's post begins with the famous Samuel Johnson's quotation. And it couldn't be any different, since I'm going to upload a few pictures we took in London. That was in 2011, but the memories of that amazing trip will not be easily wiped out of our minds! :D

Madame Tussaud's Museum

 The traditional telephone cabin.

Trafalgar Square

 

The National Gallery. I really wanted to visit it, but as we entered, we were told photos were forbidden. We were very disappointed.

The most iconic sight of London!

 And again.

Westminster Abbey! You can't believe how long it took us to enter! And mind you, it is not free. We had to pay 16 pounds! Absurdly expensive. Well, almost everything is absurdly expensive in London.

 Hey, don't you guys agree that the Thames River is not looking too good in that picture? I don't know why it had this colour... it was a very hot day, in August.

I'm lousy at photographing big objects. Well, I must confess I have no talent at all! But I can't waste the opportunity to take pictures of great moments. The image you see above was supposed to be the London Eye! Yes, that giant ferris wheel. I tried to get a better angle from the boat, as we were cruising on the Thames:

And below there's a pic of the sight we had when we were at the highest height in the London Eye:

And there's the London Tower. It looks like an ancient fortress. We really wanted to visit it, there are rumours it's hanted by the ghosts of people who were tortured and killed there! But we got there too late, it was closed.

And last but not least, the Tower Bridge. Unfortunately we couldn't get a night picture, but it looks even more beautiful when it's all lighted up!

That's it, guys! I hope you like it. My friends and I were all very happy to visit London. An incredible city, really. But we do know the United Kingdom is not only London. There are many other wonderful cities waiting to be discovered. The problem is: it's not so cheap to buy pounds and travel in the UK.

Oh, and we're all craving to learn British English! Their accent is really the most charming. Forgive us, Americans!!!

And next post: Berlin! See you there, guys!

Algunas palabras sobre... Amsterdam!

Hola amigos!

Cómo habéis estado?
Sé que nunca he escrito nada en español, pero me gustaría intentar decir una o dos cosas.
Amanda nos ha contado un poco de su viaje en Francia, y ahora tal vez yo pueda contaros también sobre mi viaje en Holanda. Es verdad que Ámsterdam me encantó muchísimo, pero hay muchas otras ciudades que deben ser vistas en aquel país tan maravilloso.

Aquí os muestro cinco fotos que he hecho allá:

El Palacio Real (Koninklijk Paleis), en la plaza del Dam. No sé si se escribe así, porque el idioma holandés me pareció muy difícil. Pero quiero aprenderlo un día.

Abajo podéis ver una imagen de Prinsegracht, la calle donde se encuentra el edificio en el cual se escondieron Anne Frank y su familia, durante la Segunda Guerra. Me gusta la foto porque hay un poste en ella, y me parece que siempre dan un buen aspecto a la ciudad, con las casas atrás.

El museo Anne Frank. Si alguna vez queráis visitarlo, recomiendo que vayáis temprano, porque normalmente la cola es muy muy grande, y hay que esperar mucho tiempo para entrar. ¡Tuve que esperar por casi dos horas! Sí, hay mucha gente que quiere ver el sitio donde vivió la pequeña Anne durante más de dos años, mientras intentaban escapar de la persecución de los alemanes a los judios.

Y ahora, no muy lejos del Museo Anne Frank, vemos la Westerkerk. No sé cómo se traduce en español, pero ya se puede notar que es una iglesa muy hermosa.

¡Y Ámsterdam es tan famosa por sus canales y sus bicicletas! ¡Me ha encantado muchísimo!

Eso es todo, amigos. Pero luego quiero escribir nuevamente para mostrarles también las fotos de Maastricht. Es una ciudad holandesa, cerca de la frontera con Bélgica. Os pido que me perdonéis si he hecho muchos errores en español. Hace mucho tiempo que no lo practico, así que es posible que haya olvidado la manera más correcta de decir algo en esta lengua que me gusta tanto.
Ah, pero no me preguntad por qué quise escribir este texto en español, si se trata de la capital de Holanda. De hecho quisiera escribirlo en holandés, pero es un idioma muy difícil y no creo que me expresaría bien...

Anyway I hope to go back to Amsterdam someday. That was an unforgettable trip! ¡Un viaje inolvidable! Seguramente que os gustará también.

Un gran abrazo, ¡hasta pronto!

Après presque 4 ans, nous voilà!!!

Et nous voilà de retour!

Oui, je sais, ça fait longtemps que nous n'avons rien écrit ici. On avait même oublié le mot de passe. Mais je suis content de m'en être souvenu!

En fait je ne sais pas ce que je peux vous écrire ce soir. J'ai eu une journée assez longue et je suis épuisé. Je pense qu'il n'y a vraiment rien à dire. Alors je vous laisse et je mets deux photos de Bordeaux. J'ai déjà eu le plaisir de visiter cette magnifique ville française et j'avoue que je suis impatient d'y aller encore. Pourtant je ne sais pas quand ça sera possible: il me faut beaucoup d'argent!!! :D

Allez, c'est ça. Si jamais j'ai des idées intéressantes, j'essaierai d'écrire un texte et je le mettrai ici. Je ne sais pas vraiment si quelqu'un voudra le lire, mais bon...

Les voilà les photos que j'ai faites à Bordeaux:

D'abord la place des Quinconces:

Et ci-dessous l'église gothique de Saint André. Moi j'adore le style gothique que l'on trouve souvent dans quelques églises européennes. 

Mesdames et messieurs, je vous remercie pour votre attention! À bientôt!

Où sont les réponses que je cherchais?

Qu'est-ce qui se passe dans mon coeur? J'ai beaucoup pensé pendant ces jours, mais aucune réponse ne m'a été donnée. Je me demande ce que je peux faire alors... Peut-être qu'il faut écrire à propos de toutes ces choses qui blessent nos coeurs et qui nous rendent preoccupés. L'angoisse de la vie, les pensées qui viennent à nous quelques fois et nous confondent, les questions que le silence du vent froid ne nous répond pas. À qui pouvons-nous recourir pour comprendre mieux les mystères de cet univers, et enfin découvrir ce qui se cache de nous, derrière la voile qu'on n'a jamais réussi à toucher sans déchirer le fil qui nous maintient vifs? Devons-nous vraiment attendre jusque l'ange de la mort nous prenne pour que tout soit expliqué?

C'est difficile, je sais, c'est une chose qui intrigue les êtres humains. Ils ne comprennent pas ce qui vient avant le début et ce qui va après la fin. Oui, bien sûr, il y a des explications que les religions veulent que nous acceptions. Et il y a des gens qui disent simplement qu'il est inutile de s'inquieter pour une chose si ridicule. Mais la raison d'être de la vie... pourquoi? Pourquoi n'avons-nous pas le droit de la connaître? On dirait qu'il faut seulement vivre et continuer à vivre, sans poser beaucoup de questions, surtout les questions bêtes, qui ne peuvent pas être répondues à cause de la limitée sagesse humaine. La science, la philosophie, la foi...

Je pourrais peut-être oublier tout cela et aller dormir sans rien plus à en dire. Cépendant, je me connais assez bien pour savoir qu'il ne sera pas si facile. Et quand je réfléchis sur certains concepts abstraits, tels que l'amour, la douleur, la peur de la mort, les désirs... je sens que je ne sais vraiment rien et que le meilleur que je dois faire c'est me réposer et jouir de la vie. Chez ma famille, avec mes amis et tous ceux que j'aime et qui m'aiment. C'est un peu cliché. Mais au moins je sens que cette perspective me console bien. Et ça me suffit... pour le moment.

De toute façon, les doutes qui n'ont pas été éclairies vont durer pendant tout le temps dans lequel je vivrai. Il faut lire et écrire, parler et entendre... afin de comprendre un peu plus.

Dans l'intervalle, je vais écouter quelque chanson pour adoucir mon âme qui pleure parfois. Elle a peur de la solitude. Toutefois j'essaie de lui dire que je peux me fier à mes amis et toujours compter sur eux. C'est ce qui nous importe.